MagicQ User Manual i

MagicQ User Manual

MagicQ User Manual ii

REVISION HISTORY

NUMBER DATE DESCRIPTION NAME

Latest 31/01/2024 ChamSys

MagicQ User Manual iii

Contents

1 Introduction 1
1.1 MagicQ software and consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.2 MagicQ MQ500 Stadium Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
1.3 MagicQ Compact Series . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.4 MagicQ Wings for use with PC/Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.5 Plugging Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.6 DMX Connections . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.7 Powering Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.8 Powering Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
1.9 Resetting the Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.10 Hard Reset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.11 Power Supply Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.12 Care of your MagicQ console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
1.13 Safety Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.14 Security Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.15 Disposal Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

2 Installing MagicQ Software & Drivers 7

2.1 MagicQ software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.2 MagicDMX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.3 MagicQ Wings & Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
2.3.1 GeNetix nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4 MagicQ on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4.1 Drivers for older MagicQ products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2.4.2 User permissions on Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.5 MagicQ on Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.5.1 Turning off App Nap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.5.2 Making the MagicQ folder writeable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.6 MagicQ on Linux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.6.1 Installing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.6.2 High DPI screens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
MagicQ User Manual iv

3 Using MagicQ on PCs and Macs 19

3.1 Simple Generic Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3.2 Technician Test Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
3.3 Demo Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
3.4 Touch View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.5 Playback mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.6 Copy and paste to external applications via the clipboard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.7 MagicQ PC / Mac Restrictions (Demo and Reduced Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.1 DEMO MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.2 REDUCED MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.7.3 UNLOCKED MODE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.7.4 GeNetix / SnakeSys DMX Node Unlocking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
3.7.5 MagicHD Stand Alone Restriction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

4 MagicQ Concepts 26
4.1 Show Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.2 Output channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
4.2.1 HTP / LTP channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.3 Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
4.4 Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.5 Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.6 Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.7 FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
4.8 Window Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.9 Shift Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.10 The Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.11 Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

5 MagicQ Layout 30
5.1 Physical layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.1.1 Touch Screen, Encoders & Soft Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
5.1.2 Main Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
5.1.3 Layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.1.4 Active Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.1.5 Window Sizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.1.6 Support for Find in MagicQ windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.1.7 Support for Cut and Paste in MagicQ windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.1.8 Status and Display Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
5.1.9 Head Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
MagicQ User Manual v

5.1.10 Editor Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

5.1.11 Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
5.2 Keyboard, Keypad, Select & Confirm Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5.3 Common Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5.3.1 Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
5.3.2 Setting the value of items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.3.3 Naming items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.3.4 Moving items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
5.3.5 Copying items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.3.6 Removing items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.3.7 Recording items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.4 Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
5.4.1 Actions on Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

6 Quick Start 40
6.1 Starting up MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.2 Calibrating the Touch Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
6.3 Starting a New Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
6.4 Enabling Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.4.1 Using Direct DMX Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.4.2 Using Outputs via network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
6.5 Connecting a MagicQ Playback Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.5.1 Setting Playback Wing IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.6 Connecting External Monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
6.7 Patching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
6.7.1 Naming and Numbering Fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
6.8 Controlling Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.8.1 Selecting Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.8.2 Selecting heads from the Group/Heads Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
6.8.3 Recording a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.9 Naming a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.10 Recalling a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.11 Setting Levels for Dimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
6.12 Locating Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
6.13 Modifying Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
6.14 Recording a Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
6.15 Adding in FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
6.16 Recording a Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
6.17 Recording a Cue Stack (Chase or Theatre Stack) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
6.18 Selecting and recording complete window layouts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
6.19 Saving the Show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
6.20 Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
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7 Patching 54
7.1 Patching on MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
7.2 Getting started with patching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
7.3 Patching a Head or Dimmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
7.4 Head Names and Head Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
7.4.1 Head Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
7.4.2 Head Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.4.3 Renumbering Head Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.4.4 Patching to specific Head numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.5 Gel name and number . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.6 Col Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
7.7 Generating auto groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.8 Auto Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.9 Heads with multiple elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.9.1 Duplicated Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
7.9.2 Multi Element Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.10 Inverting and Swapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.11 Pan and Tilt Offsets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.12 Applying Offsets using Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
7.13 Minimum and Maximum levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7.13.1 Limits and Offset. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7.14 Dimmer curves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
7.15 Testing channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
7.16 Changing the DMX address of heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61
7.17 Patching a Head to multiple DMX addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7.18 Unpatching a Head from a DMX address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7.19 Patching scrollers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7.20 Editing Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
7.21 Cloning (Adding extra heads / dimmers to a programmed show) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
7.21.1 Copy Head Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
7.21.2 Patch Channel Copy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
7.22 Morphing Heads (Changing Head type) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7.22.1 Morphing multi element heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7.22.2 Morphing Heads with virtual dimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7.22.3 Morphing between CMY and colour wheel Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
7.23 Importing Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7.23.1 Supported column headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
7.23.2 WYSIWYG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
7.23.3 VectorWorks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
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7.23.4 Depence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
7.23.5 Creating a head list . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
7.24 Exporting Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
7.25 VL5 type channels (split personalities) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68
7.26 Merging with DMX input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
7.27 Customising Locate, Default, Highlight and Lowlight values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
7.28 Theatre Patch syntax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
7.29 Virtual Dimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
7.29.1 Quickly adding Virtual Dimmers to patched heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
7.29.2 Heads always with virtual dimmers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
7.30 Patch Head Filtering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
7.30.1 Duplicated elements operating independently . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

8 Setting Intensity levels 73

8.1 Using the on screen faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
8.2 Using the encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
8.3 Using the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
8.3.1 Setting fade times from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
8.4 Setting intensity FX from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
8.5 Multi Element Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
8.6 Setting intensity levels for DMX channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
8.7 Using Selected Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75
8.8 Using gel colours in the Intensity Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
8.8.1 Programming of Dimmers using gel colours . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
8.9 Setting levels whilst running a show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
8.10 Inbuilt Intensity Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
8.11 Viewing Intensities in the Outputs Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77

9 Controlling Attributes 78
9.1 Selecting Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
9.2 Using Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
9.2.1 Recording a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
9.2.2 Naming a Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
9.2.3 Setting Group Icon or Col Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
9.3 Selecting Heads using the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
9.3.1 Selecting multiple heads from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
9.3.2 Selecting Groups from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
9.3.3 Selecting Palettes from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
9.3.4 Remove Dimmer (Rem Dim) Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
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9.4 Selecting heads using the rig plan view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81

9.5 Head Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
9.6 Locating Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
9.7 Modifying Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
9.8 Colour Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
9.9 Flip / Mirror . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
9.10 Setting attribute values using the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
9.11 Reversing rotations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
9.12 Snap colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
9.13 Default colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
9.14 Selecting individual Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
9.14.1 Single Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
9.14.2 Pair . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9.14.3 Odd/Even . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9.14.4 Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9.14.5 All . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9.14.6 Sub selecting Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
9.14.7 Sub selecting heads using specific palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
9.14.8 Changing Overall Selection order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
9.14.9 Sub selection of heads from Groups / Overall Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
9.15 Sub selection of elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
9.15.1 Head Element Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
9.15.2 Element selection in the Group window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.15.3 Groups with element selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.16 Sub Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.17 Group Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
9.18 Highlight Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
9.19 Lowlight function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
9.20 Reselecting heads using Palettes and Intensities (Active Palette and Intensity) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
9.21 Fan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
9.22 And Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
9.23 Group Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91

10 Palettes 92
10.1 Using Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
10.2 Recording Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
10.2.1 Recording individual attributes into a Palette . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
10.2.2 Recording only the selected heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
10.3 Intensity Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
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10.4 Duplicate elements in Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

10.5 Naming Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
10.6 Updating Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
10.7 Copying and moving Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
10.8 Removing attributes from Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
10.9 Viewing / Editing Palette contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
10.10Linked Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
10.11Using Palettes with times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
10.11.1 Fading over Group Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
10.11.2 Using FAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
10.12Making Palettes into Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
10.13Selecting Palettes from the keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
10.14Merging of Palettes from another show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
10.15Modifying Palettes in the personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
10.16Capturing Palettes from DMX input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
10.16.1 Manual Palette Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
10.16.2 Auto Palette Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
10.16.3 Manual capture from Palette windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
10.16.4 Manual Including into the Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
10.17Expanding Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
10.18Replacing Palettes in Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100
10.19Tracker Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
10.19.1 Default Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101

11 FX Engine 103
11.1 Adding in FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103
11.1.1 FX Speed & Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11.1.2 FX base values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11.1.3 FX add modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11.1.4 FX Spread (offsets over heads) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
11.1.5 FX Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
11.1.6 FX Segments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
11.1.7 FX Direction & Inversion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
11.1.8 Width . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
11.1.9 Speed Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
11.1.10 Rnd . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 110
11.1.11 One Shot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
11.1.12 Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
11.1.13 FX fade times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
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11.1.14 FX delay times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111

11.1.15 Initial spreads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
11.1.16 FX on CMY and RGB heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
11.1.17 Flicker FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
11.1.18 Multiple FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
11.1.19 Joining / Splitting multiple FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.1.20 Modifying FX for selected Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.1.21 Changing FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.1.22 FX Reordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.1.23 Blocking FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 113
11.2 Generating user FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
11.3 Editing user FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
11.4 Palette FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114
11.4.1 Palette FX on heads with different attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.4.2 User created Palette FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.5 FX colour flicks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.6 FX using base colour . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.7 Group based FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
11.7.1 Group FX Spread . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
11.8 FX on Heads with Duplicated Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
11.9 FX Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
11.9.1 FX Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
11.10Importing and Exporting the FX Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118

12 Programmer 119
12.1 What is in the programmer? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
12.2 Clearing the programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
12.3 Activation by Channel or by Head? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
12.4 Recording a Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
12.4.1 Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
12.4.2 Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
12.4.3 FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
12.5 Split Cue Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
12.5.1 View Simple . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
12.5.1.1 Fade Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
12.5.2 View Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
12.6 Recording to a specific Cue Id . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
12.7 Snapshot Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
12.8 Record Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123
MagicQ User Manual xi

12.8.1 Record Short cuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124

12.8.2 Masking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
12.8.3 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
12.9 Active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
12.10Removing channels from the Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
12.10.1 Removing channels using the REMOVE button . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 125
12.10.2 Removing channels using the Programmer Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
12.11Making channels hard values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
12.12Copy between heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
12.13Blind programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
12.14Parking (freezing) channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

13 Outputs Windows 129

13.1 Heads View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
13.2 Intensity View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
13.3 DMX Channels View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
13.4 Movement View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
13.5 Chart View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
13.6 Plan View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
13.6.1 Creating rig plans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
13.6.2 Inserting heads using heads numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
13.6.3 Inserting Heads using Insert Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
13.6.4 Output Grid Multi Head Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
13.6.5 Output Grid display types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
13.6.6 Output Grid Repatching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
13.6.7 Output Grid Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
13.6.8 Output Grid Actions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
13.6.9 Importing and Exporting Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
13.6.10 Selection of heads in Outputs Plan View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 135
13.6.11 Groups within Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
13.6.12 Key Macros in Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
13.6.13 Exec Items and Text in Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136

14 Editing Cues 137

14.1 Including Cues into the Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137
14.1.1 Including Cues at a specified level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
14.1.2 Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
14.2 Editing using Include and Update method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
14.3 Record Merge (Updating a Cue with the contents of the programmer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138
MagicQ User Manual xii

14.4 Making changes to multiple Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 138

14.4.1 Changes to multiple Cues using keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
14.4.2 Changes to multiple Cues using Cue Stack window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
14.5 Editing using Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
14.6 Direct Modification of Intensities in Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 139
14.7 Copy heads in Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 140

15 Cue Stacks 141

15.1 Cue Stack Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 141
15.2 Chase Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
15.3 Cue Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
15.3.1 Cue Timing Example . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 142
15.3.2 The Halt field . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
15.3.3 Cue Delay and Fade times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
15.4 Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
15.4.1 Tracking on MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 144
15.4.2 Viewing Cue Data and Tracking Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
15.4.3 Tracking out FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
15.4.4 Copying Cues in tracking mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
15.4.5 Blocking / Unblocking Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
15.5 Cue Only . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
15.6 Mark Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
15.7 The Cue Store and Cue Stack Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
15.7.1 Cue Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
15.7.2 Stack Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
15.8 Assigning Cues and Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
15.9 Copying and Moving Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
15.10Linked Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
15.11Copying Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 148
15.11.1 Selective copying of Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.11.2 Creating a new Cue Stack for different heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.12Removing Cues and Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.13Cue Stack Defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
15.14Col Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
15.15Cue Stack Favourites . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
15.16Audio in Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 150
15.16.1 Audio Cue Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
15.16.2 Audio FX Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
15.16.3 Audio Formats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
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15.16.4 Audio Volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152

15.17Cue Stack Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 152
15.17.1 Controlling Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
15.18Timecode Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154
15.18.1 Editing timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
15.18.2 Learn Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 155
15.18.3 Testing timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.18.4 External timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.18.5 Timecode offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.18.6 Automatic activation and release of Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
15.18.7 Internal timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
15.18.8 Enabling / Disabling Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
15.19Cue Stack timecode tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
15.20Importing timecode timings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 157
15.21Timeline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 158
15.21.1 View Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
15.21.2 View Cueline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
15.22View Editor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
15.23View Cue Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
15.24View Marker Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
15.24.1 Beat markers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
15.24.2 Marker set layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161
15.25Choose Cue Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
15.25.1 Audio files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 162
15.25.2 Playhead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
15.25.3 Timecode Tracks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
15.25.4 Timecode Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163

16 Playback 164
16.1 Playback Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
16.2 Activating and Releasing Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 164
16.3 Fader control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
16.4 Playback Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
16.4.1 Playbacks without faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
16.4.2 Grand Master & Sub Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
16.4.3 Dead Black Out (DBO) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
16.4.4 Add / Swap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
16.4.5 Page Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 166
16.4.6 Page Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
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16.4.7 Current Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167

16.4.8 Playbacks across multiple Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
16.4.9 Page Holdover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
16.4.10 Playback Banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
16.4.11 Manual Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
16.4.12 Goto . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
16.4.13 Manual Split Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
16.4.14 Rate Sub Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 169
16.4.15 Tap to time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
16.4.16 Global Tap to Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
16.5 Playbacks Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 170
16.5.1 Testing playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
16.5.2 Naming playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
16.5.3 Copying and moving playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
16.5.4 Removing playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
16.5.5 Playback Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
16.5.6 Checking Active playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
16.5.7 Moving Playbacks for all pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
16.5.8 Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172
16.6 Bank Pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
16.7 Default Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
16.8 Synchronising Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173
16.9 Set lists . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 173

17 Cue Stack Options 174

17.1 Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
17.1.1 Fader activates stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
17.1.2 Fader releases stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
17.1.3 Fader controls HTP chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 174
17.1.4 Fader controls LTP (IPCB) chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.5 Fader blocks FX on LTP chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.6 Fader controls Absolute chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.7 Fader controls FX size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.8 Fader controls FX speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
17.1.9 Fader controls manual crossfades . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
17.1.10 Fader controls timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
17.1.11 Fader controls audio volume . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
17.1.12 Fader jumps to Cue Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
17.1.13 Encoder mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 176
MagicQ User Manual xv

17.1.14 Control type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177

17.1.15 Control item . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.2 Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.2.1 Flash activates stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.2.2 Flash releases stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.2.3 Flash always swaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
17.2.4 Flash acts as Go/Pause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.5 Flash acts as Flash + Go . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.6 Flash toggles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.7 Flash acts like fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.8 Go activates stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.9 Go jumps out of loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 178
17.2.10 Go stop/starts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.11 Go uses Exec Grid 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.12 Pause swaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.13 Pause releases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.2.14 Pause uses Exec Grid 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.3 Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.3.1 Cue Stack is an Intensity Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179
17.3.2 Cue Stack is a FX Size Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
17.3.3 Cue Stack is a FX Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
17.3.4 Group ID (0 is not used) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
17.3.5 Group Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.6 Intensity Master to 200% . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.7 Cue Stack is a Prog Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.8 Cue Stack is a Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.9 Cue Stack is a Live Copy Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.10 Live Copy Group ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.3.11 Col Tag . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
17.4 Activate/Release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.1 Halt at last step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.2 Release after last step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.3 Release resets to first step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.4 Release steps 1 step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.5 Release time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.6 Release attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.7 Release uses last step times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
17.4.8 Release fades audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.4.9 Release executes last step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
MagicQ User Manual xvi

17.4.10 Activate on page change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183

17.4.11 Release on page change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.4.12 HTP always active (Use HTP) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.4.13 Activate and Release on DJ System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.5 Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.5.1 All chans controlled LTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 183
17.5.2 Block FX from other playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
17.5.3 Ignore Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
17.5.4 Playback priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
17.5.5 Move when dark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
17.5.6 Recalculate state on jumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
17.5.7 Stomp other playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
17.5.8 Sync next Playback to this one . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
17.5.9 Send playback state to other consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
17.5.10 Rate Divisor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185
17.5.11 Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.12 External timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.13 Timecode offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.14 Enable timecode loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.15 Timecode loop in . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.16 Timecode loop out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.17 DJ Track . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 186
17.5.18 Track DJ Deck timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6 Chase Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.1 Skip first times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.2 Speed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.3 Xfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.4 Direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.5 Repeat type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.6 Number of repeats . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.7 Running . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.8 HTP in fade, HTP out fade, Position fade, Colour fade, Beam fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 187
17.6.9 HTP in delay, HTP out delay, Position delay, Colour delay, Beam delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7 Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7.1 Audio controls fader level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7.2 Audio level jumps to Cue Step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7.3 Audio bumps GO/FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7.4 Audio beat step . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 188
17.7.5 Audio beat step length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
MagicQ User Manual xvii

17.7.6 Audio sets BPM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189

17.7.7 Audio channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
17.7.8 Audio level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
17.7.9 Audio parameter 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 189
17.7.10 Audio parameter 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.7.11 Audio file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.7.12 Audio play mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8 Step (View Defaults only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8.1 Step controlled as a chase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8.2 Step follows last . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8.3 Step halts before executing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8.4 Zero old HTP (from previous steps) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 190
17.8.5 Zero old FX (from previous steps) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.8.6 Release old chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9 Step Times (View Defaults only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.1 HTP in fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.2 HTP out fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.3 Position fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.4 Colour fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.5 Beam fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.6 HTP in delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 191
17.9.7 HTP out delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.9.8 Position delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.9.9 Colour delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.9.10 Beam delay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.10FX (View Defaults Only) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.10.1 Default in fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
17.10.2 Default out fade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192

18 Advanced Playback / Cue Stack Options 193

18.1 Interaction of HTP and LTP channels between Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
18.2 HTP handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
18.3 LTP handling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 193
18.4 All chans controlled LTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
18.5 HTP always active (Use HTP) option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
18.6 Interaction of FX between Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 194
18.7 Playback Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
18.8 Playbacks ignore masters levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
18.9 Playback Stomping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195
MagicQ User Manual xviii

18.10Group Masters (Inhibit Masters) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196

18.10.1 Intensity Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.10.1.1 Group based Intensity Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.10.1.2 Channel based Intensity Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.10.2 FX Size and FX Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.10.2.1 Group based FX Size and FX Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 196
18.10.2.2 Channel based FX Size and FX Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
18.11Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
18.12Advanced activate and release options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

19 Live Programming (Busking) 198

19.1 Adding individual channels using preset faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
19.2 Over-ride / take-over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
19.3 Viewing Cues and Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
19.4 Modifying chase speed / crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 198
19.5 Modifying FX parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
19.6 Stop / Starting Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
19.7 Jumping to a Cue in a Cue Stack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
19.8 Over-riding using the programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
19.9 Adding in new FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
19.10Applying palettes with time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
19.11Releasing / Clearing with time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
19.12Speed control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 200
19.12.1 Changing the Chase or FX data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
19.12.2 Global Rate or Playback Rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
19.12.3 FX Speed on Playback Fader . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
19.12.4 FX Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
19.12.5 Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 201
19.12.5.1 Cue Stack is a Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
19.12.5.2 Speed Master Fader Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
19.13Busking Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203
19.14Programmer Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
19.15Live Macro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
19.16Prog Store . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
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20 Group Cues 206

20.1 Group Levels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
20.2 Fanning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
20.3 Group Elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
20.4 Fade Times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
20.5 Recording . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
20.6 Including / Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
20.7 Active / Snapshot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
20.8 Copying Head values . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
20.9 File Saving / Exporting / Merging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
20.10Updating Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209
20.11Updating Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

21 Execute Window 211

21.1 Design View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 211
21.2 Full Screen View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
21.3 Password Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
21.4 Automated Start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
21.5 Sizing of items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 212
21.6 Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
21.7 Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
21.8 Regions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
21.9 Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
21.10Rate and parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
21.11Execute Window FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 214
21.12Execute Window Soft Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
21.13Execute Window sequencing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
21.14Execute Window Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 215
21.15Button appearance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
21.16Speed Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
21.17Attribute Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
21.18Preload . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 216
21.19Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
21.19.1 Assigning Execute Pages to Users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
21.20Special Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 217
21.20.1 Changing Execute Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
21.20.2 Automating Setup options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
21.20.3 Multi Console Control shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
21.20.4 Timecode and Timings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218
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21.20.5 User . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 218

21.20.6 Execute Window Playback / Cue Stack information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
21.20.7 Speed Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
21.20.8 Execute Grid Use Speed Master . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
21.21Execute Window on iOS/Android remote . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
21.22Execute Buttons on Go/Pause buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220
21.23Multiple Execute windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 220

22 Automation 221
22.1 MagicQ Automation Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
22.1.1 Autom Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
22.1.2 Autom Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222
22.1.3 MIDI events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
22.1.4 Serial Port events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
22.1.5 MIDI Sysex events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
22.2 Scheduled Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 224
22.2.1 Dates and days of the week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
22.2.2 Sunrise + Sunset (astronomical) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
22.2.3 Tracker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225
22.3 Automated Start of Playbacks / Executes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
22.4 Keyboard macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
22.4.1 Recording keyboard macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
22.4.2 Playing keyboard macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
22.4.3 Keyboard macro timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 226
22.4.4 Editing keyboard macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
22.4.5 Assigning keyboard macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
22.4.6 Quick Macro Toolbar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
22.4.7 Recording Playback faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
22.4.8 In built Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227
22.4.9 Scheduled events in Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 228

23 Motorisation and Customisation 229

23.1 Stadium Playback banking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
23.2 Fader modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 229
23.2.1 Programmer modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 230
23.2.2 Master modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
23.2.3 Cue modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
23.2.4 Preset modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 231
23.2.5 Shortcuts to fader mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
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23.2.6 Fader Touch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232

23.2.7 Disabling motorisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
23.2.8 Illuminated Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 232
23.3 Playback Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233
23.3.1 Illuminated Playback Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233

24 LED & Pixel Mapping 234

24.1 Patching LED on MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
24.2 Using the Grid view in the Outputs Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
24.2.1 Inserting heads into the grid using head numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 236
24.2.2 Inserting using INSERT HEADS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
24.2.3 Inserting using the spare heads below the grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
24.2.4 Optimise Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
24.2.5 Using the Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
24.3 Pixel Mapper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
24.3.1 Using Bitmaps, Movies, Text and FX on Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 239
24.3.2 Media Priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
24.3.3 Inbuilt Bitmaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
24.3.4 User Picture Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
24.3.5 Gobo / Colour Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
24.3.6 Movie support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
24.3.7 Movie Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 241
24.3.8 Gif animations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
24.3.9 Live feed support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
24.3.9.1 MagicCap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
24.3.10 Using text strings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243
24.3.11 Text display modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 244
24.3.12 Manipulating bitmaps and text . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
24.3.13 Pixel Map FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 246
24.3.14 Pixel Map Audio FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 251
24.3.15 Mixing between Pixel Mapping layers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
24.3.16 Colour Mixing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
24.3.17 Apply Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 253
24.4 3D Pixel Mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
24.4.1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
24.4.2 Effects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
24.4.2.1 Slide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
24.4.2.2 Particles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 254
24.4.2.3 Col Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256
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24.4.2.4 Heightmap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

24.4.3 Full Up and Fill Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 257
24.4.3.1 Particle bounce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
24.5 Simple Pixel Map FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
24.5.1 Setting up Group grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
24.5.2 Adding Simple Pixel Map FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 259
24.5.3 Palette based Simple Pixel Map FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
24.5.4 Using Simple Pixel Map FX on User Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
24.6 Multi Element Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
24.7 Making Grids of Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
24.7.1 Auto Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
24.8 Programming LED using standard FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
24.8.1 Using groups auto generated from the grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
24.9 Making groups out of LED pixels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
24.10Making new LED personalities on MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263
24.10.1 Output Grid to external monitors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263

25 Colour Picker 264

25.1 Concepts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
25.1.1 Colour Spaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
25.1.1.1 CIE 1931 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
25.1.1.2 RGB . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
25.1.1.3 HSL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
25.1.1.4 CCT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
25.1.2 Gamut & Colourimetry . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 265
25.1.3 Brightness, luminosity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
25.2 Views . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
25.2.1 Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
25.2.2 Faders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 267
25.2.3 Gels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
25.3 Selection modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
25.3.1 Select Single . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
25.3.2 Select Fan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
25.3.3 Select Relative . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
25.4 Other functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 268
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26 Controlling Media Servers 269

26.1 Patching Media Servers on MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
26.2 Connecting via network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
26.2.1 Setting up control of the Media Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 270
26.3 Configuring the Media Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
26.3.1 Simple Media Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
26.3.2 Advanced Media Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
26.3.3 MagicHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
26.3.4 Arkaos . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
26.3.5 Catalyst . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
26.3.6 Coolux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 272
26.3.7 Hippotizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
26.3.8 Maxedia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
26.3.9 Mbox . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
26.3.10 Megapixel VR Helios support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 273
26.3.11 Other Media Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
26.4 Thumbnail view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
26.5 Live Previews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 274
26.6 Media Window View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
26.7 Using MagicQ and Media Server software on the same PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
26.7.1 Using MagicHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
26.7.2 Using the loopback IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
26.8 CITP (MSEX) live feeds and MagicCap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
26.9 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 276

27 Head Editor 277

27.1 How Heads are stored in MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 277
27.2 Expanding Library head files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
27.3 Loading new heads into MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
27.4 Copying head files created on PC/Macs to MagicQ consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
27.5 Modifying existing heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
27.6 Removing old heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
27.7 General View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 279
27.7.1 Names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
27.7.2 DMX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 280
27.7.3 Params . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
27.7.4 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
27.7.5 Multi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
27.7.6 Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
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27.8 Channels View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282

27.8.1 Name and Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
27.8.2 Attrib No . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 282
27.8.3 Enc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
27.8.4 Size, Instant and Slow Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
27.8.5 Default and Locate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
27.8.6 Highlight / Lowlight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 284
27.8.7 Element . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
27.8.8 Independent . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
27.8.9 Select . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
27.8.10 Function Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 285
27.9 Ranges View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 286
27.9.1 Importing Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
27.9.2 Capturing Ranges . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
27.9.3 Attribute Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
27.10Palettes View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
27.10.1 Importing Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
27.10.2 Capturing Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
27.10.3 Attribute Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
27.11Macros View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
27.12User Icons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
27.13Heads with multiple elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
27.13.1 Creating Duplicated Heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
27.13.2 Patching Heads with Duplicated attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289
27.13.3 Custom Element layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
27.13.4 Adding colourimetry data to a head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
27.13.5 Old MagicQ multi elements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 291
27.14Custom gel libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 292
27.15Importing GDTF files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293
27.15.1 GDTF Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 293

28 Curve Editor 294

28.1 Creating a curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 294
28.2 Editing a curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295
28.3 Setting a dimmer curve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 295

29 FX Editor 296
29.1 View General . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
29.2 View Chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
29.3 Palette FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 297
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30 Network Manager 299

30.1 VIEW CHAMNET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
30.1.1 Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
30.1.1.1 Configuring entire devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
30.1.1.2 Identify . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
30.1.2 Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
30.1.2.1 DMX Fallback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 300
30.1.2.2 GeNetix Port LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
30.1.3 Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
30.1.3.1 Configuring Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
30.1.3.2 Triggering Scenes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4 Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4.1 IP address and subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4.2 Sync . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4.3 LEDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4.4 Active Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
30.1.4.5 Lost Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
30.1.4.6 RDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
30.1.4.7 User Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
30.1.4.8 PIN lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
30.1.4.9 Timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 303
30.1.4.10 MIDI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
30.1.4.11 10Scene mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
30.1.5 Legacy SnakeSys nodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
30.1.5.1 ChamNet Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
30.1.6 Older ChamSys 4 Port Ethernet interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
30.1.7 Upgrading GeNetix and SnakeSys firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 305
30.1.8 Output Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
30.2 VIEW ART-NET . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 306
30.3 VIEW SACN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
30.4 VIEW RDM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
30.4.1 Discovering and configuring devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 307
30.4.2 Auto addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
30.4.3 Restore addressing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
30.4.4 Identifying devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
30.4.5 Sensors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
30.4.6 Auto patching . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309
30.4.7 Creating Heads from RDM data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 310
30.4.8 Manual Repatch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
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30.4.8.1 Readdress physical fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311

30.4.8.2 Repatch show to fixtures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311
30.4.9 Background Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
30.4.10 Auto Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
30.4.11 Rig Lock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 312
30.4.12 VIEW PIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313
30.5 VIEW LYNTEC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 313

31 Remote Device Management (RDM) 314

31.1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314

32 Networking of MagicQ systems 315

32.1 Network addresses and host names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 315
32.1.1 Setting IP addresses on a PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 316
32.1.2 Setting IP addresses on a Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
32.2 Checking IP addresses - Ping Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
32.3 Checking consoles on the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
32.4 Grabbing shows from other consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
32.5 Setting up Network Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 318
32.5.1 Manual Takeover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
32.5.2 Auto Takeover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
32.5.3 Net Sessions Master clash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 320
32.5.4 Inhibit Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
32.6 Multi Console Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
32.6.1 Users in Net Sessions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 321
32.6.2 Checking Slave synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
32.7 Selective Channel Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
32.7.1 Selecting which console controls which channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 322
32.8 Restricted Features on Slave consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
32.9 Playback Sync modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
32.10Programmer Sync Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 324
32.10.1 Include from Other Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
32.11Universe Zoning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
32.12Inter Console Messaging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 325
32.13Control network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
32.13.1 Configuring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
32.13.2 Compatibility . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 326
MagicQ User Manual xxvii

33 Manual configuration of Multi Console operation 328

33.1 Manual configuration of Hot take-over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
33.1.1 Hot Takeover Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 328
33.1.2 Hot take-over type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
33.1.3 Swapping control between multiple consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
33.1.4 Emergency Hot Takeover . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
33.2 Manual configuration of Playback synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
33.2.1 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
33.2.2 Configuring which consoles Playback sync to which consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
33.3 Manual configuration of Show Data Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
33.4 Manual configuration of Selective Channel Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
33.5 Automatic backing up of shows from other consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333

34 Remote control of MagicQ 335

34.1 MagicQ Remote Control (Windows/Mac/Linux) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
34.2 Remote control from MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 335
34.3 iOS / Android Remote App . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 336
34.3.1 Setting up an access point . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
34.3.2 Inbuilt wireless . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 340
34.3.3 Connecting the remote app via ethernet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
34.3.4 Making a connection to MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
34.3.5 Modifying palettes with the remote app . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
34.3.6 Using the Execute Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
34.3.7 Restricting Access (Execute Mode) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
34.3.8 In App Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
34.3.9 In App Help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
34.3.10 Key & Focus View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
34.3.11 Pos View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
34.3.12 Exec View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
34.3.13 Win View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
34.4 Remote control via web server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 344
34.4.1 Custom Web Server pages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 346
34.5 Remote control using Magic Wand simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347

35 ChamSys Remote Protocol Commands 348

35.1 Remote playback commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
35.2 Remote programming commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 349
35.2.1 Attribute numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
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36 Controlling MagicQ using UDP/IP 351

36.1 ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 351
36.2 Writing to the network port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
36.3 Reading from the network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352
36.4 Sample code fragments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 352

37 Controlling MagicQ using the serial port 356

37.1 Connecting the serial port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
37.2 Enabling the serial port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
37.3 Writing to the serial port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
37.4 Reading from the serial port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 357
37.5 Testing receiving serial commands . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 358

38 Audio 359
38.1 Audio Input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
38.1.1 Audio input ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
38.1.2 Audio input options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 359
38.1.3 Global audio settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
38.1.4 Cue Stack audio options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360
38.1.5 Pixel Mapper and Audio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
38.2 Audio playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
38.2.1 Audio output ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
38.2.2 MagicQ PC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
38.3 USB sound cards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
38.4 Control of Winamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 362

39 DJ 363
39.1 Supported Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
39.1.1 VirtualDJ / OS2L . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 363
39.1.2 StagelinQ / Engine Prime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
39.1.3 TCNet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 364
39.2 Deck Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
39.3 Audio Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 365
39.4 Timecode and Level Synchronisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
39.5 Beat tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
39.6 Diagnostics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
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40 MIDI 367
40.1 MIDI Notes and CC Receive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
40.1.1 MIDI Autom events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
40.1.2 MIDI Learn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
40.1.3 MIDI mapping file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 368
40.1.4 Advanced MIDI mapping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
40.1.5 Default miditable.txt file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 369
40.2 MIDI Notes and CC Transmit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 371
40.2.1 Patching MIDI channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
40.3 MIDI problems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
40.4 MIDI Show Control (MSC) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 372
40.4.1 MIDI Show Control Command Format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
40.5 MIDI Beat Clock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373
40.6 MagicQ USB MIDI/Timecode box firmware versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 373

41 Timecode Support 374

41.1 Timecode Decode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 374
41.2 Timecode from Winamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
41.3 Timecode from MagicHD . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 375
41.4 Timecode Simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
41.5 Timecode Generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
41.5.1 Free running timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
41.5.2 Using Cue Stack internal timecode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 376
41.5.3 Using the timecode simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
41.6 Timecode Re-transmit . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377

42 Remote Input port 378

42.1 Connection (MagicQ Consoles, MagicQ PC Wing Compact and MagicQ MaxiWing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
42.2 Connection (Original PC Wing) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
42.3 Enabling the remote input in MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379

43 10Scene 381
43.1 10Scene Gateways . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
43.2 10Scene Wall Plates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
43.2.1 Programming 10Scene Wall Plate IDs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 382
43.3 10Scene enable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
43.4 10Scene action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
43.4.1 PB1 to 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
43.4.2 Exec 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
43.4.3 Exec 1 Multi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383
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43.4.4 Exec 1 Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384

43.4.5 Exec Grids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 384
43.4.6 Custom . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.5 Manual Zone Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.5.1 Zone Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.5.2 Zone Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.5.3 Zone Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.5.4 10Scene ID min and max . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.6 Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
43.7 Passcodes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
43.8 Joining Zones . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
43.9 10Scene remote triggers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
43.1010Scene Remote app . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
43.11Testing an installation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387

44 Scene Setter 388

44.1 Powering the Scene Setter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 388
44.2 Configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
44.3 Using the Scene Setter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 389
44.4 Changing the IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390
44.5 Setting up the Serial Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 390

45 Open Sound Control (OSC) 391

45.1 Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 391
45.2 Receiving messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
45.2.1 MagicQ OSC addresses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
45.2.2 Automation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
45.3 Sending messages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
45.3.1 Cue stack macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
45.3.2 Patching OSC heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
45.4 TouchOSC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
45.5 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
45.5.1 Transmit or receive not working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
45.5.2 Messages getting lost . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394
45.6 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 395
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46 MagicQ Visualiser 396

46.1 MagicVis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 396
46.1.1 Using the Separate MagicVis Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
46.1.2 Using MagicVis with other consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
46.1.3 Using the Visualiser in MagicQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
46.2 Using MagicVis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 398
46.2.1 Patching Heads in the Visualiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
46.2.2 View Vis View . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
46.2.3 Positioning the Heads in the Visualisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
46.2.4 Transform Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 400
46.2.5 Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401
46.2.6 Drapes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
46.2.7 Custom Models . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 402
46.2.8 Attaching Heads to Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
46.2.9 Modifying Beam Angle and Head Shape . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
46.2.10 Visualising Media Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
46.2.11 Moving Trusses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 403
46.2.12 Coloured objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
46.2.13 DMX Controlled Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
46.2.14 Removing Visualiser Heads and Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
46.2.15 Changing the Size of the Room . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
46.2.16 Paperwork . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404
46.2.17 Converting an Existing MagicQ Show File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
46.2.18 Converting a MagicQ Grid Into a Visualisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
46.2.19 Visualiser Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 406
46.3 Plot Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
46.3.1 Focus Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 408
46.3.2 Converting the Plot View into a MagicQ Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 409

47 Blind Visualisation 410

47.1 Split Visualisation in MagicVis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 410
47.2 Automatic Source Selection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 411

48 Using MagicQ with other Visualisers 412

48.1 Connecting to a Visualiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 412
48.2 Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
48.2.1 Receiving Patch Data from Capture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
48.3 WYSIWYG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
48.3.1 Enabling MagicQ to output WYSIWYG data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 413
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48.3.2 Running WYSIWYG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 414

48.3.3 Auto Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
48.3.4 Auto Focus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
48.3.5 Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 415
48.4 Vision, Depence, L8 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 416

49 Trackers 417
49.1 MQ Track protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
49.2 Object Transform Protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
49.3 PSN/SpotMe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
49.4 Scaling, Offsets and Swaps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 418
49.5 Tracker Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
49.6 Using automations with Trackers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
49.7 Tracking a fixed XYZ when lighting trusses moving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
49.8 Tracking a moving MagicVis object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
49.9 Tracker Simulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 420
49.10Generic Tracker personality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
49.11Moving Vis Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 421
49.12Transmit Tracker 1 / Tracker 2 from Focus Hold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
49.13DMX Input tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422
49.14Tracker Demo show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 422

50 Settings 423
50.1 Programming Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424
50.2 Playback Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
50.3 Advanced Settings Option . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
50.4 Output Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
50.4.1 Configuring Output Universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 426
50.4.2 Using Art-Net . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
50.4.3 Using sACN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
50.4.4 MagicQ Consoles Direct Outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
50.4.5 MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
50.4.6 MagicQ Mini Connect, Compact Connect, Stadium Connect, Mini Wing, PC Wing and Maxi Wing . . . 428
50.4.7 MagicQ Dual DMX Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
50.4.8 MagicDMX Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
50.4.9 Support for Lumen Radio Nova . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
50.4.10 3rd party DMX dongles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
50.4.11 Testing Output Universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
50.4.12 Copying Output Universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
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50.4.13 Hot take-over . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430

50.4.14 Input universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
50.4.15 Merging DMX from another console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431
50.5 Wing Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
50.5.1 Connecting a Mini Connect, Compact Connect or Stadium Connnect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
50.5.2 Connecting GeNetix nodes (via USB) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 432
50.5.3 Connecting Playback Wings and Extra Wings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
50.5.4 Connecting a Mini Wing, PC Wing or Maxi Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
50.5.5 Connecting an Execute Wing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
50.5.6 Connecting MagicQ consoles together . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
50.5.7 Using an external DMX console for extra playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
50.6 Monitor Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
50.6.1 MQ500(M) Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
50.6.2 MQ250M Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
50.6.3 Compact (MQ50/MQ70) Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 434
50.6.4 MQ80 Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
50.6.5 Old Compact (MQ40N/MQ60/old MQ70) Operating System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
50.6.6 Monitor settings on MagicQ PC / Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
50.6.7 Moving Windows to the External Monitor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 435
50.6.8 Additional Cue Stack, Output, Programmer, Media, Execute, Group Windows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
50.6.9 Additional external screens (Multi Windows) on consoles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
50.7 Touch Screen Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 436
50.7.1 Configuring an external Touch Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
50.8 Mode & Security Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
50.8.1 Country . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
50.8.2 Time Zone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
50.8.3 Latitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
50.8.4 Longitude . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
50.8.5 Console Mode (advanced settings) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.6 Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.7 Modifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.8 Test Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.9 Macros . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.10 Automs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 439
50.8.11 Visualiser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
50.8.12 Start mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
50.8.13 Run in Execute Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
50.8.14 Auto Backup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 440
50.8.15 Keep a backup archive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
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50.8.16 Show file path . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441

50.8.17 Show file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
50.8.18 Extras file create mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
50.8.19 Personality file format . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
50.9 Programming Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 441
50.9.1 Activate Chans/Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
50.9.2 Programmer Tracking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
50.9.3 Unused Chans return to defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 442
50.9.4 Programmer overrides HTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
50.9.5 Programmer overrides FX . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
50.9.6 Highlight mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
50.9.7 Fan Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
50.9.8 Select Multiple Groups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 443
50.9.9 Recording to Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.9.10 Record merge overrides times . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.9.11 Update Clears Programmer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.9.12 Update default . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.9.13 Undo mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.10Keypad / Encoder Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.10.1 Auto enter on keypad intensity set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 444
50.10.2 Auto cursor down on enter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.3 Select heads on keypad intensity set . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.4 Select Heads and Palettes from keypad . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.5 Select heads on include . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.6 Keypad always selects heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.7 Keypad Syntax - Theatre Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
50.10.8 Encoder Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
50.10.9 Encoder Sensitivity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
50.10.10Swap pan and tilt encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
50.10.11Swap Encoder direction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 446
50.10.12MagicQ keyboard mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
50.10.12.1Programming shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447
50.10.12.2Playback shortcuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 448
50.10.13Map Keys to THRU, @, FULL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
50.10.14Enable Mouse to control pan/tilt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
50.10.15Intensity Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
50.11Windows Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
50.11.1 Colour Scheme . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
50.11.2 Big Text Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
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50.11.3 Icon Size . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450

50.11.4 Col Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
50.11.5 Playback Col Tags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
50.11.6 Speed Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 450
50.11.7 Attribute Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
50.11.8 Units of measurement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
50.11.9 Column Sizing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
50.11.10Num Boxes Wide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
50.11.11Auto Row Ordering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 451
50.11.12Confirmation requests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
50.11.13Scroll bars . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
50.11.14Help Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
50.11.15Layout buttons always active . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
50.11.16Always show Record Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.11.17Plan Intensity type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.11.18Message Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.12Cue Storage Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.12.1 Remove Cues when remove Cue Stacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.12.2 Remove Cue Stacks on remove Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.12.3 Use first free Cues, Stacks, Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 453
50.12.4 Copy mode (linked/unlinked) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.5 Copy heads . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.6 Derive settings from previous Cue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.7 Hide Cue Store Ids (Qids) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.8 Hide Vdims . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.9 Expand Heads in palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 454
50.12.10Auto Create Default Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
50.12.11FX Palettes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
50.12.12Heads moved aside are unpatched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
50.12.13Default mark/move when dark time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 455
50.12.14Group Cues . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
50.13Playback Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
50.13.1 Grand Master function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
50.13.2 Sub Master function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
50.13.3 Crossfade Master function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
50.14Crossfade button function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
50.14.1 Split Crossfade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
50.14.2 Crossfade controls Playback . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
50.14.3 Wing Crossfade Master function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
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50.14.4 DBO function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458

50.14.5 TAP function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
50.14.6 Stomp Playbacks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
50.14.7 Intensity (HTP) FX can add,subtract . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
50.14.8 Go reasserts channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458
50.14.9 Fader off zero reasserts channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.10Fader mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.11Motor faders release to zero . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.12Next Page changes to next used . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.13Current Playback follows last touched . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.14Playbacks S + GO = PAUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.15Tap to Time buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
50.14.16Int Master applies to LTP chans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.14.17Activate playbacks on start . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.14.18Playback Go/Pause use Exec Grid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.14.19Playback holdover mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.15Network Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.15.1 IP Address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
50.15.2 Subnet Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
50.15.3 Gateway address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
50.15.4 Net host options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
50.15.5 Art-Net Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
50.15.6 sACN Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 461
50.15.7 sACN transmit priority . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
50.15.8 RDMNet IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
50.15.9 RDMNet Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
50.15.10Network Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
50.15.11IGMP Querier . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 462
50.15.12Control net mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
50.15.13Control net IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
50.15.14Control net subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
50.15.15Control net firewall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
50.15.16Visualiser IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 463
50.15.17Visualiser Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 464
50.15.18Visualiser Offset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
50.15.19Ethernet remote protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
50.15.20Playback Sync Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
50.15.21Custom TCPIP type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.22Custom TCPIP IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
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50.15.23Custom TCPIP port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466

50.15.24Web Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.25Web Server Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.26OSC Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.27OSC Tx Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.28OSC Rx Port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 466
50.15.29OSC tx IP (0 = broadcast) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
50.15.30Tracker rx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
50.15.31Tracker tx . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
50.15.32OTP function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16WIFI Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16.1 Wireless mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16.2 Wireless IP address . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16.3 Wireless subnet mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16.4 Wireless channel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 468
50.16.5 Wireless SSID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.16.6 Wireless encryption . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.16.7 Wireless key . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.16.8 Wireless DHCP Server . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.16.9 Android tethering support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.17Port Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.17.1 MagicQ Wings and Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.17.2 MagicDMX mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 469
50.17.3 Audio input . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
50.17.4 Audio input device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
50.17.5 Audio min level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
50.17.6 Audio max level . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
50.17.7 Audio output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 470
50.17.8 Audio output device . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
50.17.9 Audio output volume % . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
50.17.10Audio output mute . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
50.17.11Remote trigger type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
50.17.12Remote trigger action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 471
50.17.1310Scene . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
50.17.1410Scene action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
50.17.15Serial COM port . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 472
50.17.16Serial baud rate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.17.17Serial parity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.17.18Serial data bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
MagicQ User Manual xxxviii

50.17.19Serial stop bits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473

50.17.20Serial remote protocol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.17.21Monitor Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.18MIDI / Timecode Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.18.1 Timecode frame type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 473
50.18.2 Timecode continue frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
50.18.3 Timecode jump detect frames . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
50.18.4 Timecode decode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
50.18.5 Timecode generation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 474
50.18.6 Timecode backward jumps . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
50.18.7 Timecode activate/release . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
50.18.8 MIDI In Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
50.18.9 MIDI In Chan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
50.18.10MIDI Out Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
50.18.11Midi Out Chan . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.18.12MIDI Show Control Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.19Multiple Console Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.19.1 Enable remote control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.19.2 Enable remote access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.19.3 Net Session Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
50.19.4 Net Session ID . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
50.19.5 Playback Sync Slave Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
50.19.6 Programmer sync mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
50.19.7 Hot Takeover Mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477
50.19.8 Hot Takeover Detect Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
50.19.9 Hot Takeover Fade Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
50.19.10Hot Takeover Fade Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
50.19.11Playback Sync Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
50.19.12Playback Sync IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 478
50.19.13Show data Sync Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.19.14Show data Sync IP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20Hardware Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.1 Level above 0 to activate LTP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.2 Hysteresis on fader / encoder moves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.3 Encoder Damping . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.4 Touch Screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.5 Encoders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
50.20.6 Faulty Faders Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
50.20.7 Motorisation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
MagicQ User Manual xxxix

50.20.8 Faulty motor mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480

50.20.9 Faulty wing motor mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
50.20.10Power fail detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
50.20.11Screen save . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
50.20.12Close display action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
50.20.13Reduced rate output . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
50.20.14DMX Frame Timing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
50.20.15Display Edge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
50.20.16Movie Buffer frames (0=use default) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.20.17Debug Mode (Must be 0) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.20.18Standard Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.20.19Extended Logging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.21General Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.21.1 Splash screen image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.22Individual Playback Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.23Calibrating the touch screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
50.24Displays brightness and contrast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
50.25Console lamp brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
50.26Button LED brightness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
50.27Controlling console lamp from the programmed show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 483
50.28Locking the console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
50.29Button test mode . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484

51 System Management 485

51.1 Starting Up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
51.2 Shutting Down . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
51.3 Saving Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 485
51.3.1 Show file name auto increment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
51.4 Backing up to an external system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
51.5 Loading Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 486
51.6 Erasing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
51.7 Show extras file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 487
51.8 Import and Export of Show Data and Show Merging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
51.8.1 Exporting Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
51.8.2 Merging / Importing Shows . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
51.8.3 Advanced Merging . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 488
51.8.4 Merging in part of another show file . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
51.8.5 Merging different versions of the same show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
51.8.6 Importing Cues from a different version of the same show . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489
MagicQ User Manual xl

51.8.7 USITT ASCII file import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 489

51.8.8 Importing Patch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
51.8.9 MVR file import . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
51.9 Saving and Loading Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
51.10File Manager . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
51.11Transferring files over network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 490
51.12Storage of MagicQ user files on PC/Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
51.13Reports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
51.14Status Window . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
51.15Backup Archives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 491
51.16Using shows on different MagicQ products and show versions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
51.16.1 Loading a show onto a smaller console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
51.16.2 Configuring number of Universes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 492
51.17MagicQ Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
51.18User management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 493
51.18.1 Passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
51.18.2 User Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
51.18.3 Start Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 494
51.18.4 Access to console channels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
51.19Restricting Remote App Access . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
51.19.1 User Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
51.20Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 495
51.20.1 Multi console settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
51.20.2 Network settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
51.20.3 WIFI settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
51.20.4 DMX I/O settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
51.21Saving Support files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 496
51.22Commands and Logs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497

52 Software & Firmware Upgrade 498

52.1 Changing MagicQ Console Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 498
52.2 Console Kernel Update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
52.3 MQ80 Kernel v2 upgrade . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
52.4 Resetting a MagicQ console to factory defaults . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
52.5 Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 499
52.6 MQ50, MQ70 and MQ80 front panel firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
52.6.1 Pre v1.9.5.3 software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 500
52.7 MQ250M Stadium firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
52.8 MQ500 Stadium firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 501
MagicQ User Manual xli

52.9 MQ500M Stadium firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 502

52.10MQ500M Wing firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 503
52.11Compact & Mini Connect firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
52.12Firmware Change Log . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
52.12.1 CH346 Firmware (MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ500(M) Midi Card, MQ500(M) V2 Display Controller and
MQ250M Display controller) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
52.12.2 CH310-021 Firmware (MQ250M & MQ500M Motor board) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
52.12.3 CH310-022 Firmware (MQ250M & MQ500M Playback Panel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
52.12.4 CH310-023 Firmware (MQ500M Programmer Panel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
52.12.5 CH310-025 Firmware (MQ250M Programmer Panel) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 505
52.12.6 CH310-028 Firmware (Compact Connect) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
52.12.7 CH310-033 Firmware (Mini Connect) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
52.13Updating Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
52.13.1 Upgrading to latest firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
52.13.2 Manual firmware update . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 506
52.14Upgrading Legacy product firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507
52.14.1 Original Compact series MQ40/MQ40N/MQ60/MQ70 firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 507

53 Handy Hints 509

54 MagicQ Shortcuts 510

55 Troubleshooting 519
55.1 No outputs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
55.2 MagicQ not responding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 519
55.3 MagicQ responding slowly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
55.4 Strange key presses, unexpected window changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
55.5 MagicQ console not booting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
55.5.1 MQ100 series console not booting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
55.5.2 MQ80 console blank screen and not booting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 520
55.5.3 MQ80 console MagicQ not starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
55.5.4 MQ50 / MQ70 / MQ250M console MagicQ not starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521
55.5.5 MQ40/60 console not starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
55.6 MagicQ console blank screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
55.7 MagicQ console white screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 522
55.8 MagicQ console distorted screen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
55.9 MagicQ console internal touch screen not working . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
55.10All 10 S buttons flashing blue . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
55.11Fader, Encoder or Button not working correctly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 523
55.12Unable to save shows or patch heads after performing a *777 erase all on the console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
55.13"MagicQ needs to write to the install folder. . . " message on Mac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
55.14Linux: MagicQ fails to start / libGL error . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 524
MagicQ User Manual xlii

56 Button Functions 526

57 Licensing 537
57.1 Qt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 537
57.2 LibPNG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 547
57.3 LibJPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
57.4 LibJPEG-Turbo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 550
57.5 LibICU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551
57.6 FFmpeg Binary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558
57.7 FFmpeg Library . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 564
57.8 LibArchive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
57.9 Zlib . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 573
57.10PortAudio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 574

58 Glossary 575
MagicQ User Manual xliii

This manual is designed for operators of the MagicQ to help them quickly and effectively learn how to use the system. It has
been written by lighting designers for lighting designers. The reader is assumed to have a basic familiarity with the concepts of
lights and lighting control systems.
The manual starts with an introduction to the MagicQ lighting console its features, functions and concepts. It then moves into
detailed descriptions of patching, programming and playback.
Readers who are tight for time and just want to find out how to quickly program a working show should read the Quick Start
guide.
ChamSys Ltd
The features and functions of the MagicQ software and consoles and the ideas contained therein are the property of ChamSys
Ltd. The console is intended for the control of lighting systems. No warranties are expressed or implied regarding the use of
the MagicQ software of lighting consoles. No liabilities are accepted for the accuracy of the information contained within this
manual.
MagicQ software and MagicQ lighting console products are supplied, designed and manufactured by ChamSys Ltd.
Products containing ChamSys Ltd software and firmware embody proprietary information and are licensed not sold and may not
be duplicated in any way.
ChamSys Ltd does not guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, suitability or completeness of any information or products and is not
responsible for any errors or omissions or the results obtained from use of such information or products.
ChamSys Ltd does not accept responsibility for the consequences of misuse or abuse of its equipment. The equipment is designed
to meet all current regulation requirements in the UK for electrical products.
None of the equipment or software supplied by ChamSys Ltd may be used in any life-critical or potentially life-endangering
situations or in situations where personal injury may result.
ChamSys Ltd reserves the right to make any changes and/or improvements or to discontinue any and all of their product’s or
service’s without prior notice, and advises customers to obtain the latest version of relevant information to verify, before placing
orders, that information being relied on is current and complete. All products are sold subject to the terms and conditions of sale
supplied at the time of order acknowledgement, including those pertaining to warranty, patent infringement, and limitation of
liability. Some of the available functions of products may be altered over the life of the product.
The ChamSys Ltd range of products meet EU directives where applicable, for example the EMC and LVD directives, as laid
down by the European Community and ChamSys Ltd has a policy of regularly testing samples to ensure that production units
continue to meet these specifications.
ChamSys Ltd will not accept goods back for repair if the serial number sticker is removed or defaced so that it is illegible. This
also applies to warranty repairs. See terms and conditions of sale for full details.
All other product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed, transmitted, transcribed, stored in a retrieval system, or translated
into any language in any form by any means without the prior written permission of ChamSys Ltd.
Copyright 2024 by ChamSys Ltd. All rights reserved.
www.chamsys.co.uk
MagicQ User Manual 1 / 579

Chapter 1

Introduction

MagicQ supports an extensive array of features to enable lighting designers to quickly and easily realise their innovative and
imaginative designs.

• Two hundred and fifty six universes (131,072 channels) direct

• Up to 202 playbacks
• DMX512, Art-Net I, II, III and IV, sACN, Pathport and Shownet.
• Extensive personality library

• In-built personality editor

• In-built Pixel Mapping
• Advanced Media Server control

• Colour mixing library including Lee and Rosco colours

• Flexible control of both heads and generic lighting
• Cloning and Morphing of heads
• Thousands of cues and cue stacks

• Naming of all items

• Virtually unlimited internal show storage & show merging
• FX generator with extensive FX library

• Immediate control of any chase / FX parameter

• Fully featured and enabled PC/Mac version
• 3D palettes and Tracker support
• Comprehensive multi console networking

• Remote control via consoles, tablets, and phone applications

• Export and import of patch data to spreadsheets / databases
• DMX input, over-riding, merging and testing option
MagicQ User Manual 2 / 579

MagicQ has been designed to be as flexible as possible so that it can be used equally well for pre-programmed shows / tours or
for busking festivals. All parameters can be changed during run at the touch of a button.
Ease of use and speed of programming have been at the forefront of the design process ensuring patching and programming a
show in the minimum amount of time without complex button sequences and multi level menus.
The first few chapters of this guide describe an overview of MagicQ including scenes, chases, fx and playbacks. If you wish to
go straight into programming a show then turn to the Quick Start section.

1.1 MagicQ software and consoles

MagicQ software runs on PCs, Macs and MagicQ consoles and has the same features and user interface on all systems.
MagicQ software enables shows to be pre-programmed on a PC (Windows, Mac or Linux) enabling Lighting Designers to design
and program their shows in advance. Shows can be transferred between PC, Mac and MagicQ consoles using USB memory sticks,
or via direct network connection.
MagicQ PC / Mac supports the same functionality and user interface as the physical consoles making it easy to move between the
two products. MagicQ PC / Mac can also be used to run complete shows, either as a back-up to the main console or as console
in its own right.
MagicQ consoles are available in several different models all using the powerful MagicQ software on a Linux operating system
giving a reliable operating environment for programming and playback of shows. A show can be programmed on one model and
then played back on a different model.
MagicQ supports 202 playbacks in total – which can be accessed through physical playbacks or through the touch screen. The
different models in the MagicQ console series have different numbers of physical playbacks and buttons, enabling the size of
console to be matched to the show.
Connecting MagicQ USB Wings to MagicQ PC / Mac gives the playback and programming control of the MagicQ consoles
(faders, encoders and buttons) but with a small low cost lightweight solution.
DMX512 serial outputs are available from MagicQ software on PC/Mac using the MagicDMX interface, directly from all MagicQ
consoles and from the Stadium Connect, Compact Connect, Mini Connect, and older MagicQ wings.
MagicQ supports Art-Net I,II,III and IV, Pathport and streaming ACN network outputs from PC, Mac or MagicQ consoles.
MagicQ consoles have multiple network ports for connecting to Art-Net, Pathport and sACN installations.

1.2 MagicQ MQ500 Stadium Console

The MagicQ MQ500M Stadium is the latest control console from ChamSys designed to operate at the highest level of show
control. MagicQ MQ500M Stadium enables shows to be designed from concept to reality including lighting, media, LED and
scenic design.
MQ500M Key Features:
MagicQ User Manual 3 / 579

• 256 universes onboard direct from the console without the need for external processing.
• Motorised playback faders and playback encoders
• Backlit keys, illuminated faders and encoders

• Dual multi touch displays in full HD with adjustable viewing angle and gesture support.
• Inbuilt MagicVis 3D visualiser with high quality beam and gobo rendering.
• Intensity wheel and 100mm split crossfaders for theatre control

The picture below shows the connections on the MagicQ MQ500 Stadium console.
The MQ500M rear panel has:

• 4 port Network switch

• 4 Direct DMX ports
• LTC In and Out

• Midi In and Out

• Remote input
• RS232 Port
• DVI-D monitor output

• Audio Input
• 3 x USB ports

1.3 MagicQ Compact Series

In 2020 the MagicQ Compact series comprises the MagicQ MQ50, MagicQ MQ70, and MagicQ MQ80 consoles together with
the MagicQ Extra Wing for more faders and buttons.
Previous models included the MQ40N, MQ60 and the original MQ70.

1.4 MagicQ Wings for use with PC/Mac

The MagicQ Mini Connect, MagicQ Compact Connect and MagicQ Stadium Connect products connect directly to a PC or Mac.
The PC or Mac runs the MagicQ software and processes the Cues whilst the wing acts as a physical surface with faders, buttons
and encoders and outputs DMX.
Previous models included the MagicQ Mini Wing, MagicQ PC Wing and MagicQ Maxi Wing.
MagicQ User Manual 4 / 579

1.5 Plugging Up

All MagicQ consoles and SnakeSys interfaces have auto ranging power supplies and can accept 110V to 240V AC on the
powercon socket.

• Connect the power lead to the power socket labelled LINE INPUT.
• Put the console lamp(s) into the console lamp socket(s)

MagicQ consoles support USB keyboards and mice. It is not necessary to connect the mouse. The mouse is only required if the
touch screen becomes damaged.
Note that the power cable lead should be connected before other connectors and should remain connected at all time that other
connections such as DMX, network, serial, USB or video are connected to the console. This ensures that the console is correctly
grounded.

1.6 DMX Connections

MagicQ consoles have 4 direct DMX outputs on the rear of the panel so you can connect your DMX cables direct to the console.
Alternatively you can connect to an Ethernet network using the Art-Net, Pathport or ACN Streaming DMX protocols and use
external Ethernet to DMX converters to output the DMX.
The network ports on MagicQ consoles all have auto MDI/MDIX detection so a normal or inverted network cable can be used to
connect to other network devices. Most modern laptops and computers also have auto MDI/MDIX detection.
ChamSys offer a range of Ethernet to DMX convertors branded SnakeSys. These can be used to convert any of the 200 Art-Net or
ACN Streaming DMX universes to be output on DMX512 serial. For systems requiring all 200 universes on DMX512, multiple
interfaces may be used connected via network switches.

1.7 Powering Up

To power up the console press the power switch on the rear panel. The blue LEDs on the ten S buttons will light up in turn. After
a few seconds the screen will come to life and you will see the operating system quickly performing self tests. Once the self tests
are completed the MagicQ application is started.

1.8 Powering Down

To power down the console it is necessary to quit the MagicQ application. The console operating system then performs an
automatic shutdown and turns itself off when complete. To quit the MagicQ application, press the SETUP button and then the
QUIT soft button. When asked for confirmation, press YES.

Note that just removing the power cord to the console will not have the desired effect since the internal UPS continues to provide
power.
If for some reason you are unable to power off the console then you may need to reset it as below.
Note that the power cable should remain connected at all time that other connections such as DMX, network, serial, USB or video
are connected to the console. This ensures that the console is correctly grounded. The power cable should be the last connection
removed.
On MQ500 it is possible to press the rear power button to power off the console.
MagicQ User Manual 5 / 579

1.9 Resetting the Console

Under rare circumstance it may be necessary to reset the console.

To reset the console, press SETUP to go to the Setup Window and press SHIFT and QUIT. This performs an immediate soft reset
of the console - the MagicQ application will be running the show again within about 2-3 seconds.
If for some reason the console does not respond to button presses then try pressing CTRL BREAK on the external keyboard (hold
CTRL whilst pressing BREAK).

1.10 Hard Reset

If s software reset has no effect then a hard reset may be required. Hard resets should be avoided as they bypass the operating
system shutdown procedures and may cause problems with the file system.
To perform a hard reset, press and hold the reset button on the back panel for 5 seconds. On Compact consoles the reset button
is inset, so a thin object like a pen is needed to operate the button.
To force the console to power off completely, press and hold the reset button on the back panel until it powers off (approximately
10 seconds.)
To force a MQ80 to power off, remove all the cables from the rear panel except the powercon connector. Then remove the
powercon connector and then hold the reset button for 10 seconds. For safety reasons the powercon cable should be the last cable
removed.

1.11 Power Supply Protection

MagicQ MQ60, MQ70, MQ80, MQ250M, MQ500 and MQ500M consoles have an internal battery designed to protect the system
against short term power losses on troublesome power supplies. The internal battery is not designed to support the running of the
console for long periods of time. If the power is lost then the console will prompt the user to fix the problem or to shut down the
console. The battery when fully charged will support the console for between 5 and 15 minutes.
To maintain the life of the UPS battery, the console should be run for a period of at least 12 hours constantly every 2 months to
ensure the battery remains fully charged at all. Note that the console needs to be powered on and running MagicQ for the battery
to charge.
If your version of the console does not have an internal battery then we recommend the use of a UPS (Un-interruptible Power
Supply).

1.12 Care of your MagicQ console

• To keep your MagicQ console in best condition please observe the following recommendations:
• Keep liquids away from the MagicQ. Drinks split over your console may cause irreparable damage.
• Keep the console out of direct sunlight – place the console in the shade.
• Do not use the console outside its operating temperature range.
• Handle the console with care when moving or transporting it. The console contains components that may be damaged by
shock. Always use a padded flight case or padded bag wherever possible.
• Do not use solvents or cleansers to clean the console. Do not rub firmly on the metal or plastic surfaces – this may cause the
paint or lettering to be removed. Gently use a damp cloth to clean the panels.
• On consoles with motorised faders avoid creating macros or automatation that causes excessive or repeated movement of faders
- this can cause reduced life of the faders.
MagicQ User Manual 6 / 579

1.13 Safety Information

• Do not open the front, rear or lower panels of the console unless you have electrical expertise. The console contains components
with voltages that may shock.
• Always disconnect the power cable before opening any panels.

• Do not use the console if the power cables are damaged in any way.
• Repairs should only be undertaken by authorised service representatives.
• If liquids are spilt over the console then remove power immediately, and seek advice from your authorised service representa-
tive.

• On motorised consoles be aware that faders may move in response to macros/timed events or other networked consoles.

1.14 Security Information

Lighting consoles are designed to be used on private networks which are assumed to be secured. Where consoles are used
remotely over the internet we recommend the use of secure network tunnels to protect the lighting network from access from the
internet.
ChamSys explicitly denies any responsibility for security of MagicQ consoles or their use in safety critical roles. Users must
assure themselves of the security of their networks - if in doubt ensure the WIFI options are disabled and do not connect to the
console network ports.
In situations where the network is not secure then we recommend ensuring that only the required network protocols are enabled in
order to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access. See the System Management → Security section in the MagicQ manual
for full details.

1.15 Disposal Information

Please be aware that ChamSys products must be disposed of in accordance with the WEEE disposal and recycling regulations.
ChamSys products must not be disposed of through normal household waste. For non UK customers please contact your local
distributor. For UK customers, please contact us on +44 (0)23 8023 8666, or email [email protected].
WEEE Producer registration number WEE/FF5605UX.
MagicQ User Manual 7 / 579

Chapter 2

Installing MagicQ Software & Drivers

2.1 MagicQ software

MagicQ software runs on PCs and Macs and can be downloaded free from the ChamSys web site www.chamsys.co.uk/download.

2.2 MagicDMX

MagicDMX devices do NOT need any additional drivers – they use HID drivers within the operating system. Simply plug in the
device and start MagicQ.
To confirm that the MagicDMX is operating correctly go to Setup, View System, View status, Interfaces. The MagicDMX Status
should say "Connected" and "DMX out".
MagicDMX is enabled as DMX output by default. It can be disable/enabled from Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicDMX.
When first plugged in the MagicDMX alternates green and orange LEDs every second. When MagicQ is started and connects to
the device then the green LED is on permanently and the orange flashes faster as it receives data from MagicQ.
When using MagicDMX Basic and MagicDMX Full interfaces demo mode will continue to be shown at the top of the MagicQ
window. This does not affect the programming of MagicQ or restrict the output if you have a MagicDMX Full interface. Demo
mode does restrict some advanced MagicQ functions which are unlocked with MagicQ hardware (Not MagicDMX).

2.3 MagicQ Wings & Interfaces

Current MagicQ Wings & Interfaces including Stadium Connect, Compact Connect and Mini Connect and the older PC Wing
Compact and Extra Wing Compact do not require special driver installation.
Ensure the setting "Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ Wings & Interfaces" is set to "Yes (auto DMX)"
Older MagicQ Wings (Mini wing, PC Wing, Maxi Wing, Extra Wing, Playback Wing, Execute Wing) and MagicQ DMX
interfaces (Dual DMX, Audio, MIDI/SMPTE) use a USB chipset made by FTDI. PC Wing Compact & Extra Wing Compact
should not require any manual drive For other MagicQ Wings & Interfaces or if for any reason MagicQ does not detect Compact
wings, drivers can be manually updated using the steps below.
Note that the drivers for MagicQ Wings and MagicQ DMX interfaces are not applicable to MagicDMX Basic or MagicDMX
Full. Do not attempt to install drivers for MagicDMX.
MagicQ User Manual 8 / 579

2.3.1 GeNetix nodes

The GeNetix GN2, GN5 and GN10 have optional USB connection, enabling them either to be used in USB or Network mode.
When a GeNetix node is connected via USB to a PC (Windows, Mac or Linux) with MagicQ running then the GeNetix node
runs in USB mode as a MagicQ interface connected directly to the MagicQ application.
In USB mode it is treated just like a MagicQ Wing or Interface with the configuration being controlled from within MagicQ
rather than from within the GeNetix node. In this mode the node configuration is unused, although it is retained for when the
node is used again in Network mode.
When in USB mode, the DMX outputs are configured in MagicQ from the Setup Window, VIEW DMX I/O. For GN5 and GN10
the MIDI, Timecode and 10Scene port are configured in MagicQ from the Setup Window, VIEW SETTINGS. The configuration
is stored in the MagicQ show file as normal.
The node indicates USB mode on its front panel when in USB mode.
The node continues in USB mode even if the USB link is lost or MagicQ is stopped. To restart the node in Network mode,
disconnect the USB or shut down the MagicQ and then power the GeNetix node on and off.
Note that the GN2 can run in network mode but still be powered from USB - provided that it is not connected to a PC running
MagicQ – if MagicQ is detected it will be switched to USB mode.

2.4 MagicQ on Windows

MagicQ supports Windows 8, Windows 10 and Windows 11.

MagicQ Connect products do not need any drivers installed.
MagicDMX devices do not need any drivers - see Section 2.2.
MagicQ runs on all types of Windows PC including both Intel and ARM based Microsoft Surface.

2.4.1 Drivers for older MagicQ products

The drivers for older MagicQ products are included in the MagicQ download.
C:\Program Files (x86)\ChamSys Ltd\MagicQ\MagicQ Wing Drivers
Disconnect all MagicQ Wings and Interfaces except the one you are trying to install the driver for.
Open Device Manager. This is found in different places depending on the version of Windows, but it can normally be accessed
by opening Control Panel and then selecting System, and then selecting Device Manager.
MagicQ User Manual 9 / 579

Device Manager lists all the devices on your system. The MagicQ device is normally listed at the bottom under Universal Serial
Bus Controllers but it may be under any other section. It may be listed as a ChamSys or MagicQ device or just as a FTDI device.
If you can not find it then try disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable to the device - the listing should update and indicate
to you which device is being plugged/unplugged.
MagicQ User Manual 10 / 579
MagicQ User Manual 11 / 579

When you have identified the device then right click and press Update Driver.

Select "Browse My Computer for Driver Software (Locate and Install Driver Software Manually)". Do not let Windows search
for a driver.

Select the option "Let me pick from a list of device drivers on my computer".
MagicQ User Manual 12 / 579

Select "Have Disk". If you cannot find "Have Disk" then click on items in the list until you get it.
MagicQ User Manual 13 / 579

For PC Wing Compacts the drivers are in C:\Program Files (x86)\ChamSys Ltd\Magicq\MagicQ Wing Drivers\PC
Wing Compact\CDM 2.08.24 WHQL Certified\ftdibus.inf
PC Wing Compacts require MagicQ software version 1.5.8.0 or above.
MagicQ User Manual 14 / 579

For all other products the drivers are in C:\Program Files (x86) \ChamSys Ltd\Magicq\MagicQ Wing Drivers\FT

If the MagicQ USB wing periodically disconnects and restarts then check the Windows settings for your USB ports - Windows
may be shutting down the USB ports when it incorrectly thinks they are idle. Click on Control Panel, System, Device Manager
MagicQ User Manual 15 / 579

and scroll to the bottom to get a list of the USB devices. For each USB Root Hub click on Properties, Power Management and
make sure that the option "Allow the computer to turn off this device to save power" is NOT selected.
On some Windows systems the Update Drivers dialog will not show the driver files even though they are correctly in the MagicQ
Wing Drivers folder. In this case try copying the whole MagicQ Wing Drivers folder to the desktop (using Windows Explorer)
and then try to update the drivers again.

2.4.2 User permissions on Windows

On new installs of MagicQ, show files are stored in Documents/MagicQ/show/ in your home folder.
If you have upgraded MagicQ from an old version, then your show files may instead be stored in one of the folling locations:

• C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\VirtualStore\Program Files\ChamSys Ltd\MagicQ PC\show

• C:\Program Files (x86)\ChamSys Ltd\MagicQ PC\show

If MagicQ does not store settings after a restart - it forgets the number of universes, IP address or DMX I/O settings - then this is
likely caused by Windows restricting write access to the folders where MagicQ stores this data. Check permissions.
To check if permission settings are causing issues, try to run MagicQ as administrator. Right click on the MagicQ desktop icon
and select run as administrator from the options menu.

Warning
MagicQ should not be run as an administrator in normal operation - this is only recommneded as a troubleshooting
step. Complete functionality is available as a normal user.

Windows controls the level of access to system folders through the User Account Control Settings. This can be found in Control
Panel, User Accounts, Change User Account Control settings. Setting this to "Never Notify" will make Windows less restrictive.
Note that for security reasons this is only recommended for stand alone systems dedicated to MagicQ which are not connected
to the internet - please make sure you understand the implications for your computer, before changing this setting.

2.5 MagicQ on Mac

MagicQ Supports macOS 10.12 and 10.13, 10.14, 10.15, 11 and 12.
Note when using Apple M1 hardware ensure that MagicQ is installed via Rosetta.
No driver installation is required for MagicQ wings and interfaces.
On MagicQ v1.9.0.5 and older, wings and interfaces must be powered up and connected before MagicQ is started.
On MagicQ v1.9.0.5 and older (except for PC Wing Compact and Extra Wing Compact), wings and interfaces require going to
SETUP → VIEW SETTINGS → Ports → MagicQ Wings & Interfaces and changing to FTDI + VCP driver, auto DMX.
MagicQ downloads for unsupported versions of macOS are available from the Legacy Downloads page.

2.5.1 Turning off App Nap

On all versions we recommend you disable Computer sleep and turn off App Nap to avoid MagicQ being shut down inadvertently.

• Quit MagicQ
• From the OSX Finder, navigate to the /Applications/MagicQ/ folder
• Select MagicQ.app, then go to the "File" menu and select "Get Info" (or select the app and hit Command+i)
MagicQ User Manual 16 / 579

• Check the box for "Prevent App Nap", found under the General section of Get Info

2.5.2 Making the MagicQ folder writeable

If you get the message "Cannot write file" when trying to save a show file, or your settings changes are not saved then check that
the MagicQ folder and all its subfolders have both read and write permission.
MagicQ User Manual 17 / 579

If you get a message starting with "MagicQ needs to write to the install folder. . . ", you will need to check the permissions of the
"MagicQ" folder. There are detailed steps in the troubleshooting chapter.

2.6 MagicQ on Linux

MagicQ can be installed on current Ubuntu LTS releases (14.04, 16.04 18.04 and 20.04) 64 bit.
You can download MagicQ for Linux from the bugtracker.
Using older MagicQ wings and interfaces requires the ftdi_sio kernel driver which is included as standard on most Linux distri-
butions.
We cannot provide support for Linux specific issues; the best place to ask questions is on community forums and social media
websites.

Important
MagicQ for Linux is only available for 64 bit AMD/Intel systems. We no longer provide downloads for 32 bit Linux from
version 1.8.0.3. MagicQ will not run on other architectures (e.g. ARM).

2.6.1 Installing

To install the downloaded .deb file, run the following command in a terminal:

sudo dpkg -i magicq_ubuntu_vx_x_x_x.deb

Replacing the filename above the the name of the downloaded file.

2.6.2 High DPI screens

Automatic scaling for high resolution screens is disabled by default as with some screens it made the MagicQ user interface too
big.
From version 1.8.0.4 you can create a file called .magicq_init.sh in your home directory (/home/USERNAME/.magicq_init.
and make sure it has executeble permissions.

# ~/.magicq_init.sh

# Uncomment the following line if you want MagicQ to try to scale automatically
#export QT_AUTO_SCREEN_SCALE_FACTOR=1

# Uncomment and adjust the following line if you want to manually decide how to ←-
scale MagicQ
# You can specify a fractional number (e.g. specify 1.5 to make it 50% bigger)
#export QT_SCALE_FACTOR=1.0
MagicQ User Manual 18 / 579

# If you have multiple screens that need different scaling, uncomment and set the ←-
following
# line to a semicolon-separated list of scale factors
#export QT_SCREEN_SCALE_FACTORS=1.5;1.0

See https://doc.qt.io/qt-5/highdpi.html#high-dpi-support-in-qt for more information on the environment variables in this file.
MagicQ User Manual 19 / 579

Chapter 3

Using MagicQ on PCs and Macs

The MagicQ software for PCs and Macs has exactly the same features as the MagicQ console software with support for pre-
visualisation of up to 256 universes, and full output of 64 Universes. Along with support for ChamSys low cost MagicDMX
interface, for simple USB-DMX output.
When MagicQ PC or Mac is installed for the first time, it will show awindow with choices of demo shows.

This window can be hidden on subsequent starts by pressing the "Hide Options Next Time" button. It can be reactivated by
setting the Setup, View Settings, Windows, Start Mode option to "Choose Demo show".

3.1 Simple Generic Console

Choosing Simple Generic Console opens MagicQ in Simple View and loads a Simple 48 Channel Generic Console show file.
MagicQ User Manual 20 / 579

In this mode the console simply operates as a 48 channel traditional theatre console with 48 dimmers patched on Universe 1 at
channels 1 through 48.
If a MagicQ Wing, MagicQ Dual DMX Interface or MagicDMX interface is connected to MagicQ then the 48 channels will be
automatically output on the 1st output.
There are 10 Playback Faders labelled PB1 to PB10. Depending on your screen resolution you may have a S, > and || button for
each fader. Pressing in the box labelled PB1 to PB10 is the same as pressing the appropriate S button.
To record a Cue set the faders as required. Then press REC and press the S button of the Playback fader you wish to record it to.
Press CLEAR to clear the Programmer and return the faders to their defaults.
To record a chase, record multiple Cues to a Playback fader simply record more than one cue to a Playback fader.
To remove the Cues from a fader press REM and press the S button of the Playback fader you wish to remove Cues from.
To name a fader press SET and press the S button of the Playback fader you wish to name. You will be shown a text entry box.
Type the name followed by RETURN.
Multiple pages of faders are supported through the Next Page / Previous Page buttons.
It is possible to interchange between the Normal and Simple views of the console by pressing the Norm and Simple buttons in
the top right corner of the Application.

3.2 Technician Test Head

The Technician Test Head mode enables technicians to test a moving light or other head in a very simple way. Simply press the
TEST SHOW soft button and select a head and a mode.
A new show will be created using that head patched at DMX address 1 on the first Universe. The 48 faders show up to 48
channels of the head. Each fader is named with the attribute name and the values are set to their default values.
MagicQ User Manual 21 / 579

The picture below shows a Clay Paky Alpha Spot HPE 1200 in Standard mode.

The Playback faders are automatically set up with some useful functions including Macros for Lamp On, Reset and Lamp Off,
Locate and Movement, Colour, Gobo and Strobe tests.
If a MagicQ Wing, MagicQ Twin DMX Interface or MagicDMX interface is connected to MagicQ then the head will be controlled
on the 1st output.
The preset faders can be used to change the values of individual attributes. Use SHIFT and the faders to make a fine adjustment.

3.3 Demo Shows

The start up Window gives also gives a choice of a standard Lighting demo show or a PixelMapping demo show.
Additional demo shows for other head types, media servers and visualisers can be found by going to Setup, View Settings, Load
Show and selecting the demo show folder.
MagicQ User Manual 22 / 579

3.4 Touch View

The Touch View is designed for use with touch screens with buttons that are sized bigger so that it is easier to select functions.
Select Touch View by pressing Touch or Touch2 in the top right corner of the Application.

3.5 Playback mode

MagicQ PC supports a Playback Mode which enables MagicQ to be run in a pure "Playback" mode. This mode is selected by
clicking on the new Playback mode Icon on the desktop or in the Programs, ChamSys MagicQ PC menu.
Playback mode is only supported when connected to a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ USB interface. The MagicQ interface must be
connected and powered on before MagicQ is started in Playback mode. Note Playback mode is not supported with MagicDMX
or 3rd Party interfaces.
In Playback mode MagicQ it is not possible to record or make changes to the show data. MagicQ will not save the show files /
status files. Changes (e.g. change of chase speed) will be lost when the application is stopped and restarted.
Playback Mode shows a much reduced set of buttons on the screen – only buttons required for show playback are shown.
In Playback Mode only pages of playbacks that have been programmed are shown – pressing NEXT PAGE will automatically
change to the next programmed page and will cycle around all programmed pages.

3.6 Copy and paste to external applications via the clipboard

MagicQ now supports copying and pasting to external applications such as Word, Excel and text editors.
On the toolbar select Edit, Copy or press the short cut key CTRL C. The item at the cursor position in the focused window, or
multiple items if cursor selection is active, will be copied to the Clipboard. In the external application CTRL V (or Paste) can be
used to paste the information.
It is possible to quickly select all items in a window on the toolbar by selecting Edit, Select All or using the short cut CTRL A.
MagicQ User Manual 23 / 579

It is also possible to copy and paste into MagicQ from external applications. In the external application use CTRL C or Copy to
copy the required data to the Clipboard. In MagicQ change to the Window that you wish to paste to, cursor select the required
cells and on the toolbar select Edit, Paste or press CTRL V. The data will be pasted into the MagicQ window. MagicQ only
supports pasting of text data - typically names of items. When pasting to multiple selected cells MagicQ verifies that the quantity
of data on the Clipboard matches the number of selected cells.
Extreme care should be used when pasting into MagicQ.

3.7 MagicQ PC / Mac Restrictions (Demo and Reduced Mode)

When MagicQ PC (Windows, Linux or Mac) is not connected to a MagicQ USB interface, Connect, MagicQ USB Wing or
SnakeSys network product, then a small number of remote and automation features are restricted and "Demo Mode" is shown in
the title bar. This does not affect show programming or playback.
There are three categories of unlock, depending on which hardware is connected to the PC or Mac - DEMO MODE, REDUCED
MODE and UNLOCKED MODE.

3.7.1 DEMO MODE

• DEMO MODE shown in title bar

• MagicQ programming and playback of shows

• 64 universes Art-Net/sACN in and out

• MagicDMX
• RDM

Demo mode is in operation when no ChamSys devices are connected to MagicQ, and when only MagicDMX (Basic & Full) or
10Scene Gateway are connected.

3.7.2 REDUCED MODE

• REDUCED MODE shown in title bar

• All demo mode features
• Startup in full screen / saved window positioning

• Auto starting Playbacks

• Execute Window full screen
• Scheduled Events and Automations

• iOS / Android Remote app

• Web Server editing
• 10Scene Gateway and 10Scene remote app

Reduced mode is in operation when Dual DMX, Audio Interface, SnakeSys B4, T2, R4, R8 and GeNetix GN2 are connected.
GeNetix GN2 also unlocks into reduced mode when connected via network (subject to number of MagicQ restriction below).
MagicQ User Manual 24 / 579

3.7.3 UNLOCKED MODE

• All demo and reduced mode features

• Multi Programming including Net Sessions
• Playback Synchronisation
• Remote Control from other MagicQ systems
• Audio control and playback synchronisation with Winamp *
• Audio input from PC/Mac sound card
• Timecode send and receive from Art-Net
• Timecode (MIDI/LTC) from 3rd Party USB/Virtual interfaces.
• Triggering events / Cues / Timecode from DJ systems
• MIDI notes, CC, Show control from 3rd Party USB/Virtual interfaces
• ChamSys Remote Control Protocol (serial, or network)
• Open Sound Control (OSC)
• External Tracker send/receive (PSN, OTP, MQ Track)
• Mouse control of pan/tilt
• Encoder control from MIDI CC / OSC

Unlocked mode is in operation when Mini Connect, Compact Connect, Stadium Connect and Rack Mount Dongle are connected.
GeNetix GN5 and GN10 also fully unlock when connected via network (subject to number of MagicQ restriction below).
Unlocked mode is also in operation with the following legacy products - PC Wing, PC Wing Compact, Extra Wing, Extra Wing
Compact, Playback Wing, Execute Wing, Stadium Wing, MIDI/SMPTE.
*Note that the MagicDMX interface (Basic or Full) do not lift these restrictions, as these are low cost interfaces intended for
learning how to program the system.
MagicQ PC/Mac running with the restricted features unlocked, supports control of the first 10 playbacks (PB1 to PB10) via
ChamSys remote control protocol, MIDI and automations. This enables synchronisation with show control systems. Playbacks
11 to 202 can only be controlled by MagicQ Playback/Execute/Extra Wings. On MagicQ consoles all 202 playbacks can be
controlled by these protocols.
MagicQ PC/Mac supports 256 universes for Previsualisation and 64 universes for full output.
In the MQ250M, MQ500 and MQ500M Previs panel modes in order to protect our customers investment in full MQ500 and
MQ500M consoles, the normal outputs are disabled and only visualisation is supported. Visualisation can be internal MagicVis
or direct network links to external 3rd part visualisers. When universes 65 to 256 are used with external visualisers there will
be occasional breaks in the DMX to prevent usage to control real lighting rigs. MagicQ warns if universes are enabled when
entering the MQ500 and MQ500M Previs panels.

3.7.4 GeNetix / SnakeSys DMX Node Unlocking

GeNetix GN2 unlocks into reduced mode, whilst GeNetix GN5 and GN10 unlock fully.
From v1.9.5.0 onwards GeNetix and SnakeSys nodes connected to MagicQ PC Systems over the network will only unlock
MagicQ systems if there are no more than two MagicQ systems on the network (PC/Mac or console).
This enables a user to have a master and slave PC for their show unlocked, but prevents installations where a single GeNetix or
SnakeSys device unlocks many MagicQ PC systems.
In previous versions SnakeSys devices would unlock all MagicQ PC Systems connected to the network.
MagicQ User Manual 25 / 579

Product Via USB Via Network

MagicDMX None
10Scene Gateway, GW2O, GW2I None
GN2 Reduced Reduced
GN5, GN10 Unlocked Reduced
Mini Connect, Compact Connect, Unlocked
Stadium Connect

Legacy products

Product Via USB Via Network

Audio i/f Reduced
B4,T2,R4,R8 Reduced
Mini Wing, PC Wing, Extra Wing, Unlocked
Stadium Wing, Playback Wing,
Execute Wing, MIDI/SMPTE

3.7.5 MagicHD Stand Alone Restriction

MagicHD when run as part of MagicQ supports 8 layers.

MagicHD when run as a stand alone program (not as part of MagicQ) only supports 1 layer unless a MagicQ / MagicHD USB
Dongle is fitted to the system, or is connected via network to a MagicQ console with encoders, or connected via network to a
MagicQ PC/MAC system with a connected MagicQ USB Wing with encoders.
SnakeSys and GeNetix products do not unlock stand alone MagicHD.
MagicQ User Manual 26 / 579

Chapter 4

MagicQ Concepts

A system diagram of the console is shown in the diagram below

• Universe count ranges from 4 to 256 depending on console.

4.1 Show Storage

MagicQ stores show data in a single show file stored on the hard drive of the MagicQ console, PC or Mac. The show file contains
all the show settings, patch, palettes, cues and cue stack data. It also stores copies of all the personalities that are used within the
show.
A MagicQ show can be transferred between MagicQ consoles and MagicQ PC or Mac systems simply by copying the show file.
MagicQ show files are compatible across all MagicQ products. MagicQ maintains forward and backward compatibility for show
files - enabling users to load shows created on any version of MagicQ software into any other version of MagicQ software.
Favourite shows, personalities, palettes and FX patterns can be imported into new shows to simplify and speed up show program-
ming.
Show files can be copied using USB memory sticks or the network can be used to access the file system of MagicQ consoles.
When the user saves the show using the SAVE SHOW menu item or soft button MagicQ stores the show file with a .shw file
extension. At all other times MagicQ automatically backs up the show data whenever changes are made to a (.sbk) file.

4.2 Output channels

Depending on the console, MagicQ software supports up to 256 universes output over Ethernet.
This allows up to 131,072 channels of lighting to be controlled. Ethernet to DMX Interfaces are used to convert from Ethernet to
DMX512 as required.
Lighting consoles are often limited in the number of DMX channels or the number of intelligent heads they can control indepen-
dently. MagicQ allows control of all DMX channels individually, whilst utilising grouping and programming functions to enable
control of multiple heads or dimmers together.
MagicQ provides a library of over 35,000 personalities – data for each of the different types of intelligent head available. This
data determines how the different attributes of an intelligent head are controlled by the console.
ChamSys adds new personalities for heads as the information becomes available. If a personality is not available then it can be
requested from ChamSys. Users also have the ability to create the personality themselves in the inbuilt Head Editor.
MagicQ User Manual 27 / 579

4.2.1 HTP / LTP channels

The console supports two types of channels, highest takes precedence (HTP) and latest takes precedence (LTP). Generally HTP
channels are used for channels controlling dimmers and for the dimmer channel of intelligent heads. LTP channels are used for
the attributes of intelligent heads such as pan, tilt, colour, gobo etc. . .
For HTP channels the value that is output is the highest value of that channel on all of the active playbacks and the programmer.
The console can be configured so that if a HTP channel is in the programmer it always overrides any active playbacks.
For LTP channels the value output is the value from the last active playback unless that channel is active in the programmer in
which case the value output is the value stored in the programmer.
The last active playback is the last playback to be raised above zero, which is still above zero. Playbacks that are bumped in
using ADD or SWAP buttons automatically become the last active playback until the button is released.
The type of channel used by the console is determined by the personality used to patch the dimmer or intelligent head.
Intensity channels should always be patched as HTP. In addition Red, Green, Blue channels in fixtures that do not have an
Intensity channel are patched as HTP. All other channels are patched as LTP.
Playbacks can be set so that all channels controlled by the Playback act in a LTP way, thus allowing Intensity channels to be
overridden by a single Playback.
The Patch HTP also affects the operation of channel releasing, Grand Master and DBO as in the table below:

Feature Patch HTP Patch HTP (Cue Stack All Patch LTP
Chans Controlled LTP)

Channel mixing HTP LTP LTP

Channels release to 0 Yes Yes No
Fader controls level Yes Yes No
GM/DBO controls level Yes Yes No

4.3 Cues

The console stores lighting states as Cues – each Cue stores

• Level information
• Timing information
• FX information

The Cue stores level information for each of the channels recorded into it. If the channel level was set using a Palette, then a
reference to the Palette is also stored so that the Cue can keep track of changes to the Palette.

The Cue stores timing information for the channels that have been recorded into it. Two types of timing information are stored:
General Times: Stored for each type of attribute (Int In, Int Out, Position, Colour, Beam)
Individual Times: Stored on an individual channel basis
The Cue stores FX information for each of the FX that has been recorded into the Cue. The FX information includes the type of
FX, the heads that the FX is applied to, and the FX parameters for each head.
Each Cue has a number (e.g. Q1) and an optional name.
MagicQ User Manual 28 / 579

4.4 Cue Stacks

Cue Stacks are used to manage sequences of Cues. Cue Stacks keep track of the order of the Cues and the options for how they
are played back. A Cue Stack can have a single Cue associated with it or may have a whole list of Cues.
The Cue Stack stores a Cue Id and a text field for each Cue so that the different steps in the stack can be labelled. The Cue Id
and text field are shown on the playback display when the Cue Stack is played back which enables operators to keep track of the
current position in the show.
Cue Stacks can be configured to run as a chase rather than as a simple list of Cues. The difference is that as a chase the timing of
all Cues is determined by the chase speed and chase contrast rather than by the individual delay and fade times for each Cue.
Each Cue Stack has a number (e.g. CS1) and an optional name.

4.5 Playbacks

The console enables playing of recorded show data through Playbacks. Playbacks are associated with physical faders and buttons
– each Playback can have one Cue Stack assigned to it.
The console supports 202 Playbacks; 10 main Playbacks situated below the touch screen and up to 8 extension wings each with
24 Playbacks.
On models where less than 8 wings are fitted, the not fitted playbacks can be utilised through the touch screen and associated
buttons.

4.6 Pages

The console supports multiple pages of Playbacks enabling Playback faders to have different functions depending on the current
page. Typically one page is used for each song in a show.
The current page is selected through the NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE buttons on the main playback section or by selecting a
page in the Page Window.
The 24 Playbacks on each wing are divided up into two rows of 12 Playbacks. Each of the rows has separate NEXT PAGE and
PREV PAGE buttons. This enables the Page used by these Playbacks to be set differently to the main Playbacks.
This provides significant flexibility to how shows are played back – for example one section of a wing can be used to control
front lighting whilst another could be used to control the main show FX lighting. Changing the Page of the front lighting would
not change the Page of the FX lighting.

4.7 FX

The console contains a powerful engine for creating special effects (FX). FX can be applied to a group of heads at the touch of a
button; there is no need to program lots of different Cues to create the effect. Special effects can be easily modified live, enabling,
for example, the speed and size of the FX to be modified to match the mood of the show.
The console supports an extensive library of standard Position FX such as circles, squares, pan and tilt saws, lifts, zig zags, etc.
In addition the console supports FX on Colour, Beam and Intensity attributes. The console supports programming and storing
of new custom FX, which can then be re-used in shows as required. The FX engine enables complete shows to be programmed
within a matter of minutes.
MagicQ User Manual 29 / 579

4.8 Window Layouts

The console provides a means of storing the positions and sizes of Windows as a Window layout to enable easy recall of useful
Windows. This enables, for example, a Window configuration consisting of the Group, Position, Colour and Beam Windows to
be stored and recalled at a button press.
The system supports several standard Layouts, including a standard Group, Position, Colour, Beam programming layout.

On Stadium consoles there are 12 Layouts on the left side of the right hand display. Further layouts can be accessed by pressing
CTRL.
On Compact consoles Window layouts are recalled by pressing CTRL and selecting one of the top soft buttons. There are also
three physical Layout buttons, which together with SHIFT can select Layouts 1 to Layout 6.

4.9 Shift Functions

The MagicQ lighting console uses SHIFT and CTRL buttons to enable access to advanced features. There is a SHIFT button and
a CTRL button adjacent to the top corners of the touch screen in addition to the keys on the keyboard.
The SHIFT button is used with the cursor keys to enable selection of multiple items in Windows.
The ALT button is used to access functions which are supported by physical buttons on some consoles but not on others. For
example, ALT is used to access PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN on Compact and Stadium consoles.

4.10 The Programmer

All recording of show data is carried out using the Programmer. The Programmer takes priority over all playbacks, and channels.
It can also be used during live running to override the outputs – for example, for changing the colour or gobo of intelligent heads.
The Programmer can be considered to be a table of channel level and active flags for each of the channels patched onto the
console. Initially all channels are set to their default values. When a channel is changed, the channel level for that entry in the
table is set to the new level and the channel is flagged as active.
The console outputs any channels that are marked as active in the Programmer at highest priority – i.e. they over-ride all other
playbacks.
To clear the Programmer press CLEAR. All channels will be deactivated and all HTP channels will be set to zero. Depending on
the "unused Channels return to defaults" setting, LTP channels will either stay at their current values or return to their defaults.
It is possible to force all LTP channels to zero by using CTRL CLEAR.
The programmer can be set into a Blind mode using the BLIND button so that the contents of the programmer do not affect the
output of the console. This allows programming adjustments to be made during a live show and special effects to be "busked" in.

4.11 Help

The Help Window enables the operating manual to be viewed on-line. Press the HELP button at any time to open the Help
Window. To close the window, press the CLOSE button.
Use the scroll encoder, the cursor keys, and the hyperlinks to navigate through the manual. You can go directly to a particular
section using the top soft buttons, e.g. CONTENTS, QUICK START or SHORT CUTS.
You can search through the manual by typing some text and pressing SEARCH. To search for the same words again, press
SEARCH AGAIN.
The Help window also contains a VIEW COMMANDS view which logs all of the commands and console responses. It also has
a VIEW LOGS which logs all the buttons, fader moves and events including MIDI, LTC and network events.
MagicQ User Manual 30 / 579

Chapter 5

MagicQ Layout

5.1 Physical layout

All MagicQ consoles are very similar - they differ mainly in the number of playback faders. The programming interface is
consistent across the entire range of consoles. MagicQ software on PC and Mac mimics the layout of the physical buttons on
the MagicQ Consoles - a choice of different Panels is available from the Panel Menu. The Full Panel mode mimics Compact
consoles whilst the Stadium Panel modes mimic the Stadium consoles. It is possible to change between different panel views
at any time - it does not affect the programmed show - it just determines what buttons, faders and encoders are available for
programming and playback.

5.1.1 Touch Screen, Encoders & Soft Buttons

There are 8 rotary encoders placed around the main touch screen.
The buttons around the top and sides of the display referred to as soft buttons since their function changes according to the active
window on the touch screen. The current function of a soft button is displayed on the touch screen. To select the function you
can either press the screen or the soft button itself next to the screen, depending on the console model
MagicQ User Manual 31 / 579

The function of the rotary encoders changes according to the active window with the current function being displayed adjacent
to the encoder.
There are ALT, SHIFT and CTRL buttons.
SHIFT is used for extra MagicQ programming functions.
CTRL is used for console settings such as setting screen brightness, console lamp brightness.
ALT is used to select alternative functions on MagicQ consoles that do not have a physical button for the particular function - the
ALT function of a button is normally labelled on the panel.

5.1.2 Main Windows

The area in the centre of the screen is the windows section in which the various control windows are displayed. There are three
main types of windows – boxes style windows which have large boxes such as the Group Window, spreadsheet style editing
windows such as the Patch Window, and free form windows such as the Plot, Colour Picker, and Timeline windows.

A window is displayed by pressing the appropriate window button. On MagicQ PC/Mac the window can be selected from the
Window Menu from the toolbar. Changing window does not affect programming or playback.
Multiple windows can be displayed at one time by sizing and positioning the windows appropriately by clicking on the window
title bar or using the SIZE button. On MagicQ PC/Mac the size and position can also be selected from the View Menu from the
toolbar.
MagicQ User Manual 32 / 579

5.1.3 Layouts

Layouts specify a complete configuration of windows across one or more monitors.

Layouts can be selected using the Layout buttons - to select the Palettes layout (Groups, Positions, Colours and Beams) press the
Layout 1 button.
On Stadium consoles the layout buttons are on the left side of the main touch screen. Use CTRL + the layout buttons to access
more pages of Layouts.
On Compact consoles there are physical Layout 1, Layout 2 and Layout 3 buttons by the keypad. On these consoles SHIFT +
Layout 1 gets Layout 4, SHIFT + Layout 2 gets Layout 5 and SHIFT + Layout 3 gets Layout 6. Press CTRL to access more
layout buttons on the top soft buttons.

For more Layouts press ALT + CUE STACK to open the Layout Window. Layouts can be recorded to the Layout Window,
named, moved and removed. When recording, the monitor mask can be chosen.
If the Layout Window is open full size on the first monitor then the Layout Window is not included in the Layout. In all other
cases the Layout Window is included in the Layout.

5.1.4 Active Window

When a window button is pressed, that window becomes the active window. The active window is on the top of the screen and is
easily identified as the window with the highlighted title bar at the top. It is also the window with the cursor in it.
An item in a window can be selected either

1. By pressing the touch screen over the appropriate part of the window

2. By moving the cursor to the appropriate position and pressing the ENTER button.
3. By moving the mouse to the position and pressing the left mouse button.
MagicQ User Manual 33 / 579

The cursor can be moved around the active window using the cursor keys in the Editor area of the console or via the cursor keys
on the keyboard.
PG UP, PG DN, PG LEFT and PG RIGHT can be used to scroll the window in the appropriate direction. HOME and END can
be used to get to the start and end of the window respectively.
On Stadium and Compact consoles the PG UP, PG DN, PG LEFT and PG RIGHT use ALT and the cursor keys.
On Stadium consoles HOME and END use ALT and HEAD and TIME respectively. On Compact consoles user ALT and
LAYOUT 1 and LAYOUT 3.
On PC/Mac the contents of a Window can be printed to a printer or pdf file by selecting File, Print Window from the toolbar.

5.1.5 Window Sizing

MagicQ supports a Window Size dialogue box to enable the window position and window size to be selected directly with one
press directly rather than stepping through all the possible window sizes and positions.
The window size dialog box can also be opened by double clicking on the title bar of the window that you wish to size. On
MagicQ consoles the window size button SIZE opens the Window Size dialog box (ALT EXEC on Compact consoles, and ALT
PATCH on Stadium consoles).
MagicQ allows sizing of windows to 1,2 or 3 rows when using the LEFT (1..4) and RIGHT (1..4) window sizes. By default they
fill the left or right side automatically, but you can specify for each window whether they should be restricted to 1,2 or 3 rows.
If you only have LEFT (1..4) windows opened then they will automatically spread across the whole width - so you can choose
the left column, right column or whole width.
The windows sizes are positions are stored/recalled in Layouts and also in the show file.

5.1.6 Support for Find in MagicQ windows

MagicQ supports a Find function which searches the text fields in the current focused Window.
On the toolbar select Edit, Find or press the short cut key CTRL F. Alternatively on consoles press CTRL and CURSOR RIGHT.
Then enter the text to search for. The find can also be invoked by entering text on the command line and then using any of the
previous methods to start the Find operation.
To search again forwards press CTRL and CURSOR RIGHT. To search again backwards press CTRL and CURSOR LEFT.
The CTRL F shortcut only works on PC/Macs when MagicQ Keyboard Mode is set to Normal. In all other MagicQ Keyboard
Modes the CTRL and keyboard keys open MagicQ windows.

5.1.7 Support for Cut and Paste in MagicQ windows

Cut and paste is supported within MagicQ windows and between different MagicQ windows. It can also be used on PC and Macs
to copy between MagicQ and other applications, making an easy way to transfer data in and out of MagicQ.
The keyboard shortcuts CTRL C and CTRL V can be used to cut and paste within MagicQ PC.
On consoles hold CTRL and press COPY for copy. Hold CTRL and press UPDATE to paste.
Multiple cells can be cut and pasted at a time.
MagicQ User Manual 34 / 579

5.1.8 Status and Display Windows

Towards the bottom of the touch screen are two small windows, the Status Display and the Input Display. The Status Display
shows the current date and time, the ADD / SWAP status of the console and other relevant status information.
The status window also shows warnings - for example if INVALID NET is seen here this indicates MagicQ has been setup to
output via Network e.g. Art-Net and that MagicQ’s IP address has been set differently to the PC’s network adapter.

The Input Display shows the data that has been currently entered through the keypad and the keyboard. Note that text is not
entered into the main Windows until ENTER is pressed. This allows the user to choose whether the keyboard data is SET into
fields in the windows or onto Playbacks.

After a command has been entered it also confirms that the command has been accepted and shows any error messages when a
command is not possible.

5.1.9 Head Control

The area around the two large rotary encoders is referred to as the head control area. It is used to alter the parameters of individual
heads and apply effects such as fans over groups of heads.
MagicQ User Manual 35 / 579

The NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD buttons are used to select an individual head to modify.
The other buttons control the selection mode; LOCATE, HIGHLIGHT, FAN, SINGLE, ODD/EVEN, and ALL.

5.1.10 Editor Buttons

The Editor buttons are used to modify program data. The 8 buttons on the right hand side are the action buttons which are used
to modify show data. The action buttons are UNDO, REMOVE, MOVE, COPY, SET, INCLUDE, UPDATE, and RECORD.
The buttons on the left:
BLIND and CLEAR affect the programmer
REL and SELECT affect playbacks
SHIFT selects alternate functions
←- undoes keyboard input and clears actions

5.1.11 Playback

The Playback area is situated directly below the touch screen and consists of 10 playbacks each with a fader and four buttons
(FLASH, GO, STOP, SELECT). The area above each of the playbacks on the touch screen is used to provide information about
the status of the playback.
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The playback area also contains a Grand Master, a Sub Master, Page Select buttons and a Manual Playback for taking control of
Cue Stacks.
The cross fade section contains a GO, STOP. FWD, BCK buttons, a cross fader and a master GO button. The cross fade section
controls the current playback selected with the S button.
On the MQ500 there are 15 fader playbacks and 15 execute playbacks above them.

5.2 Keyboard, Keypad, Select & Confirm Windows

MagicQ has a set of additional on-screen Windows that can be used to enter text, select items and confirm actions. You can
choose whether you use the physical keyboard/keypad to navigate around these items or whether you use the mouse/touch.
To open the Keyboard Window at any time press SET SET. To open the icon selector press SHIFT + SET.
Confirm Windows are shown when you carry out important actions that may overwrite or delete show data. You can confirm an
action by pressing 1 on the keypad. To cancel the action press 0 on the keypad.

5.3 Common Actions

MagicQ utilises many common actions for carrying out programming functions. All the actions use similar button presses. Once
you understand the action in one Window, you will understand how it is done in another Window.
We strongly recommend you make yourself familiar with these actions – they will save you valuable programming time.

5.3.1 Items

Actions in a Window can be carried out on individual items or on multiple items. For actions on a single item, use the cursor
keys to move around the Window so that the cursor is over the required item.
For multiple items in a Window, move the cursor to the first item. Then press and hold the SHIFT button whilst moving the
cursor to the last item. All the items will be highlighted.
Alternatively hold the CTRL button and select multiple individual items.
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In spreadsheet style Windows (e.g. Patch) pressing the touch screen or left clicking on the item with the mouse moves the cursor
to the item. You can highlight multiple Window items by pressing the touch screen and moving the touch across multiple items.
In boxes style Windows (e.g. Group), pressing the touch screen or left clicking performs the function associated with the item
(e.g. recalls that Group). In these Windows use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to highlight multiple boxes.

5.3.2 Setting the value of items

To set the value of one or more items in a spreadsheet style window:

• Move the cursor over the item (s)

• Enter a value on the keypad and press ENTER.

OR

• Type in the value on the keypad

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the item.

For items that have a simple value of yes or no if you do not enter a value on the keypad then the value will toggle. For items that
have multiple values double click on the field for a list of values. On the touch screen select the field and then press anywhere in
the Input Display (right side area underneath the main window) to bring up the list of values.
Items that are coloured darker are read only and therefore cannot be set.

5.3.3 Naming items

• Press the SET button

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the item to name.
• Enter the name on the external or on screen keyboards

When working in spreadsheets style windows with an external keyboard it is not necessary to press the SET button in the above
sequence - you can edit the spreadsheet like any other, just by moving to the appropriate box and entering text on the keyboard.
To name multiple items it is often easier to highlight the items before pressing SET. If you press SET immediately after high-
lighting multiple items then the console will assume that these are the items you wish to set.
You can also press SET instead of pressing ENTER in the above sequences.

5.3.4 Moving items

• Press the MOVE button.

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the source item.
• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the destination item.

You can also press MOVE instead of pressing ENTER in the above sequences.
To move multiple items it is often easier to highlight the items before pressing MOVE. If you press MOVE immediately after
highlighting multiple items then the console will assume that these are the source items and will only prompt for the destination.
You can hold SHIFT or CTRL to highlight multiple items.
From 1.7.6.4 MagicQ supports dragging to move items within Windows. Press SHIFT + MOVE to enter Drag Move mode. Items
can then be dragged and dropped within windows. Drag Move mode will continue until MOVE is pressed again, or BACKSPACE
is pressed.
The MOVE button flashes when in Drag Move mode.
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5.3.5 Copying items

• Press the COPY button.

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the source item.
• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the destination item.

You can also press COPY instead of pressing ENTER in the above sequence.
To copy multiple items highlight it is often easier to highlight the items before pressing COPY. If you press COPY immediately
after highlighting multiple items then the console will assume that these are the source items and will only prompt for the
destination. You can hold SHIFT or CTRL to highlight multiple items.
When copying Cues, Cue Stacks or Pages the console by default does not make individual copies of the Cues - the Cue Stacks
link to the same Cues. To copy unlinked (i.e. to create new Cues) then press SHIFT and COPY in the above sequence and select
Unlinked.

5.3.6 Removing items

• Press the REMOVE button.

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the item to remove.

To remove multiple items highlight it is often easier to highlight the items before pressing REMOVE. If you press REMOVE
immediately after highlighting multiple items then the console will assume that you wish to remove the highlighted items.
You can also press REMOVE instead of pressing ENTER in the above sequence.

5.3.7 Recording items

In boxes style windows it is possible to record an item (e.g. in the Group Window, to record a group):

• Press the RECORD button.

• Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the item to record.

You can also press RECORD instead of pressing ENTER in the above sequence.

5.4 Icons

MagicQ supports icons for all programmed items. The size of the icons can be set in the Window Settings in the Setup Window.
Icons can be used on Groups, Colours, Beams, Positions, Cues, Cue Stacks and in the Execute Window.
To set an icon for a Window item (e.g. a Palette Entry) press SHIFT SET. Press the touch screen / click / ENTER over the item
to set an icon for. This will open the Icon library. The Icon library is split into different types of Icons for colours, positions and
different types of gobos.
Select the icon from the icon library.
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5.4.1 Actions on Playbacks

Actions on playbacks are similar to window items except that the S buttons are used instead of window items.
To select a Playback, press the S button for the appropriate Playback.
To record a Playback, press RECORD, then press the S button for the appropriate Playback.
To name a Playback press SET, then press the S button for the Playback. Enter the name using the on screen keyboard or the
external keyboard.
To move a Playback, press MOVE, then press the S button for the source Playback and then press the S button for the destination
Playback.
To copy a Playback, press COPY, then press the S button for the source Playback and then press the S button for the destination
Playback.
To include the contents of a Playback into the Programmer, press INCLUDE, then press the S button for the destination Playback.
To remove a Playback, press REMOVE, then press the S button for the Playback. Press the S button again to confirm the remove.
MagicQ User Manual 40 / 579

Chapter 6

Quick Start

6.1 Starting up MagicQ

On MagicQ consoles hold the power button on the rear panel. On MagicQ PC and Mac click on the MagicQ application icon.
On start up you are presented with an option to load demo shows or to continue the last show. Selecting last show will load and
run the last show used on the system. This option can be hidden for subsequent start ups.
The console remembers all windows that were open when the console was last used. To close all windows press SHIFT and
CLOSE.
Press SETUP to open the Setup Window.

6.2 Calibrating the Touch Screen

On MagicQ consoles if the touch screen does not seem to be responding to your touch correctly then you may need to calibrate
the touch screen.
Press the SETUP button to open the Setup Window. Press the CAL TOUCH soft button. When asked for confirmation press 1
on the keypad or press the CAL TOUCH soft button again.
Calibration works by finding the bottom left and top right corners of the screen. First press the bottom left of the touch screen
and then the top right. You may wish to use a fine but blunt object.
The shortcut CTRL + SET can be used to open the Calibrate window at any time.
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6.3 Starting a New Show

To start a new show, go to the Setup Window and press the NEW SHOW soft button. This will clear the current show from
memory – shows that have been previously saved to disc will not be affected. You will be asked to confirm by selecting YES.
There is a choice of six modes.

• Live (Chase) - Faders activate Cue Stacks. When recording, all data in the programmer is stored in recorded cues. When
recording multiple cues on playbacks – defaults to chase timing.
• Live (Cue Stack)- Faders activate Cue Stacks. When recording, all data in the programmer is stored in recorded cues. When
recording multiple cues on playbacks – defaults to Cue timing.

• Theatre non- track- Faders operate levels only. When recording, all data in the programmer is stored in recorded cues. When
recording multiple cues on playbacks – defaults to cue timing
• Theatre tracking - faders operate levels only. When recording only data in the programmer that has changed since the last
record is stored in recorded cues.

• Hog II warp – Like Theatre Tracking but with some extra features to make the programming more familiar to Hog II users.
When recording multiple cues on playbacks – defaults to cue timing
• Custom Settings- Allows the user to select settings saved on another show file. In Theatre and Hog II modes, heads return
to their default values when not under control of a playback or the programmer. The keypad is set up to enable selection of
Palettes using Palette numbers, and Cue Stack timing defaults to being stepped timing rather than chase timing.

The mode can be changed at any time by using the Programming Mode soft button in the Setup Window. In addition each
individual option / default value can be customised by the user and saved as their personal settings file.
Starting a show clears all patching, all programming and all palettes. It does not clear console specific options such as the
configuration of the DMX outputs or the calibration of the touch screen.
See <_programming_mode,Programming Mode> for more details.
MagicQ User Manual 42 / 579

6.4 Enabling Outputs

To enable output of channel data select the DMX IO VIEW in the Setup Window. This window enables modification of the
inputs and outputs for all the universes. MagicQ consoles support DMX directly from the console or via an external Ethernet to
DMX convertor. On MagicQ PC or Mac you can output via USB to DMX interfaces (such as MagicDMX) or via DMX outputs
from the Wings.

6.4.1 Using Direct DMX Outputs

All current MagicQ consoles have DMX output ports directly on the rear panel.
The four DMX outputs on the rear panel automatically output universes 1 to 4 unless they are configured otherwise. The DMX
will be output regardless of the "Status" enabled or disabled in the Setup DMX I/O window. On Pro consoles there is a green
LED on the rear panel that indicates when DMX is being output.
If you wish to choose alternative universes to be output to the four DMX outputs on the rear panel then you will need to configure
the outputs manually. For each of the Universes you wish to output on the rear panel, select Out Type as "MagicQ Direct" and
Port 1, Port 2, Port 3 and Port 4 and enable the universes.
The picture below shows the direct ports to output Universes 5 to 8.

6.4.2 Using Outputs via network

MagicQ supports output via the network ports using Art-Net, Pathport or ACN Streaming DMX.
To output Art-Net on a Universe enable it and ensure that the output type is set to Art-Net. Choose which Art-Net Universe you
wish to Output the MagicQ Universe on. MagicQ defaults to outputting MagicQ universe 1 on the first Art-Net Universe (Art
0-0).
MagicQ User Manual 43 / 579

If you are using Ethernet to DMX512 conversion boxes then you will need to configure the boxes to respond to the correct
Art-Net sub-net and Art-Net universe.
With ChamSys SnakeSys B4 or R4 you need to set up the two rotary switches to the correct values – the left one for Art-Net
sub-net and the right one for Art-Net universe. The interface will then decode the four Art-Net universes starting from that
Art-Net subnet and universe.
In most networks the Art-Net sub-net is set to 0. If you are using only one Ethernet to DMX512 interface then you can normally
use subnet 0 universe 0.
If you are using multiple Ethernet Interfaces then you will need to set each Ethernet Interface to a different Art-Net Universe –
for example when using two ChamSys SnakeSys B4 Interfaces set the first Interface to Art-Net Universe 0 and the second one to
Art-Net Universe 4.
MagicQ includes a DMX viewer for monitoring Art-Net on the Network – select Tools, DMX View.

6.5 Connecting a MagicQ Playback Wing

To connect a MagicQ Playback or Extra Wing, simply connect the Wing to the MagicQ console via USB. In the Setup Window,
View System, View Wings set the first Wing to be type USB Wing.
By default the Playback Wings are set so that the Wings change page when the Next Page / Prev Page button are pressed on the
MagicQ console. It is possible to make the Wings operate completely independently of the main MagicQ console by changing
the "Lower Bank Tie" and "Upper Bank Tie".
To use multiple Playback Wings simply connect them and change the type to USB wing. Note not all Wings connect to all
MagicQ consoles. The Stadium Connect can only connect to a computer, and the MQ500M Stadium Wing, only connects to the
MQ500M.

6.5.1 Setting Playback Wing IDs

When using MagicQ consoles with multiple Playback / Extra Wings (or multiple Execute Wings) a Wing ID can be set for each
Wing. The required wing ID can then be set in Setup, View Wings to ensure that the Wings are identified correctly and control
the correct Playbacks.
Hold down the lower NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE buttons when powering on the Wing to get into the Wing config mode.
From the menus you can then set a Wing ID.
All Extra Wing Compacts, and Extra Wings and Playback Wings manufactured since 2012 support setting of Wing ID. Older
Extra Wings including those with yellow displays do not support Wing ID.

6.6 Connecting External Monitors

MagicQ consoles have DVI or HDMI connectors for connecting external monitors. The monitor should be plugged in before
starting the console.
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6.7 Patching

Open the Patch Window by pressing the PATCH button. The Patch Window has four views, VIEW HEADS, VIEW CHANS,
VIEW DMX and VIEW VIS. In this section we describe patching in VIEW HEADS.

Choose the fixture you wish to patch by pressing the CHOOSE HEAD soft button. The Window will change to give you a list
of manufacturers and fixtures. Select a fixture by pressing the touch screen. Alternatively scroll around the Window using the
cursor keys, and press ENTER when the cursor is over the correct fixture.
Once you have chosen the fixture, a window will view different mode options. Select the correct mode the fixture is being used
in.

You will then be returned to the Patch Window. Press the PATCH IT soft button to patch the fixture. You will be prompted for
the number of fixtures you wish to patch and the universe and address where you wish to patch them to. Use @ to patch at a
specific universe and address.
MagicQ User Manual 45 / 579

For example to patch 12 Chauvet Professional Maverick MK3 Spots in advanced (39 channels) mode, at universe 1 start address
1:
12 @ 1 - 1
If you wish to patch multiple channels at fixed offsets e.g. 3 Chauvet Professional Maverick Silens 2 Profiles on universe 2, with
an offset of 35 channels between each fixture:
3 @ 2 – 1 / 35
Patching multiple fixtures in any of the theatre modes is slightly different. When starting a new show, if you choose ‘Theatre
Track’ or ‘Theatre non track’ some of the programming settings will change. patching requires the fixture (or head) number @
universe number – channel number. For e.g. if you wanted to patch in 3 standard dimmers, on universe 1 and start channel 1 you
would use the THRU button and type in the following: 3 > 1@1-1

To patch a dimmer, simply press CHOOSE DIM/MEDIA, select Generic Dimmer and then patch one or more dimmers as above.
In the Patch Window there are columns that can be configured, such as the DMX address, head name and head number. To
modify, select the data in one of the columns, then input the new value using the keypad, and press ENTER.

6.7.1 Naming and Numbering Fixtures

Once you have patched all the Fixtures you can then name and number them as you wish. It is recommended that you name the
dimmer or the fixture based on its location (e.g. front wash / back truss SL). For dimmers you may wish to configure the gel.
This makes programming easier – enabling the console to auto program cues for you.
MagicQ User Manual 46 / 579

The gel field uses gel numbers. For Lee colours enter the gel number directly (e.g. 181 for Lee 181). For Rosco colours enter the
gel number preceded by a dot (e.g. .14 for Rosco 14). For no colour enter 0. If you would prefer to use colour names rather than
gel numbers then simply enter the colour name.
To test a patched head or dimmer, simply press the TEST MODE soft button (soft button encode C) and the head which the cursor
is over will be tested. For heads it locates the whole head; for dimmers it sets the dimmer to 100%. Press the TEST MODE soft
button again to turn test mode off.

6.8 Controlling Heads

6.8.1 Selecting Heads

In order to control intelligent heads it is necessary to be able to select which heads to use. The MagicQ console keeps track of
the currently selected heads to enable it to determine which heads to apply changes to. The operator can select head individually
or can use groups to recall configurations of heads that are used frequently.
In "Hog Warp" mode or when the Setup option "Keypad always selects head is set" you can select heads from the keypad – for
instance to select heads 1 through 4.
1 THRU 4 ENTER
In other modes, you can select the heads using
1 THRU 4 @@

6.8.2 Selecting heads from the Group/Heads Window

The console automatically generates a group for all the heads of a particular head type. In addition new groups can easily be
recorded.
The Group Window has two views. VIEW GROUPS enables selection of heads using groups whilst VIEW HEADS enables
individual selection of heads.
In VIEW GROUPS, pressing the touch screen for a particular group selects all the heads associated with that group. All other
heads are deselected. To select multiple groups, press SHIFT and a group to toggle the group in and out of selection.
In VIEW HEADS, individual heads are selected / deselected by pressing the touch screen. Use PG UP and PG DN to scroll
through the heads.
MagicQ User Manual 47 / 579

6.8.3 Recording a Group

Select the heads you want in a group using keypad selection or in the VIEW HEADS view of the Group Window.
Change to the VIEW GROUPS view.
Press RECORD and then select the group you wish to record either by pressing the touch screen or by using the cursor keys and
then pressing ENTER.

6.9 Naming a Group

When recording a group, if you key in a name before pressing the touch screen (or pressing ENTER) then the group will be
named at the same time as it is recorded.
You can name a group at any time by keying in the name, pressing SET, and pressing the touch screen.
If you do not have a keyboard then press SET and select the group to name by pressing the touch screen (or using cursor keys
and ENTER). A keyboard window will be displayed for you to enter the name on screen.

6.10 Recalling a Group

Once a group has been recorded then pressing the touch screen for the group will make all the heads in the group selected. All
other heads will be deselected. Use SHIFT to select multiple groups. There is a Setup option to allow the user to default to
selecting multiple groups.

6.11 Setting Levels for Dimmers

From the keypad you can enter commands such as

1 @ 50 ENTER
1 THRU 4 @ FULL ENTER
It is also possible to use the Intensity Window by pressing the INT button. This window displays a fader for each dimmer and
head patched onto the console. Pressing the slider part of the fader sets the appropriate level. When a fader is moved from 0 the
channel in the programmer is activated – and the fader will turn red.
The Window has two views, View Prog and View Preset – faders changed in the Prog View affect the intensity levels in the
programmer and are recorded into Cues. Faders changed in the Preset View are like traditional "one per channel" preset faders on
older lighting consoles – this enables levels on channels to be set without affecting programming. This is equivalent to "Parking"
on other consoles.
The SQUARE OFF soft button enables fast programming of intensities. Using the touch panel select the channels you wish to
have at full and at zero – but don’t bother being exactly accurate with the level of the selection. Pressing SQUARE OFF finishes
the job by setting all channels that are less than 50% to 0 whilst setting channels above 50% to full.
Use the ALL TO FULL and ALL TO ZERO buttons to change the level of all the channels.
Press the CLEAR soft button to clear the programmer.
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6.12 Locating Heads

The first action you are likely to want to do is to locate the heads – i.e. to put them into a starting position. Select the required
heads and then press the LOCATE button. Locating a head brings all the attributes for that head into the programmer.
If the heads enable DMX control of the striking of the lamp then you may need to "Lamp On" the head in order to see the beam.
Select the heads and then press SHIFT LOCATE. This runs the "Lamp On" macro.

6.13 Modifying Attributes

Intelligent heads have several different attributes typically including pan and tilt, colour, gobo and iris. When the MagicQ lighting
console patches an intelligent head it maps the head parameters to standard attributes to enable easy access of the features of the
head.
Attributes are categorised into four types – Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam. On MagicQ there is a window for each of these
attribute types. Select the required heads, then open the required window.

You can quickly open all the Palette Windows by pressing Layout 1 or holding CTRL and pressing the top soft button marked
Palettes – this opens the windows in the layout below.
MagicQ User Manual 49 / 579

The highlighted window enables controls the soft buttons and rotary encoders. In each of the Windows the X and Y encoders
control the most important attributes – Pan and Tilt in Position Window, Col Wheel 1 and Col Wheel 2 in the Colour Window
and Gobo Wheel 1 and Gobo Wheel 2 in the Beam Window. In the Beam Window there are more than eight attributes to be
controlled – these are accessed using multiple pages of encoders – by pressing the NEXT PAGE soft button.

For indexed attributes such as colour wheels and gobo wheels, the button associated with each encoder can be used to bump the
attribute value to the next range. Pressing SHIFT and the button bumps back to the previous range.
In addition the window enables selection of palette values for the attribute type using the touch screen. When heads are recorded
the system automatically generates palettes for each attribute type. You can record new palette entries, or modify existing ones
as you see fit.
MagicQ User Manual 50 / 579

In the Colour Window pressing the COL MIX / COL ATTRIBS button changes to the colour picker. Press COL TYPE to select
standard colours, Lee colours, Rosco colours or HIS model.

6.14 Recording a Palette

To record a favourite combination of attributes into a palette (e.g. a rotating triangle with a prism on a MAC500), first modify the
attributes to the values you wish to record. Then press RECORD and select the palette entry you wish to record. By default only
selected heads get recorded into a palette (this can be changed by pressing SHIFT + RECORD and choosing Record options).
MagicQ User Manual 51 / 579

To name the palette, key in the name on the external keyboard, then press SET and select the palette entry you wish to name. To
use the on screen keyboard, first move the cursor over the palette entry, then press SET and key in the name followed by ENTER.

6.15 Adding in FX

To add a FX to some heads, select the heads then from the Group Window or the Prog Window press the ADD FX soft button.
Choose the FX to add.
Once you have chosen a FX you are returned to the Prog Window. Use the encoders to modify the parameters of the FX such as
the speed, size and spread between heads.
You can add multiple FX to a head, provided that the FX uses different attributes - e.g. you can mix a Pan Sine with a Tilt Sine.

6.16 Recording a Cue

To record a look onto a Cue, first set up the look, then press RECORD and press the S button of the Playback to record the Cue
onto.
To test the Cue, first clear the programmer by pressing CLEAR then raise the Playback fader or press the Playback flash button.
Note that recording a Cue onto a Playback, generates a Cue Stack with a single Cue. However, as there is only one step, it
behaves as though it is just the Cue on the Playback.
To view a recorded Cue, press the S button for the Playback, and then press CUE to open the Cue Window.
To configure options when recording, press SHIFT + RECORD and a toolbar of record options will be displayed. Choose the
options you require then press the S button of the Playback as above.

6.17 Recording a Cue Stack (Chase or Theatre Stack)

Recording a Cue Stack is the same as recording a Cue - you simply record multiple Cues onto a Playback and you end up with a
Cue Stack.
So, for example to record a stack of two looks, the first yellow dots, the second blue triangles:

• Generate the yellow dots look.

• Press RECORD and press the S button of the playback.

• Generate the blue triangles look.

• Press RECORD and press the S button of the playback.

To test the Cue, clear the programmer by pressing CLEAR then raise the Playback fader or press the Playback flash button.
View the Cue Stack by selecting the Playback and pressing CUE STACK to open the Cue Stack Window.
When you record more than one Cue onto a Playback the Cue Stack controls the transition from one Cue to another. In Normal
mode by default the Cue Stack operates like a chase - i.e. each Cue is executed in turn, with timing being handled by a Chase
Speed for the whole Cue Stack.
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In Theatre Modes the default timing is Cue Timing – individual Fade times on each step with GO stepping from one step to the
next.

The timing mode can be changed, so that the Cues play back in a theatre style using the GO / STOP buttons. Select the VIEW
OPTIONS view and press the CUE TIMING and CHASE TIMING soft buttons to modify the timing mode.

6.18 Selecting and recording complete window layouts

The console enables complete window layouts to be recorded and selected. The console incorporates several standard window
layouts including Palettes and Cue Stacks.
There are physical buttons for Layout 1, 2 and 3. Layouts 1 to 12 can also be accessed by holding CTRL and selecting one of the
top soft buttons.
To select a Window layout press one of the Layout buttons, or hold down CTRL and select one of the top soft buttons.
To record a Window layout first close all windows (SHIFT + CLOSE). Then open the required Windows and size them appro-
priately. Press RECORD and then press a Layout button or hold down CTRL and select one of the top soft buttons.
To name the Window layout, press SET and then press a Layout button or hold down CTRL and select one of the top soft buttons.
Enter a name for the layout.

6.19 Saving the Show

When programming a show the show is stored in memory. In order to store your show on the disk you need to press the SAVE
SHOW soft button in the Setup Window.
Whilst programming, you should regularly save your show, so that if the power fails your show data is not lost. You can chose
any filename - MagicQ will automatically set the file extension to .shw.
By default, MagicQ periodically saves a backup of your show to disk. It uses the same show name but with the file extension
.sbk.
MagicQ User Manual 53 / 579

It is a good idea to save your show to different file names so that you have various points you can back-track to if things go
wrong. For example, save the show as myshow-patch.shw after you have patched and then as myshow-final.shw after you have
finished programming.
When you shut down MagicQ through the QUIT soft button in the Setup Window, MagicQ automatically saves a backup copy
of your show with a .sbk extension. When you subsequently restart MagicQ this file will be re-loaded. This ensures that MagicQ
starts up as it was when the QUIT soft button was pressed.
MagicQ show files are typically only a few megabytes in size so many different shows or versions of a show can be saved without
problem.

6.20 Playback

Now you have Cues and Cue Stacks recorded you can play back your show using the Playback faders and buttons. You can
control how each Cue Stack is played back using the Cue Stack options – for example you can set the fader to control LTP fades
or FX size and speed.
Make sure the master faders are raised!
Note that if you have a large show file you may wish to turn auto backups off during playback. Remember to turn them back on
when you are programming.
If you get stuck at any point, just press the HELP button!
MagicQ User Manual 54 / 579

Chapter 7

Patching

7.1 Patching on MagicQ

MagicQ considers DMX and console channels to be the same and therefore there is no need for complex patching to be carried
out before the console can be used. MagicQ allows access to all DMX channels on all DMX universes supported on the console.
Each channel can be controlled and programmed independently.
Each head can be allocated a head number for recall using the keypad and a name for identification. However to save time,
MagicQ will automatically allocate numbers and names according to head types.

7.2 Getting started with patching

MagicQ supports comprehensive patching facilities for allocating dimmers and intelligent heads to DMX channels. Patching can
be carried out at any time and has an immediate effect.
Press the PATCH button to open the Patch Window. The Patch Window has four views, VIEW HEADS, VIEW CHANS, VIEW
DMX and VIEW VIS.
VIEW HEADS is used to patch heads, name and number then and set and gel colour.
VIEW CHANS is used to carry out operations on individual DMX channels, such as testing the channel and setting inverts.
VIEW DMX is used when patching more than one DMX channel to a MagicQ Head.
VIEW VIS is used for setting up and modifying visualiser heads in the MagicVis visualiser.

7.3 Patching a Head or Dimmer

MagicQ supports a large library of heads. MagicQ treats dimmers just like any other head - they just happen to have a single
channel. Dimmers use the "Generic Dimmer" personality.
MagicQ User Manual 55 / 579

Choose the head you wish to patch by pressing the CHOOSE HEAD soft button. The Window will change to give you a list
of heads. Select a head by pressing the touch screen. Alternatively scroll around the Window using the cursor keys, and press
ENTER when the cursor is over the correct head.
Once you have chosen a head you will be returned to the Patch Window. Press the PATCH IT soft button to patch the head, and
you will be prompted for an address to patch the head to.
Press ENTER to patch to the next free address – the title bar shows the next free address that a head of the chosen type can be
patched. If you wish to patch multiple heads at fixed offsets e.g. four Martin Mac500s at DMX channels 1,21,41,61 then enter
4/20.

To patch a head at a specific address use @. For example to patch 10 dimmers at DMX address 20 key in 10@20. To patch to the
MagicQ User Manual 56 / 579

2nd universe use 10@2-20. To patch at the first free address on a universe other than the first universe use +, e.g. for the second
universe use 10@+2-1.
If this is the first patch you have patched then MagicQ will prompt you whether to add the head into the visualiser. Pressing yes
will create a visualiser head within the show file, so that you can see the head in the MagicQ visualiser.
To patch more heads, just repeat the above process.
To patch a dimmer, simply press CHOOSE DIM/MEDIA, select Generic Dimmer, and then patch one or more dimmers as above.
In the Patch Window all the fields coloured yellow can be configured. To modify a field, first move the cursor to the field, then
input the new value using the keypad and keyboard, and finally press ENTER.
In this way you can modify DMX address, head number, head name and gel for each of your patched heads.

7.4 Head Names and Head Numbers

Press the VIEW HEADS soft button to check the heads you have patched, and to name and number them as you wish. In the
Patch Window all the light coloured fields can be configured. To modify a field, first move the cursor to the field, then input the
new value using the keypad and keyboard, and finally press ENTER.
Multiple head names and numbers can be set at the same time by using SHIFT and the cursor keys to select multiple items.
Turning on test mode using the TEST HEAD soft button makes it easy to view each head / dimmer in turn.
By default the VIEW HEADS view is sorted by head number. If you are setting head numbers by entering each head number
individually then you may find it easier if the view is sorted by DMX. Press the SORT soft button and select BY DMX. Note that
the sort also affects the order in the Intensities Window, the Programmer Window and the Group Window.

7.4.1 Head Names

Head names are used to identify the Dimmer or Head. We recommend that you set the head name based on its location (e.g.
front wash / back truss SL). It is not necessary to name intelligent heads according to their product name (e.g. Mac500) as this is
already stored in the head.
MagicQ User Manual 57 / 579

7.4.2 Head Numbers

Head numbers are used in various displays to indicate which heads are being operated on. Head numbers can also be used for
selecting heads and setting intensities directly from the keypad.
By default MagicQ numbers in the order that they are patched starting from 1.
If you expect to be selecting heads using the keypad then we recommend you use unique head numbers for each head. Mag-
icQ uses unique numbers by default. You can modify head numbers manually so that they are more meaningful to your rig.
Alternatively you can use one of the in-built renumber algorithms.
For multi head elements, by default MagicQ allocates each element of a multi element head ascending head numbers. MagicQ
also supports the multiple elements of a multi element head all having the same head number and then use of the dot (.) operator
to select individual heads.
Multiple multi head elements can be set to use only a single head number in Patch, View Heads by setting the Head Number
appended with /1 to indicate only 1 head number in use for that head.

7.4.3 Renumbering Head Numbers

Pressing RENUM HEAD NOS and selecting BEST FIT causes MagicQ to use an intelligent algorithm to allocate heads starting
with numbers that you can easily recall. For example, if you patch 4 MAC500s and 4 HPEs then when you renumber using BEST
FIT it will number the MAC500s from 1 to 4 and the HPEs from 11 to 14.
If you would rather work with DMX channel numbers, then press the RENUM HEAD NOS soft button and select BY DMX.
This will configure the head number for all patched heads to be the DMX channel address of the head. You can then select heads
and set intensities using the DMX channel numbers.
Selecting HEADS (ALL START 1) sets the head numbers so that for each head the numbers start from 1 - this is the default
option. Selecting BY NAME sets the head numbers so that they use head name, gel and type to order the heads.

7.4.4 Patching to specific Head numbers

It is possible to patch direct to a specific head number using the * operator.

For example:
10 @ 7 – 2 * 201
This will patch 10 heads at channel 2 on Universe 7 starting at head number 201.

7.5 Gel name and number

For dimmers you may wish to configure the gel name or number. This makes programming easier – enabling MagicQ to auto
program cues for you.
The gel field uses gel numbers. For Lee colours enter the gel number directly (e.g. 181 for Lee 181). For Rosco colours enter the
gel number preceded by dot (e.g. .14 for Rosco 14). For no colour enter 0. If you would prefer to use colour names rather than
gel numbers then simply enter the colour name. MagicQ knows standard colour names.

7.6 Col Tags

It is possible to assign a Col Tag to each head. Col Tags from the Patch are used in other windows if Setup, View Settings,
Windows, Col tags is set to "Patch".
MagicQ User Manual 58 / 579

7.7 Generating auto groups

MagicQ automatically generates groups for each of the different heads patched – e.g. "All Dimmers", "All Mac500".
MagicQ is also capable of generating groups based on gel colours and head names. Press the AUTO GROUPS soft button in the
VIEW HEADS view of the Patch Window and then select Dimmers and/or Heads.
When Dimmers are selected MagicQ will examine all dimmers patched and generate a group for each different gel colour and a
group for each different head name.
When Heads is selected MagicQ will generate a group for each different head type that has heads with a distinct head name.
Thus if you have named some of your Mac500s "front" and some of them "back" it will generate a "Mac500 front" group and a
"Mac500 back" group.

7.8 Auto Palettes

When patching heads, MagicQ creates Palettes based on the Palettes stored in the Personality - typically the 10 basic colours.
MagicQ also creates Palettes based on the main Gobo ranges for any Ranges in the Personality that have Auto Pal set. If the
personality does not have any gobo ranges with the Auto Pal option set, then MagicQ now generates gobo palettes based on all
the gobos set with Range Type of Fixed, Index or Rotate.
From 1.7.4.4 MagicQ also automatically generates beam palettes for shutter, gobo rotation, iris and zoom attributes. Beam
palettes for gobo rotation contain both Rotate 1 and Rotate 2 attributes if present in the head.
Auto palette generation can be turned on and off and customised in the Patch Window, View Heads, soft button X. When set to
All, all auto groups and auto palettes are generated. It is possible to individually select generation of groups, intensity, position,
colour, gobos, rotate, iris, shutter, and zoom.

7.9 Heads with multiple elements

MagicQ supports heads that have multiple attributes of one type – e.g. more than one dimmer or more than one red, green or
blue channel.
The dot (.) syntax is used to access the sub elements. Individual elements can be selected using the dot (.) operator. For example
to select the 1st element only, enter .1 NEXT HEAD or .1 @@. This sub selects only the 1st element. Pressing ALL returns the
selection to all elements.
MagicQ heads can be written to support one of two methods for supporting multiple attributes of the same type - the newer way
is "Duplicated Heads" whilst the older way uses "Multi Elements Heads".

7.9.1 Duplicated Heads

Duplicated Heads treats the head as a single head but with attributes that appear multiple times in the personality.
When using the head, the duplicated elements by default are treated as one element - so the 2nd, 3rd and 4th elements just copy
the programming from the 1st element. This ensures that the Head is simple to use and appears to act as if it only had a single
element.
When locating, selecting palettes and using soft buttons or encoders on attribute parameters only the first element is made active
in the programmer and therefore only the first element is recorded into Cues. When the Cues are played back then MagicQ copies
the calculated values from the 1st element to the other elements.
When a sub selection is active on a Duplicated Head then the specific elements will be made active in the Programmer and
subsequently recorded into Cues. When the Cues are played back MagicQ uses the programming from the Cue for elements that
have been recorded in to the Cue, only copying for elements that have not been recorded.
All elements can be selected if you wish to apply split times across all elements or to include all elements in a FX. Select all
elements using the syntax .> @@
MagicQ User Manual 59 / 579

Palettes values are by default created for the first element. When a sub selection is in operation MagicQ will use the value in the
Palette for the first element if there is no specific palette entry for the element selected - this avoids the need for creating separate
palette information for each element. When a Palette is updated it will update Cues that use that Palette from the sub element if
it exists in the Palette - otherwise it will use the data from the 1st element - ensuring that the Cue gets updated as expected.
Note that Duplicated heads operate slightly differently to normal heads when splitting elements between different playbacks or
the programmer. The playback that has the first element active controls all the other elements. If that playback has only the 1st
element active in it then all elements will output the same regardless of whether other elements are active on other playbacks.
Similarly if the programmer only has the 1st element active in it then all elements will output the same regardless of whether
other elements are active on any playbacks.

7.9.2 Multi Element Heads

Multi Element Heads treats the head as multiple different heads each patched automatically to adjacent addresses.
Multi element heads are patched in exactly the same way as normal heads, but MagicQ shows a * next to the DMX address to
indicate that it is a multi element head.
MagicQ recognises three kinds of multi element heads – those which simply have a repeated element, those that have a main
element followed by a repeated element and those that have repeated elements followed by a main element.
When multi element heads are patched MagicQ generates the "All" group which contains both the main and repeated elements.
MagicQ will also generate separate groups for the main "Mn" part and the repeated "Ele" part.
Multi element heads can have a separate head number for each element in the head – so that when patching several of these heads,
the head numbers will increase by more than one per head. Alternatively all the elements can be set to the same head number.
When all the elements are set to the same head number the separate elements of the head can also be sub selected using the dot
operator from the keypad – for example for head 2 you can select 2.4 to sub select the 4th element.

7.10 Inverting and Swapping

In VIEW HEADS you can invert the pan and tilt channels of moving heads and also swap the pan and tilt channels. Pressing
ENTER in the appropriate field changes the field value.
Individual channels can also be inverted in VIEW CHANS if required.

7.11 Pan and Tilt Offsets

To add a Pan or Tilt offset then enter the offset in degrees in the Pan offset or Tilt offset in the Patch Window. The offset affects
all programmed values.

7.12 Applying Offsets using Update

MagicQ supports a quick method of applying an offset to channels such as a pan or tilt offset, or an offset on a colour scroll.
To apply an offset, playback the Cues and then override only the parameters you wish to offset in the programmer. Then press the
Update button. The Update options have been modified to include an extra option "Patch Offset". Selecting this option applies a
permanent offset to the channel in the Patch rather than modifying the individual Palettes and Cues.
To remove the offset go to Patch, View Chans and remove the offset from the appropriate channels.
Offsets apply only to LTP channels, not to HTP (Intensity) channels.
The Outputs window shows channels with offsets in green colour.
The Patch window shows offsets applied to Pan and Tilt in the Pan Offset and Tilt Offset field.
MagicQ User Manual 60 / 579

7.13 Minimum and Maximum levels

You can set minimum and maximum levels for each patched channel from the VIEW CHANS view. This is useful for setting
pre-heat on dimmers or for limiting output values of certain lamps where power is tight.
The minimum and maximum levels have absolute over-ride over all other playback and programming. Master faders and the
DBO button do not affect the minimum and maximum levels.
Minimum levels can be useful to force a minimum light level on a stage, for example during a changeover.

7.13.1 Limits and Offset.

It is possible to set limits and offsets on channels using the Limit and Offset dimmer curves.
Limit enables a minimum and a maximum level to be set for the channel whilst retaining the normal linear dimming curve. When
dimmer curve is set to "Limit" the channel has a linear curve from the minimum value up to the maximum value. This is different
to the just setting the minimum or maximum values which causes the values to clip at the minimum or maximum values.
Offset enables an offset value to be applied to a channel – this can be useful if a moving light is not calibrated correctly or it has
been moved. When dimmer curve is set to "Offset" then the minimum value specifies the offset to be applied. When a channel
value exceed 255 then it wraps back to 0.
Offsets can be applied to 16bit channels by setting both the high and low channels to Offset or Offset No Wrap and setting
minimum values for both channels - MagicQ combines the two values as the complete offset value.

7.14 Dimmer curves

MagicQ supports 10 user dimmer curves that can be selected in the Patch Window, View Chans view.
User dimmer curves are specified in files of format csv (comma separated variable) with filename dimmercurveuser1.csv, dimer-
curveuser2.csv etc. . . stored in the show/heads folder.
The files consist of 256 lines each with a value between 0 and 255. These files can be generated in a spreadsheet (e.g. Microsoft
Excel) and saved as csv format.

From v1.6.0.7 dimmer curves can have 16bit values (0..66535) instead of just (0..255). If any value in the user dimmer curve file
is over 255 then 16bit is assumed.
User dimmer curves are not stored into the show or settings files. Each MagicQ system that uses user dimmer curves must have
the curves stored in the show/heads folder.
In the CSV file the line after the last line of data (the 257th line) can hold a name for the curve which is then displayed in MagicQ.
The name has a maximum of 15 characters.
Dimmer curve files are read on startup of MagicQ – so you will need to reset MagicQ for new curves to be loaded.
MagicQ User Manual 61 / 579

7.15 Testing channels

To test channels in VIEW CHANS press the TEST CHANS soft button to enter test mode. In this mode the channel which the
cursor is on is set to the level configured on the TEST CHANS encoder. Use the cursor keys to move through different channels.
Test mode remains active until the TEST CHANS soft button is pressed again.
Channel testing works for both patched and unpatched channels. Note that for channels patched as LTP, the level of the Grand
Master does not affect the channel level and after test is turned off the channel remains at the test level. LTP channels can be set
to zero by pressing CTRL CLEAR.

You can also test channels by moving to the appropriate channel and pressing the TEST SELECT CHANS soft button. The
channel will be set to the level of the Grand Master fader. Pressing TEST SELECT CHANS soft button again returns the channel
to zero. You can test multiple channels by using SHIFT and the cursor keys to select multiple channels and then pressing the
TEST SELECT CHANS soft button. Channels that are in test mode are highlighted in red.
Pressing Soft Button A (NEXT UNI or PREV UNI) soft button moves you up or down the window to the first channel of the next
or previous universe.

7.16 Changing the DMX address of heads

Heads (including Dimmers) can be moved to different DMX addresses as required. When they are moved all the programming
and palettes associated with them also moves to the new channels. In Patch, VIEW HEADS simply edit the DMX field with a
new address.
If you try and move to a location where there are already channels patched then MagicQ will prompt whether you wish to
continue and move the already patched channels aside. If you confirm YES the already patched channels will be moved to the
next free locations. If you confirm NO then no move will be performed.
Multiple heads can be moved at a time using SHIFT and the cursor keys. When making a change to multiple heads the change
defaults to an absolute change – the first head will be moved to the specified address and the next heads to the addresses
immediately following. To make a relative change enter a / after the new address - i.e. to move 4 heads from 1-1 to 2-1, but
keeping the relative DMX offsets between the heads, enter 2-1/. You can also specify an explicit offset to use, just like when
patching e.g. 2-1/20.
MagicQ User Manual 62 / 579

7.17 Patching a Head to multiple DMX addresses

The View DMX view in the Patch Window enables multiple DMX channels to be easily assigned to one head. Up to 5 additional
DMX channels can be set up for each Head in addition to the main DMX address. Remove additional channels by pressing
REMOVE and selecting the additional channel fields or by typing "u" (unpatch) instead of a DMX address.

7.18 Unpatching a Head from a DMX address

It is possible to "unpatch" a head – i.e. to remove the association between the programmed data and a DMX address. The
programmed data for the head is maintained and the head can subsequently be patched to a new DMX address. To unpatch a
head move the cursor to the first DMX field in View DMX view and press REMOVE, or type "u".

7.19 Patching scrollers

There are two ways to patch scrollers – the first method is to patch the dimmer and scroller separately – then the dimmer and
scroller will operate independently. Use the "generic dimmer" personality for the dimmer and the "generic scroller" personality
for the scroller.
MagicQ has enhanced support for scrollers, so that the colour scroll channel can be tied up with the dimmer channel in one head.

To use this support, patch a Generic Scroller With Dim. This will appear in the View Heads with the DMX address marked as
"virtual" and any DMX address you specified when you patched it will be ignored. Change to the View DMX view and specify
in the appropriate DMX columns the DMX address of the dimmer and the scroller.
The Generic Scroller With Dim is set up as a "Virtual" personality – i.e. the channels in the personality can be patched to
any location on MagicQ – unlike normal personalities where the channels are sequential from the DMX start address. In the
View DMX view, the DMX address fields are used to specify the addresses for each channel in the virtual personality – up to a
maximum of 5 channels. (For normal personalities these fields are used to specify multiple heads patched to one head.)

7.20 Editing Heads

You can modify the Head or create a new head in the Head Editor. Choose the head you wish to edit and then press the EDIT
HEAD soft button.
To quickly choose a head that you have already patched move the cursor to the head in the Patch Window, hold SHIFT and press
CHOOSE HEAD.
To quickly edit a head that you have already patched move the cursor to the head in the Patch Window, hold SHIFT and press
EDIT HEAD.
MagicQ User Manual 63 / 579

7.21 Cloning (Adding extra heads / dimmers to a programmed show)

Cloning enables a show programmed with a certain number of heads to be expanded to use more of the same head type without
having to reprogram all of the show.
For example, if you have a show programmed with 4 Maverick Spots` and you want to add 4 more Maverick Spots, then you can
clone the 4 programmed Maverick Spots. All the Cues, Cue Stacks, Groups and Palettes that have the original 4 Maverick Spots
will now have the additional 4 Maverick Spots as well.
By cloning heads in this way you have a quick and easy approach to expanding your show. You can then programme some new
Cues and Cue Stacks that use the new and old heads individually.
To Clone heads
Enter the Patch Window and choose the view heads view. Select the heads you wish to clone using SHIFT and the cursor keys.
Note a new cloned head is created for each of the selected heads. e.g. selecting 4 heads when cloning will patch 4 more heads
each cloned to one of the 4 selected heads.
Then press the CLONE HEAD soft button.
Cloned heads are patched on the next free universe/channel in MagicQ, these can then be re addressed as needed.
There are several options when cloning heads. It is possible to choose whether both Palettes and Cues are cloned or just Palettes.
It is also possible to specify that FX are split when the heads are cloned, so that the new heads are part of a different FX from
the original FX. This function should be used with care when cloning multiple heads in order to avoid fragmenting the F X too
much.

7.21.1 Copy Head Programming

If you patch new heads into a show, without cloning it is still possible to then copy programming from other heads to the new
heads. To copy programmed data from one head to another press the SHIFT + COPY HEAD PRG soft button in the HEAD
VIEW, then select the source head followed by the destination head.
Any programming for the destination Heads is first removed, before the new data from the source Heads is coped to the destination
Heads.
All the Cues, Cue Stacks, Groups and Palettes that contain the source head will be updated to include the destination head.
From v1.9.1.0 it is possible to copy between different Head types. It is also possible to copy head programming using keypad
syntax with Head nos or Groups to make it easier to copy entire programming from several Heads to several other Heads. To
copy both from and to multiple heads use the same method as for copying heads in the Programmer or in Cues, but in the Copy
Options select COPY HEAD PROG.
To copy all programming from Heads 1 to 4 to Heads 10 to 20 use
1 THRU 4 SHIFT COPY <CHOOSE COPY HEADS and COPY HEAD PROG> 10 THRU 20 ENTER
To copy all programming from Group 1 to Group 2 use
GROUP 1 SHIFT COPY <CHOOSE COPY HEADS and COPY HEAD PROG> GROUP 2 ENTER
Alternatively select Groups from within the Group window.

7.21.2 Patch Channel Copy

Another way to expand existing shows is to patch the new heads and dimmers but then in the Patch window to set a real time
channel copy from another already programmed channel. The value of the channel will always be that of the already programmed
channel. Any programming of the newly patched channel will be ignored. To set up real time copies, edit the Merge and From
Chan columns in the View Chans view of the Patch Window. Press ENTER in the Merge column to change it to "Copy" and then
set the From Chan column.
MagicQ User Manual 64 / 579

7.22 Morphing Heads (Changing Head type)

It is possible to morph one head type into another head type. The system will copy the programming from the old head type to
the new head type. The system takes into account the different pan and tilt ranges of the heads when copying pan and tilt data.
As no two heads are exactly the same, the programming will not create exactly the same looks as with the original heads. A
closer representation will be obtained by morphing a spot into a spot compared to a spot into a wash light.
If the new head types have more channels than the original head types then MagicQ morphs the heads but leaves them unpatched
– the user must then repatch the heads at a suitable location.
In the Patch Window, choose the new head type, then move the cursor to the head to change or select a block of heads using
SHIFT and the cursor keys. Press the MORPH HEAD soft button and confirm that the action is what is required.

After morphing heads your groups, palettes, and cues will be updated to reflect the new head types.

7.22.1 Morphing multi element heads

MagicQ supports full morphing between multi element heads to single element heads and from single element heads to multi
element heads.
When morphing between multi element heads, if the new head has less elements than the original head then the excess elements
in the original heads will be ignored. If the new head has more elements than the original head then the excess elements in the
new head will be a repeat of the elements from the original head.
It is possible to morph from a Duplicated element head that is entirely made up of duplicated elements (no channels that are not
multi element) to multiple non duplicated heads - e.g. to split a Duplicated 10 channel LED head into 10 separate RGB heads.

7.22.2 Morphing Heads with virtual dimmers

It is possible to morph between heads with inbuilt dimmers and heads with virtual dimmers. For example it is possible to morph
a RGB head with an inbuilt dimmer to a RGB head with a virtual dimmer. It is also possible to morph back from a head with a
virtual dimmer to one that has an inbuilt dimmer.

7.22.3 Morphing between CMY and colour wheel Heads

When morphing between heads with CMY/RGB and Colour Wheel to heads with only Colour Wheels, MagicQ now converts
the CMY/RGB data to Col Wheel rather than trying to map between the Colour Wheels. This ensures that shows programmed
with Cues using RGB palettes morph to Col Wheel palettes.
When morphing to heads with greater number of colour wheels or greater number of gobo wheels MagicQ now includes the
extra colour or gobo wheels channels in Palettes and Cues where the colour wheels or gobo wheels were previously used. This
enables easy updating of shows, for example when changing from heads with only 1 gobo wheel to heads with 2 gobo wheels.
MagicQ User Manual 65 / 579

7.23 Importing Heads

A quick way of patching heads is to import the heads from a file. MagicQ supports comma separated variable files (.csv) which
can be from Visualisers like WYSIWYG and VectorWorks or generated manually from spread sheets and text editors.
In Patch, View Chans press the IMPORT HEADS soft button and select a file in .csv format. MagicQ auto detects the contents
of the file recognising formats from Capture, WYSIWYG, VectorWorks, L8 and Depence.
MagicQ provides several import options:

Add Adds the heads to the patch. If DMX address is specified

then will only add if that address is free - otherwise adds to
next free address
Readdress Readdress the head with the specified head number to the
specified DMX address
Morph, Readdress First morphs the head with the specified head number to
the new Head type and then readdresses to specified DMX
address
Clone, Morph, Readdress First clones the head with the specified head number, then
morphs to the new Head type and then readdresses to
specified DMX address
Vis only Imports only the Vis data (XYZ position and rotation) for
the head at the specified DMX address. If no DMX address
is specified then it uses the head number to match

When patching heads if there is no DMX address specified MagicQ may not be able to patch them. If no DMX address is
provided then MagicQ will check the head number to see whether there is a head already patched with that head number that
matches the requested number of channels. If no match is found MagicQ will choose a spare DMX address to patch the head.
If a head is already allocated at the required DMX address then MagicQ will not patch a new head - however it will import
Visualiser XYZ data if available.
If no head at the DMX address or head number is found then MagicQ will attempt to match the Head type provided.
In WYSIWYG the heads need to have an Address and Universe in the Fixture Properties dialog but there does not need to be any
devices mapped in the device manager.

7.23.1 Supported column headings

MagicQ supports a large number of column headings and will attempt to detect the contents of the file - e.g. whether it has come
from a specific Visualiser such as Capture, WYSIWYG, VectorWorks, or whether it is just a head list.
The column heading is the first row in the file, except in the case of Capture where the first rows are "Channel Report" - MagicQ
skips these and expects the next row to be the column headings.
Column headings are case insensitive.
The file can be delimited by semicolons (;) instead of commas (,). MagicQ detects the first occurrence of either to choose which
is the delimiter.
The column headings supported are:

Column Heading MagicQ Function Comment

Head Head No
no,Headno,Hdno,Headnum,Channel,Spot,Fixture
ID
Head name,Hd Name
name,Headname,Hdname,Purpose,Short
Name
MagicQ User Manual 66 / 579

Column Heading MagicQ Function Comment

Universe,DMX Line Universe
DMX,DMX no,DMXno,DMX DMX Patch Address (may contain universe
num,DMX Address,DMX and channel)
Channel,DMX Patch,Patch,Patch
Address
Manufacturer,Man Manufacturer Tries to match MagicQ manufacturer
Type,Head type,Headtype,Hd Head Type Tries to match standard MagicQ
type,Hdtype,Fixture,Instrument Type names, Capture, Wyg names
gel,colour,filter Gel Gel number - starting with L for Lee,
R for Rosco. Otherwise MagicQ
colour numbers
Pinv,P inv,Pan inv,Paninv,Pani,Pan i P Inv
Tinv,T inv,Tilt inv,Tiltinv,Tilti,Tilt i T Inv
Swap,Flip Swap
Chans,Num chans,Numchans,# of Num Of Chans Used for checking type/mode
Data Channels,Num channels,Channel
Count
X,X Location,X Pos,X X Pos
Position,Position X
Y,Y Location,Y Pos,Y Y Pos Note for Wyg/VectorWorks Y is
Position,Position Y treated as MagicQ Z Pos
Z,Z Location,Y Pos,Z Z Pos Note for Wyg/VectorWorks Z is
Position,Position Z treated as MagicQ Y Pos
RotX,X Rotation,X Rot,Rotation X X Rot
RotY,Y Rotation,Y Rot,Rotation Y Y Rot Note for Wyg/VectorWorks RotY is
treated as MagicQ Z Rot
RotZ,Z Rotation,Z Rot,Rotation Z Z Rot Note for Wyg/VectorWorks RotZ is
treated as MagicQ Y Rot

X, Y and Z position in MagicQ default to metres - this is the recommended values for import. When MagicQ imports from
CSV it checks the range of X,Y and Z position values and then auto detects the scale. For example, if the positions where in
millimetres - e.g. 7000,1000 - MagicQ would divide by 1000.

7.23.2 WYSIWYG

WYSIWYG R38 can export the positions and rotations of fixtures so that they can be viewed in MagicVis.
The columns "# of Data Channels" and "Fixture Options" or the columns "Hookup" and "Circuit Name" must be present for
MagicQ to detect it as a WYSIWYG file and import the patch correctly.
To get the rotation correct go to the Data→Spreadsheet view in WYSIWYG, then click on OPTIONS → View. In the View
Options dialog select the Data Options tab and ensure that the RotX, RotY, and RotZ columns are checked. Click OK then select
FILE → Export and select .CSV to export the data. The data can then be imported into MagicQ.
If the DMX Universes are named numerically (for example 1 or 21) then they will be assigned to that MagicQ universe.
MagicQ will automatically swap Y/Z positions and rotations when importing WYSIWYG files.

7.23.3 VectorWorks

VectorWorks can output csv files with all the fixture parameters.
The columns "Channel" and "Symbol Name" or "Vertical Focus Angle" must be present for MagicQ to detect it as a VectorWorks
file and import the patch correctly.
The below table shows the exported column heads from VectorWorks required and their function within MagicQ
MagicQ User Manual 67 / 579

Vector works Column Heading Comment

Instrument Type this should be fixture manufacturer followed by_name
separated with an underscore e.g. "Clay
Paky_GoldenScan3"
Num channels the number of channels in the fixture
Universe should be a number starting at 1 for the first universe
Address should be a number between 1 and 512 to indicate the
DMX address within the universe
Channel should be a number between 1 and 65356 to indicate head
number
Purpose a text field that if present will be used as the Head Name in
MagicQ
X Position should be in metres - e.g. 1.1 represents 1.1 metres.
MagicQ will attempt to scale if it detects large values - e.g.
if the positions are in millimetres
Y Position should be in metres - e.g. 1.1 represents 1.1 metres.
MagicQ will attempt to scale if it detects large values - e.g.
if the positions are in millimetres
Z Position should be in metres - e.g. 1.1 represents 1.1 metres.
MagicQ will attempt to scale if it detects large values - e.g.
if the positions are in millimetres
X Rotation should be in degrees
Y Rotation should be in degrees
Z Rotation should be in degrees

Where possible X,Y,Z position should be in metres - e.g. 1.1 represents 1.1 metres. MagicQ will attempt to scale if it detects
large values - e.g. if the positions are in millimetres.
MagicQ will automatically swap Y/Z poitions and rotations when importing VectorWorks files.
To export from Vectorworks Vectorworks 2018 or later and MagicQ 1.7.9.4 or later

1. Set up Vectorworks Instruments: Check you have the "Number of Channels" field set to the mode you wish to use the
fixture in (this can be done manually or for newer instruments via the "Mode" drop down menu )
2. Set document preferences: to meters for shows under 100 metes wide, or centimeters for shows over 100 meters wide, MQ
will automatically move the decimal when it detects shows over 100 meters making it 1.00 meters (if this step is skipped,
patch and heads will still import but Vis positions will not be accurate)
3. Assign individual Channel Numbers, universe, and address fields in Vectorworks: in the object info panel for each fixture.
Channel number dictates the Head number when imported into MQ. if you use unit number for your head numbers in VW
it’s best to use the find and modify tool to copy the unit number field to the channel field before exporting the instrument
data (this can also be done after export in Excel)
4. Export from Vectorworks: File>Export>Export Instrument Data, Select the "ALL" box in the top right to add all fields to
the exported file, then choose Export and save the file.
5. Import that file into excel: follow the import window that pops up to be sure the imported document is formatted correctly
6. Edit Data if needed: in some cases, depending on instrument name, you may need to use the "Find/Replace" tool to edit
the instrument type to correspond with the head file name in MQ , Example: if your VW file has Martin Axiom’s in it,
listed as an Axiom, you will need to change the Instrument type in the spreadsheet to be "Martin_MacAxiomHybrid" or
the console will not be able to match the fixture in the spreadsheet to the proper fixture in the library (Tip: for large rigs
with a lot of fixture types, to save time, make all fixtures "Generic_Dimmer" then once you import the into MQ you can
morph those dimmers to the proper fixture types)
7. For countries that use comma as the decimal separator ensure Excel is set to use decimal places as "." not ",". Click File
> Options, then in the Excel Options dialog, click Advanced from left pane, then in the right section, the Editing options
group, uncheck Use system separator, then type decimal point into the Decimal separator box to instead of the decimal
point, and type nothing for the Thousand separator box.
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8. Export from Excel; as a .CSV file, save to your show file or to a usb drive and copy it to your show folder on your console
9. Import into MagicQ: in Patch, select "View Channels" and then "Import Heads" there will be some feedback in the CMD
line to show it’s importing the heads,

7.23.4 Depence

It is possible to export fixtrue patch and XYZ from Depence and import them into MagicQ via csv format file.
The columns "Position on Stage" and "Fixture Library Revision" must be present for MagicQ to detect it as a Depence file
and import the patch correctly. Depence XYZ positions are in centimetres so MagicQ scales to metres. Depence uses XYZ
co-ordinates the same as MagicQ with Y vertical and Z front to back.

7.23.5 Creating a head list

To create a CSV file from Excel use Save As,Other Format, Comma Separated Variable (.csv).
The first row of the file indicates which columns are present in the file. The next rows of the file contain the data for each head.
Headno,Headname,Dmxno,Headtype,Gel,Pinv,Tinv,Swap 0001,Spots,1-001,Generic_Dimmer,No col,no,no,no 0002,Spots,1-002,Gener
col,no,no,no 0003,Spots,1-003,Generic_Dimmer,No col,no,no,no 0004,Spots,1-004,Generic_Dimmer,No col,no,no,no 0005,Fin-
ger L,1-005,Generic_Dimmer,R59 Indigo,no,no,no 0006,Finger L,1-006,Generic_Dimmer,R312 Canary,no,no,no 0007,Finger
L,1-007,Generic_Dimmer,R356 Middle Lavender,no,no,no 0008,Finger L,1-008,Generic_Dimmer,R27 Medium Red,no,no,no

7.24 Exporting Heads

MagicQ can export the contents of any window to CSV format and includes options to select which fields are exported. To export
the Patch this way open the Patch Window, View Heads and from the toolbar select File and Print Window, select the required
fields and then press Create CSV.
In older versions of MagicQ there was only the option to export with fixed column headings of Headno, Headname, Dmxno,
Headtype, Gel, Pinv, Tinv, Swap. In Patch, View Chans press the EXPORT HEADS soft button. MagicQ asks for a file name
and will save the file in the show folder.

7.25 VL5 type channels (split personalities)

MagicQ supports heads such as the Vari-lite VL5TM where the head functionality is split between different non-contiguous DMX
addresses. For example when the fixture features an external dimmer that’s DMX address can be set independently.
The personality for the main channels in the head includes the extra channels. The extra channels are then patched separately
and set to have their levels copied from the main channels.
When creating a VL5 type fixture, if the Dimmer channel has been named Dimmer dummy’ in the Head editor, ’view chans.
When the fixture is patched, if a 2nd DMX field in the view dmx view of the Patch this 2nd address will be controlled by the main
fixture dimmer.
For example for a VL5, patch the VL5 to the required DMX address for the main head. The in Patch, View DMX set the address
of the real dimmer channel in the second DMX field.
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7.26 Merging with DMX input

MagicQ supports comprehensive merging of data from each of the input and output universes. Any output channel can be set to
output data from any received input channel, or to merge the two.
In addition channels can be configured so that they are passed through transparently unless MagicQ is controlling the channel
from the programmer or a playback. This provides a powerful over-ride mode.
To set a channel to output data received as input from another channel set the Merge field to "Input" and the From field to the
channel number you wish to get the data from.
You can easily set up a large number of channels by using SHIFT and the cursor keys to select multiple channels.
You can also set up a channel so that it outputs data from an input channel except when that channel is being controlled by a
playback or the programmer. Set the Merge field to "Over".
To HTP merge the output with the received input use the "Merge" option.
The "Mult" option enables another channel on the console to control the level of the output of the channel- this is useful with
RGB LED heads where you wish to make another channel control the overall level of the RGB.
The "Mul-In" option multiplies the received input with the calculated value for the channel. MagicQ can therefore be used as a
DMX modifier to modify the level of individual or groups of channels.
It is possible to set multiple channels all to copy or multiply by one channel. Use SHIFT and the cursor keys to select all the
required channels and enter <chan> / 0.

7.27 Customising Locate, Default, Highlight and Lowlight values

MagicQ allows the user to define the Locate, Default, Highlight and Lowlight values for each attribute of each patched heads.
The Locate values are the values that are used when the Locate button is pressed. The Default values are the values that are
output when a channel is not in the programmer and no playback is controlling a channel. Note that the Setup Window option
"Unused chans return to defaults" must be enabled for this mode of operation.
The Hightlight and Lowlight values are used when Highlight Mode is set to one of the Advanced modes.
By default, the Locate values and Default values are taken from the personality of the patched head – these typically put the
position to centre, beam open, colour white and intensity at full.
These values can be re-programmed by creating a Cue that represents the desired Locate Values and/or a Cue that represents the
desired Default Values. For Highlight and Lowlight create a Cue that represents the desired Highlight or Lowlight values.
Simply record a Cue into the Cue Store and then press the SET LOC CUE, SET DEF CUE, SET HIGHL CUE, SET LOWL
CUE soft buttons. The Cue is indicated as Default, Locate, Highlight or Lowlight by a D, L,H or Lo after the Q number.

Only one Cue can be set for each type - however one cue can be set for more than one type – e.g. one Cue can be set for both the
Default Cue and the Locate Cue.
It is not necessary to program all the different attributes into the Locate, Default, Highlight or Lowlight Cues. Simply program
the values that you want to be different from normal operation. For instance to record a default position with all heads positioned
towards FOH position, simply record a Cue with the FOH position data and press the SET DEF CUE soft button.
If you wish to change the Locate, Default, Highlight or Lowlight Cue then simply re-record the Cue. If you update Palettes used
in the Cue, or modify the Cue directly from the Cue Window then you may need to reset the Cue in the Cue Store before the
change takes place. Press the CLEAR DEF CUE and SET DEF CUE for the desired Cue.
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7.28 Theatre Patch syntax

MagicQ supports a Theatre Patch option which changes the syntax used for patching to simplify patching (and re-patching) of
large numbers of dimmers.
The option is enabled in Setup,View Settings, Keypad, Keypad Syntax Theatre Patch. When this option is set to "yes" the keypad
can be used to patch a dimmer or moving light directly to a DMX address and head number – e.g.
10 @ 2 – 5 will patch head number 10 to Universe 2 channel 5.

7.29 Virtual Dimmers

MagicQ enables LED and other heads with colour mixing but no dimmer channel to have an associated virtual dimmer. This
allows the LED heads to be used as simple RGB heads with a dimmer. This development does not affect the internal pixel
mapping (Bitmap FX) which already has a virtual dimmer.
To add a virtual dimmer channel for a LED head (i.e. a head without a dimmer) simply patch a generic dimmer and set the head
number to the same head number as the LED head. The generic dimmer will then be shown with a ‘v’ after the head number to
indicate the association with the LED head. The LED head will then appear with a dimmer in the Intensity, Group, Outputs and
Programmer windows.
Note that virtual dimmers will only work if there are only 2 heads with the same head number – if there are more than 2 heads
with the same head number then each head will be treated as a separate head.
When MagicQ assigns a virtual dimmer in this way, in the Cue Engine it takes the value of the RGB (CMY) attributes from the
playbacks and programmer and then scales these values according to the value of the virtual dimmer channel.
Virtual Dimmers take effect at the Patch level rather than at the Programmer level. This means that the Output Window, View
Heads will show the virtual levels on the RGB channels (i.e. the RGB levels before the virtual dimmer is applied).
The Outputs Window, View Chans, View DMX will show the actual levels output to the RGB channels (i.e. the level after the
virtual dimmer is applied).
The full head can be selected using the head number. The title bar of the Group, Pos, Colour, Beam windows will show +v for
each head with a virtual dimmer.
To always add virtual dimmers when patching set Auto VDIMs to on using Patch soft button E.

7.29.1 Quickly adding Virtual Dimmers to patched heads

It is possible to add virtual dimmers to a head in the Patch, View Heads view using a single action. Place the cursor on the head
you wish to add a virtual dimmer for and then press SHIFT and ADD VDIM. You can use SHIFT or CTRL + the cursor keys to
select multiple heads.
Virtual dimmers can only be added to heads that do not have an intensity channel. For heads with multiple RGB elements, a
virtual dimmer will be made for each RGB element.
Virtual dimmers added in this way will appear unpatched. Note that virtual dimmers take up channels from the total channel
count.
It is possible to hide the virtual dimmers from the Patch View using Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage, Hide Vdims. In this case
the virtual dimmers are not shown as separate heads in the Patch View. Instead the head with the virtual dimmer shows a +v in
the Head No field.
Virtual dimmers can be removed from a head by pressing SHIFT and REMOVE VDIM.
MagicQ User Manual 71 / 579

7.29.2 Heads always with virtual dimmers

It is possible to make heads that automatically patch a virtual dimmer. In the Head Editor, View General, Options there is an
option "Virtual Dim". If this is set to "yes" and the head has no dimmer then a virtual dimmer is automatically patched for this
head.
The MagicQ head library includes a mode of LED3chan with a virtual dimmer.
Note that Virtual Dimmer is distinct from Virtual Channels where all the channels of the head have separate DMX addresses.

7.30 Patch Head Filtering

In Patch, Choose Head it is possible to filter personalities by type, making it easier to find the personalities required. Filter
options include All, Patched, Live, Club, Film/TV and User.
Patched enables users to see which heads are patched in the current show and to re choose them easily.

Users can tag heads that they use frequently so that they appear in the User filter. This could be used for example to include all
heads in the stock of a rental company.
Heads can be tagged and untagged in both Choose Head, Simple View and Choose Head, Adv View. In Simple View you can tag
all heads from a particular manufacturer, or all modes of a specific head. In Adv View you can tag individual modes of a head.
In Adv View the Tag column shows a "U" for all heads tagged as user.
MagicQ stores a file of all tagged heads in the heads folder called userheads.csv. It is possible to create or edit this file with a text
editor/spreadsheet. The format is:
<manufacturer> , <short name> , <mode>

7.30.1 Duplicated elements operating independently

Duplicated heads can operate in a Duplicated or Independent Mode in the Patch, View Heads view - scroll to the right to find the
"Independent" column. This is useful when you wish to record different elements into different playbacks and mix them together
- the elements will operate as if they were separate heads. Independent mode is supported from v1.7.9.6.
When set to "Ind", all elements act independently. When selecting a complete head all elements are made active in the pro-
grammer and programmed into Cues. When selecting elements of a head using the dot (.) syntax only the selected elements are
MagicQ User Manual 72 / 579

made active in the programmer and programmed into Cues. FX can operate across all elements either in sync or offset across the
elements.
When set to "Dup", elements 2 and above are duplicated from element 1 when they are not explicitly in the programmer or active
on a playback. This provides a simple programming mode where the head generally operates as a single element. FX can operate
across all elements either in sync or offset across the elements. Using the dot (.) syntax different levels can be programmed for
the different element into a single Cue.
The default for this field comes from the Head Editor where it is possible to set the "Independent" field per channel. When a
head is patched, then MagicQ will use the defaults from the Head Editor for each channel - if one or more duplicated elements 2
or above is set as Independent in the personality then the head will show as Independent in the Patch View.
The setting in the Patch window overrides the setting in the Head Editor, enabling the option to be set differently per head. Users
should change the option in the Patch not in the Head Editor.
MagicQ User Manual 73 / 579

Chapter 8

Setting Intensity levels

The intensity level of heads (including dimmers) are controlled from the Intensity Window. Press the INT button to open the
window.

8.1 Using the on screen faders

This window displays a fader for each head (including dimmers) patched onto the console. Pressing the slider part of the fader
sets the appropriate level. When a fader is moved from 0 the channel in the programmer is activated – and the fader will turn red.

The SQUARE OFF soft button enables fast programming of intensities. Using the touch screen select the channels you wish to
have at full and at zero – but don’t bother being exactly accurate with the level of the selection. Pressing SQUARE OFF finishes
the job by setting all channels that are less than 50% to 0 whilst setting channels above 50% to full.
Use the ALL TO FULL and ALL TO ZERO buttons to change the level of all the channels.
Press SHIFT and SQUARE OFF to invert the faders - all channels less than 50% go to 100% whilst all channels above 50% go
to 0%.
Press the CLEAR soft button to clear the programmer.
MagicQ User Manual 74 / 579

8.2 Using the encoders

A single fader or multiple faders can be controlled using the top right rotary encoder in the Intensity Window. The encoder
controls the fader, which the cursor is over. Selecting a block of faders by pressing the cursor keys whilst holding the SHIFT
button down enables multiple faders to be selected.

8.3 Using the keypad

The level of the intensity channel of heads can be set from the keypad. Head numbers are used to reference the required heads.
If you intend to use this method for setting intensities then you should set up the head numbers when patching. It is easy to do -
the console can automatically renumber them, or they can be set to be the same as the DMX start address of the dimmer / head.
See the section on patching.
Keypad setting of intensities is supported regardless of which Window is currently active.
To set heads 1 to 4 to 40% key in
1 THRU 4 @ 40
To set heads 1 to 4 and heads 8 to 11 to 100% key in
1 THRU 4 + 8 THRU 11 @ FULL
To set heads 1 through 12 but not head 7 to 10% more than their current value key in
1 THRU 12 - 7 @ +10
The console supports theatre style key entry – so you can set head 1 to 40% by typing
1 @ 4 ENTER
and you can set head 1 to 4% by typing
1 @ .4 ENTER or 1 @ 04
Note that if the Setup option "Auto enter on keypad intensity set" option is set, you do not need to press ENTER after you have
entered a 2 digit level. The console knows that you are setting an intensity due to the @ key. Valid levels are 0% to 100%.
On MagicQ PC / Mac you can use > to indicate THRU and # to indicate FULL.

8.3.1 Setting fade times from the keypad

Fade times for intensity channels can be entered from the keypad. Ensure that "Auto Enter on Keypad Intensity Set" is set to
"No" for this to function correctly.
This can be done when setting levels, e.g. to set heads 1 to 4 at 80% with fade time of 5 seconds:
1 > 4 @ 80 / 5
Or without changing the level
1>4@/5
To set a delay time and a fade time (e.g. delay 2 seconds, fade 5 seconds)
1>4@/2/5
Split fade times can be set from the keypad:
1 > 10 @ FULL / 3 * // Heads 1 to 10 at 100% split times over 3s
1 > 10 @ FULL / 0 > 5 // Heads 1 to 10 at 100% split fades 0s to 5s
1 > 10 @ FULL / 0 > 4 / 1 // Heads 1 to 10 at 100% split delays 0s to 4s, 1s fade
1 > 10 @ FULL / 0 > 5 / 0 > 4 // Heads 1 to 10 at 100% split delays and fades
When using split fade times it is possible to enter max > min as well as min > max.
1 > 10 @ FULL / 4 > 0 / 1 // Heads 1 to 10 at 100% split delays 4s to 1s, 1s fade
MagicQ User Manual 75 / 579

8.4 Setting intensity FX from the keypad

IT is possible to set intensity FX "Dimmer chase" directly using the keypad. When setting an intensity level it is now possible to
specify a range - for example, to set some channels to run an intensity FX between 10% and 20% this can be set from the keypad:
@ 10 THRU 20 ENTER
Note that for this syntax to be accepted the Setup, View Setting, Keypad & Encoders, "Auto enter on intensity set" must be set to
"No".
If the channels already are part of an intensity FX in the programmer then the size of the channel within that FX will be modified
and an according change to the base level of that channel in the programmer. If the channel is not part of an intensity FX then if
there is already a "Dim chase" FX in the programmer the channel will be added to that FX. If there is no "Dim chase" FX in the
programmer then one will be added with this channel.
Once a channel has a FX in the programmer it can not be removed using the keypad syntax - however it can be set to a zero FX
(i.e. has no effect) by setting the channel using a fixed range - for example @ 20 THRU 20 will set it to 20% with a zero size FX.
It is also possible to directly add the FX by entering this syntax directly into the Intensity value fields in the Programmer, View
Levels view. This view will also show the min and max levels when a FX with a size greater than 0 is in the programmer. This
only affects Intensity attributes - it is currently not possible for any other attributes.

8.5 Multi Element Heads

From software version 1.6.5.1 the "." operator is now universally used for selecting elements of multiple heads. The repeated
element of a multiple head are indexed .1 .2 .3 etc.. whilst the main part of a multi element head in indexed as .0. Note that if a
multi element head does not have a main part - i.e. it is just a repeated head then there is no .0 element. The operators +, -, and
THRU (>) can be used to select more than one element of a multi element head. Only one . is supported per command.
Examples of supported syntax are:
. 3 // Select 3rd element of currently selected heads . 1 > 3 // Select 1st, 2nd and 3rd elements of currently selected heads . 1 + 4
// Select 1st and 4th elements of currently selected heads
1 > 10 . 1 @ FULL // Set element 1 of heads 1 to 10 at FULL 1 > 10 . 1 > 3 @ 50 // Set elements 1,2,3 of heads 1 to 10 at 50%
Depending on the MagicQ setup options, it may be necessary to enter @@ at the end of the line to select heads or to press
ENTER at the end of the line to enter intensities.
MagicQ now supports the multiple elements of a multi element head all having the same head number. By default MagicQ
allocates each element of a multi element head ascending head numbers - this can be modified in Patch, View Heads by setting
the Head Number appended with /1 to indicate only 1 head number in use for that head.
Note that prior to v1.6.5.1 the "." was used for selecting or setting intensity direct to a DMX channel rather than a head number.
This functionality is no longer supported - see below.

8.6 Setting intensity levels for DMX channels

To set a DMX channel intensity rather than a head number intensity precede the dmx number with a *. For example to set DMX
channel 1-50 to FULL, type * 1 . 50 @ FULL

8.7 Using Selected Heads

When you use the keypad to modify heads, by default this does not modify which heads are selected. This ensures that you can
be busking moving heads whilst modifying individual dimmer levels at the same time.
However, at any time you can set the levels of the intensities of the currently selected heads using the keypad. To set the selected
heads to 70% key in:
MagicQ User Manual 76 / 579

@ 70
This method also supports standard key entry syntax such as + and – for relative changes.
You can change which heads are selected at any time through the Group Window – see Selecting Heads.
In the Intensities Window you can change which heads are selected by moving the cursor to a fader and pressing ENTER. You
can also select/deselect heads by holding down SHIFT and selecting faders. When faders are shown with a thick stem they are
selected. Holding SHIFT and pressing the fader toggles the selection of the fader.
In the Intensities Window press SELECT ACTIVE or SHIFT and SELECT NON ZERO to select the heads you have modified –
this can be useful for creating groups.

8.8 Using gel colours in the Intensity Window

Programming time is significantly improved by making use of the gel colour facility built into the console. Assigning a colour
to each dimmer is quick and easy and then enables the programming of scenes based on colours. In the Intensity Window the
dimmers can be selected on a per colour basis, thus easily enabling the operator to identify the colour and position of the lamps
to program into each scene.
First ensure that each Dimmer has been given a name and a gel colour. This can be carried out either from the Patch Window or
from the Intensity Window.
To name a Dimmer in the Intensity Window, either:

• Type in the name on the external keyboard and then press the SET NAME soft button.
• Press SET, then type in the name on the screen keyboard. Then press the SET NAME soft button.

To set a Gel Colour in the Intensity Window, either:

• Type in the colour number on the keypad. Press the SET GEL soft button. Note that colour numbers are assumed to be Lee –
proceed the colour with a dot for Rosco colours.
• Type in the colour name (or part of it) on the external keyboard and then press the SET NAME soft button.

• Press SET, then type in the colour name (or part of it) on the screen keyboard. Then press the SET NAME soft button.

Note, you should not press ENTER in any of the above operations as this will try and use the text or number you have entered to
set the level for the fader which the cursor is over.

8.8.1 Programming of Dimmers using gel colours

In the Intensity Window you can filter out faders based on gel colour, head type and head name thus providing a view of only the
data you are interested in at the time.
Use the top three left rotary encoders / soft buttons to page through head types and gel types. The display will show only the
heads and colours that match the selection.
At any time press the VIEW ALL soft button to revert to viewing all faders regardless of head type, head name and gel colour.
Pressing the ALL TO ZERO and ALL TO FULL soft buttons only affects the faders that match the selected filter. So for example
in order to set all the red lamps to full, page through the gel type till you reach RED and then press ALL TO FULL.
Remember that although you only view the gel type that you have requested there may be other gel types that have been previously
activated in the programmer. Press CLEAR before starting programming a new look.
MagicQ User Manual 77 / 579

8.9 Setting levels whilst running a show

The Intensities Window supports two fader views - Programmer View and Presets View. The faders in each of these views behave
differently. In the Programmer View the faders control values within the programmer whilst in the Presets View the faders act
like individual preset faders. Intensity channels are generally configured to be HTP so the level of a particular channel will be a
combination of the faders in the two views - the highest of the two faders.
It is important to understand the distinction - preset faders do not affect the contents of the programmer and therefore can not be
used for programming Cues.
When programming a show you should always use the Programmer View. When playing back a show you may wish to use the
Presets View - this has the advantage that since it is not part of the programmer, fader values are not affected by actions on the
Programmer such as CLEAR. You could, for example, add in some face lighting from some profiles using faders in the Presets
View which would not be affected by effects that you are busking on some moving heads.
Faders in both the Programmer and Presets Views are affected by the level of the Grand Master. They are also affected when a
SWAP button is pressed - any HTP channels in the Programmer or the Presets View will be reduced to zero.

8.10 Inbuilt Intensity Masters

MagicQ supports an inbuilt Intensity Master for every head and for every group. Master levels default to 100% for all channels
and groups.
On Stadium consoles these can be accessed from the Intensity Master bank and the Group Intensity Master motorised fader
banks.
On all consoles the Intensity Masters can be accessed from VIEW MASTERS in the Intensity Window. Group Int Masters are
only accessible on Stadium consoles.
Individual head intensity levels can be set using the faders in the VIEW MASGTERS. To reset a head to 100% (i.e. no master in
operation for this head) press the RESET MASTER soft button.
Press SHIFT and RESET ALL MSTRS to reset all inbuilt Intensity Masters and inbuilt Group Intensity Masters. MagicQ requests
confirmation before resetting.
Heads that have a Intensity master or Group Intensity Master active are shown in the Output window with (IM).
The state of Intensity masters is stored in the show file.
Note that on loading a show from a Stadium console onto a non Stadium console, the state of the Intensity masters will be retained
- but they will not be changeable via playback Banks as these are only supported on Stadium consoles. The RESET ALL MSTRS
soft button in the Intensity window, VIEW MASTERS view can be used to reset (deactivate) all the Intensity masters.

8.11 Viewing Intensities in the Outputs Window

The Outputs Window includes a View for showing the intensities of all patched channels in a theatrical manner with channels
and percentages. Open the Outputs Window by pressing the Out button and select the View Chans soft button.
MagicQ User Manual 78 / 579

Chapter 9

Controlling Attributes

MagicQ supports many different ways of modifying the values of attributes for moving heads - using encoders, using buttons,
and using the touch screen.
In order to control intelligent heads it is necessary to be able to select which heads to use. MagicQ keeps track of the currently
selected heads to enable it to determine which heads to apply changes to. You can select heads individually or can use groups to
recall configurations of heads that are used frequently.

9.1 Selecting Heads

MagicQ automatically generates a group for all the heads of a particular head type. In addition new groups can easily be recorded.
The Group Window has two views. VIEW GROUPS enables selection of heads using groups whilst VIEW HEADS enables
individual selection of heads.
In VIEW GROUPS, pressing the touch screen for a particular group selects all the heads associated with that group. All other
heads are deselected.
In VIEW HEADS, individual heads are selected by pressing the touch screen. All other heads are deselected. Use PG UP and
PG DN to scroll through the heads. To select multiple heads hold SHIFT and press a head. The head will be toggled in and out
of selection.

9.2 Using Groups

Once a group has been recorded, then pressing the touch screen for the group will make all the heads in the group selected. All
other heads will be deselected. To select multiple groups press SHIFT and a group to toggle the group in and out of selection.
Set the Select Multiple Groups option in Setup, View Settings, Prog to enable multiple groups to be selected without pressing
SHIFT.
MagicQ User Manual 79 / 579

When in the VIEW GROUPS view you can also use the keypad to select a group - simply enter the group number. You can use
+ and - to select multiple groups.
Pressing + before a group is selected adds the group to previously selected heads, i.e. the heads in the group are all selected as
before, but other heads are not deselected.
For example to select groups 1 and 3 press
1 + 3 ENTER
To deselect group 4 from the selection press
- 4 ENTER
MagicQ generates groups for each head as they are patched. In addition MagicQ can generate auto groups based on gel colour
and head name.

9.2.1 Recording a Group

Select the heads you want in a group in the VIEW HEADS view of the Group Window.
Change to the VIEW GROUPS view.
Press RECORD and then select the group you wish to record either by pressing the touch screen or by using the cursor keys and
then pressing ENTER.

9.2.2 Naming a Group

When recording a group, if you key in a name before pressing the touch screen (or pressing ENTER) then the group will be
named at the same time as it is recorded.
You can name a group at any time by keying in the name, pressing SET, and pressing the touch screen.
If you do not have a keyboard then press SET and select the group to name by pressing the touch screen (or using cursor keys
and ENTER). A keyboard window will be displayed for you to enter the name on screen.

9.2.3 Setting Group Icon or Col Tag

Set a Icon for a Group by pressing SHIFT and SET and then selecting the Group item to set an icon to. The File Manager will be
opened with a list of icons.
It is possible to show Col Tags associated with each Group. In Setup, View Settings, Windows set the Col Tag to Head Type -
this will automatically show a different colour tag for each type of head. Alternatively set the Col to Patch. This will then use the
Col Tag assigned in the Patch to the first head in the Group.

9.3 Selecting Heads using the keypad

Heads can be selected based on the head numbers of your dimmers / moving lights - if you intend to use this method then you
should set up the head numbers of your lamps when patching. It is easy to do; MagicQ can automatically renumber them, or they
can be set to be the same as the DMX start address of the dimmer / head. See the section on patching.
On MagicQ the keypad is used for many functions including selecting heads, settings times, editing fields in spreadsheets.
Heads can always be selected directly from the keypad regardless of setup options by entering the head number followed by @@
101 @@
Or by enteing the head number followed by @ ENTER or on Stadium consoles by using the HEAD key followed by the head
number, for example:
101 @ ENTER
MagicQ User Manual 80 / 579

HEAD 101 ENTER

For users that wish to use the keypad regularly for selecting heads, MagicQ provides the Keypad always selects heads option in
Setup, View Settings, Keypad & Encoders.
When set to Yes (Priority to selected Heads) or Yes (Strict) the head number can be simply entered on the keypad.
101 ENTER
In these modes, to perform other operations like editing fields in the spreadsheet views, you need to press the SET button first.

9.3.1 Selecting multiple heads from the keypad

To select heads 1 to 4 key in

1 THRU 4 ENTER
To select heads 1 to 4 and heads 8 to 11 key in
1 THRU 4 + 8 THRU 11 ENTER
To select heads 1 through 12 but not head 7 key in
1 THRU 12 - 7 ENTER
To select all heads of a certain type without specifying the entire range use
1 THRU ENTER
This selects all heads of the same type as head 1 starting at head no 1 in ascending head order until it reaches a head that is not
of the same type.
At any time you can select all of the heads of a particular type (regardless of head no) by selecting one of the heads and then
using ALT ALL
1 ENTER
ALT ALL
Note that on MagicQ PC you can use > to indicate THRU.
0 ENTER deselects all heads.
To sub select an element of a multi element head use the dot operator, for example head 1 element 2.
1 . 2 ENTER . 3 ENTER // Select 3rd element of currently selected heads . 1 > 3 ENTER // Select 1st, 2nd and 3rd elements
of currently selected heads . 1 + 4 ENTER // Select 1st and 4th elements of currently selected heads .> ENTER // Select all
duplicated elements of currently selected heads . ENTER // Cancel selection of duplicated elements - revert to normal head
selection
Note that in the above when the Keypad Selects Head option is set to No then ENTER should be replaced with @@.

9.3.2 Selecting Groups from the keypad

When the Select Heads and Palettes from keypad option in Setup, View Settings, Keypad & Encoders is set, Groups can be
selected directly from the keypad.

GROUP 1 ENTER Selects Group 1

GROUP 1 + 2 ENTER Selects Groups 1 and 2
GROUP 1 THRU 4 ENTER Selects Groups 1 ,2,3 and 4
GROUP 1 THRU 4 - 3 ENTER Selects Groups 1 ,2 and 4
MagicQ User Manual 81 / 579

9.3.3 Selecting Palettes from the keypad

When the Select Heads and Palettes from keypad option in Setup, View Settings, Keypad & Encoders is set, Palettes can be
selected directly from the keypad.

COL 4 ENTER Sets selected heads to Colour palette 4

GROUP 8 COL 4 ENTER Sets Group 8 heads to Colour palette 4
GROUP 8 COL 4 BEAM 5 ENTER Sets Group 8 heads to Colour palette 4 Beam palette 5
101 COL 4 BEAM 5 ENTER Sets Head 101 to Colour palette 4 Beam palette 5
GROUP 8 @ FULL FX 3 ENTER Sets Group 8 to 100% with FX 3

9.3.4 Remove Dimmer (Rem Dim) Function

The keypad now supports functionality to enable selecting of individual selections of heads and automatically setting all other
heads to zero intensity – this is similar to the "Rem Dim" function found in some other theatre consoles. After selecting heads or
setting intensities for heads, type - -.
For example, 1 THRU 4 @ FULL - - will set heads 1 to 4 at full intensity and all other heads in the programmer will have their
intensity set to zero.
4 THRU 8 - - will bring heads 4 to 8 at full intensity into the programmer, whilst all other heads in the programmer will be set to
zero intensity.

9.4 Selecting heads using the rig plan view

Heads can be selected from a plan of the rig in the View Plan view of the Outputs window. See Plan View.

9.5 Head Macros

MagicQ loads macros for the head from the personality file. Typical macros are "Lamp On", "Lamp Off" and "Reset" - however
they are very head dependent.
The "Lamp On", "Lamp Off" and "Reset" macros can be run at any time by using the following short-cuts:
SHIFT + LOCATE Lamp on selected heads
CTRL + LOCATE Reset selected heads
CTRL + SHIFT + LOCATE Lamp off selected heads
Other head macros can be accessed in the Macro Window - press the HEAD MACRO soft button. A list of the available macros
is displayed. Select the macro you wish to run. Progress of the macro is shown in the Input Display.
It is also possible to lamp on or off all heads from the MACRO window.

9.6 Locating Heads

The first action you are likely to want to do is to locate the heads – i.e. to put them into a starting position. Select the required
heads and then press the LOCATE button.
Pressing LOCATE, locates all the selected heads. LOCATE places all the attributes of the selected head(s) into the Programmer
at their Locate values.
MagicQ User Manual 82 / 579

Every Head in the MagicQ library has a set of Locate values and a set of Default values. The DMX values for Locate are part of
a heads profile. The Locate Values and Default Values are often the same however there may be some slight differences in the
two. These values are set by each manufacturer and outlined in the DMX chart provided by that manufacturer. A good example
of this is often the Dimmer channel. The Locate value may bring the dimmer into the programmer at full intensity or DMX value
of 255 while the Default value will tell the fixture to default to no intensity or a DMX value of 0
When using Locate typically the shutter is opened, the dimmer is set to 100% (DMX value of 255) and pan and tilt are set to
the center position, (DMX value of 128) You can Locate attributes individually by holding down one of the Pos, Col, Beam, or
Intensity buttons and pressing Locate. Only attributes of that type are Located and placed into the programmer.
Locate values are ‘active’ in the sense that the operator has to activate or hit the Locate button to bring the Locate values in to the
programmer. Default values are ‘passive’ in the sense these values tell the fixture what DMX values to default back to when no
information is in the programmer.

9.7 Modifying Attributes

Intelligent heads have several different attributes typically including pan and tilt, colour, gobo and iris. When MagicQ patches
an intelligent head it maps the head parameters to standard attributes to enable easy access of the features of the head.
Attributes are categorised into four types – Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam. On MagicQ there is a window for each of these
attribute types. Select the required heads, then open the required window.
The window enables the control of all the attributes of that attribute type using the eight rotary encoders. In the Beam Window
there are more than eight attributes to be controlled – these are accessed using multiple pages of encoders – by pressing the PAGE
1, PAGE 2, PAGE 3, PAGE 4 or PAGE 5 soft buttons or pressing the BEAM button again.
For indexed attributes such as colour wheels and gobo wheels, the button associated with each encoder can be used to bump the
attribute value to the next range. Pressing SHIFT and the button bumps back to the previous range.
In addition the window enables selection of palette values for the attribute type using the touch screen. When heads are recorded
the system automatically generates palettes for each attribute type. You can record new palette entries, or modify existing ones
as you see fit.
In the Colour Window there is a COL MIX soft button which gives access to libraries of pre-programmed colours. Pressing the
COL MIX soft button toggles between the normal palette view and the colour mixing view. In the colour mixing view you can
select a colour using the touch screen. The COL TYPE soft button enables the user to choose between the default colour library,
the Lee colour library or the Rosco colour library.
To modify a 16bit parameter in high (i.e. 16 bit resolution), hold SHIFT and turn the appropriate encoder.
Layout 1 opens the Group, Position, Colour and Beam windows together.
MagicQ User Manual 83 / 579

9.8 Colour Attributes

There are 13 colour attributes. The core colour mixing attributes are Cyan (Red), Magenta (Green), Yellow (Red), Amber, White
and UVLime.
The colour wheels are Col1 and Col2. In addition there is CTC, CTO, Col5, Col6, and Col Speed.
The Colour Window now supports two pages of colour attributes. Page 1 is for the core colour mixing - Red, Green, Blue, Amber,
White, UV Lime and the main 2 colour wheels Col1 and Col2. CTC and CTO default to encoders A and B on Colour Page 2.
The Col Mix option in the personalities (Head Editor, View General, Options tab) specifies which attributes are being used for
colour mixing.
For heads with HSI or HSV models, Hue is always on the Cyan/Red attribute and Saturation is on the Magenta/Green attribute.
The Col Mix option is set to HSI to enable MagicQ to recognise these heads.
Colour temperature can be set onto CTC, CTO, Col1 and Col2 colour attributes in the Colour Window, and the current colour
temperature will be show shown based on the range name info in the Head personality. For example, typing SET 3500 and
pressing the soft button for CTC will attempt to set the CTC attribute to be 3500K. Turning the encoder will show the colour
temperature as per the range names, interpolating between the different ranges.

9.9 Flip / Mirror

Flip modifies the pan and tilt parameters of a moving head so that the beam is positioned in the same place but from the other
end of its movement ranges. Select the heads and then press the FLIP soft button in the Position Window.
Use the MIRROR soft button in the Position Window to only invert the Pan attribute and not the tilt attribute. On older software
versions press SHIFT + FLIP.
Stadium consoles include a dedicated MIRROR button. On Compact consoles press ALT + FAN.

9.10 Setting attribute values using the keypad

You can set attribute values directly by pressing SET, entering the value on the keypad and then pressing the soft button for
attribute in the Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam windows.
MagicQ User Manual 84 / 579

9.11 Reversing rotations

To reverse the rotation direction of gobos in the selected heads, hold the MIR button and press the soft button for the rotate
attribute (e.g. soft button E and F in beam Page 1).
On MagicQ PC or on systems without a MIR button, press SET and type "-" before pressing the soft button.
Each of the heads will be reversed individually - so if heads have a mixture of clockwise and counter clock wise rotation, then
each head will be reversed so that you then have a mixture of counter clockwise and clockwise.

9.12 Snap colour

Snap colour sets all selected Heads to the same colour values as the first selected Head. Snap Colour is available via ALT + ALL.

9.13 Default colour

Default colour sets all selected Heads to the default colour of those Heads. If the colour is already the default colour then sets
them to red. Default Colour is available via ALT + LOCATE.

9.14 Selecting individual Heads

When programming it is often useful to be able to control one head out of a group of heads - for instance, in order to set up it’s
position on the stage. Alternatively you may wish to apply an effect to all the heads, such as fanning the position.
The head control buttons situated to the right of the touch screen enable the individual head to be selected quickly. Once a
number of heads have been selected for programming, the head control buttons controls how changes are applied to those heads.
By default changes are applied to all the selected heads.
On MagicQ you first select the overall selection of heads you want to control using Groups or keypad selection, then you use the
head control buttons to sub-select within that overall selection.
The title bar of the Group, Position, Colour and Beam Windows show the currently selected heads.

9.14.1 Single Mode

Pressing NEXT HEAD, PREV HEAD or SINGLE enters Single mode whereby only one head from the selected heads is sub
selected for operation on at a time.
When Single mode is first entered control is given to the first head within the selection – i.e. the first head within the group or
the first head the user selected after no heads were selected.
Single mode is indicated by a LED lit on the SINGLE button.
In Single mode changes made by the encoders or through selecting Palettes only affect the one sub selected head. The head is
indicated by a * by the head number.
Once in Single mode, the NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD buttons are used to transfer control between the selected heads.
Pressing the ALL button returns the head control area to the default mode whereby all selected heads are controlled.
In Single mode, Locate only affects the sub selected head.
MagicQ User Manual 85 / 579

9.14.2 Pair

Pair mode is similar to Single mode except that instead of only a single head being sub selected, a symmetrical pair within the
selected heads is sub selected.
Pair mode is indicated by a LED flashing on the SINGLE button.
Pressing NEXT HEAD or PREV HEAD selects the next pair for sub selection. Pressing the ALL button returns the head control
area to the default mode whereby all selected heads are controlled.
The MQ500 includes a dedicated PAIR button. On Compact consoles (MQ40/60/70) press ALT + SINGLE to get Pair. On all
systems SHIFT + SINGLE will also select PAIR.

9.14.3 Odd/Even

Odd/Even mode is similar to Single mode except that instead of only a single head, half of the heads are sub selected. Odd/Even
mode is indicated by a LED lit on the ODD/EVEN button.
Pressing ODD/EVEN selects the odd heads. Pressing NEXT HEAD or PREV HEAD toggles between the odd and even heads.
Pressing the ALL button returns the to the default mode whereby all selected heads are controlled.
Holding the ODD/EVEN button brings up the Odd/Even toolbar for quick selection of odd/even or 3s, 4s, 5s. On MagicQ
PC/Mac pressing SHIFT and ODD/EVEN opens the toolbar and keeps it open.

Press SHIFT + ODD/EVEN to increase the mode to 3s or more.

9.14.4 Segments

Segments is similar to Odd/Even except that the sub selection is a segment of heads - for example if you have selected 10 heads
and then select Seg 3’s will sub select the first three heads in the selection. Pressing Next Head will select the next three, then
pressing NEXT HEAD again will get the next three, and then pressing NEXT HEAD again will get the tenth head. Pressing
NEXT HEAD again goes back to the start with the first three. PREV HEAD works in a similar way but in the opposite direction.
Segments is selected by holding ODD/EVEN to show the ODD/EVEN toolbar and then selecting SEGMENTS.

9.14.5 All

The ALL button is used to return the head control area to the default mode whereby all heads in the current selection are
controlled.
Pressing ALL when there are no heads selected causes the selected heads that were active when CLEAR was last pressed, to be
reselected.
Pressing SHIFT and ALL selects all the heads of the type last selected.
Pressing CTRL + ALL, or FAN + ALL selects all the heads active in the programmer.
Pressing Next Head and Prev Head reselects all heads in the current selection (like pressing ALL).

9.14.6 Sub selecting Groups

It is also possible to sub select groups. When making a head selection you can choose multiple groups using SHIFT and pressing
group items or using the keypad.
To sub select groups, Hold Odd/Even and then select Groups. MagicQ will now sub select heads from the first group. Pressing
Next Head moves the sub selection to the next group of heads. Pressing Prev Head moves the sub selection to the previous group
of heads.
MagicQ User Manual 86 / 579

9.14.7 Sub selecting heads using specific palettes

It is possible to sub select heads from the current selection, sub selecting only the heads using a particular palette and that have
intensity greater than 0%.
Hold NEXT HEAD and then select a palette in the Position, Colour, or Beam windows.

9.14.8 Changing Overall Selection order

The order of the overall selection can be changed using the C Soft Button in the Group Window – the options are "Normal",
"Reverse", "Into Centre" and "Centre Out".
It is also possible to randomise the overall selection order by holding SHIFT and pressing "RANDOM SELECT". The overall
selection order can be randomised multiple times to get different random orders. Note that once the order is randomised it can
not be returned to the normal order – to do this you must reselect the overall selection.
Hold the ALL button to bring up a toolbar showing the above options.

9.14.9 Sub selection of heads from Groups / Overall Selection

When you select heads using Groups or the keypad, MagicQ then enables the operation on a sub selection of the main selection
using the Next Head, Prev Head, Odd/Even, and All buttons. This enables the user to select a group of heads and work on heads
individually without reselecting the heads.
It is possible to sub select heads from within the main selection using the keypad and referring to heads using the index of that
head within the overall selection order – for instance, selecting the 1st and 3rd head within the selection, or selecting heads 1
THRU 4 in that selection. The numbers used are the index into the selection order, not the head numbers.
To use this method, select a group of heads, then type the index number followed by NEXT HEAD or PREV HEAD. So to select
the 1st and 2nd heads in the current selection:
1+2 NEXT HEAD
Or to the 3rd , 4th and 5th
3 THRU 5 NEXT HEAD
You can select multiple groups as your main selection – so if you have a line of 4 spots and 4 washes you can make a group with
of all 8 heads and then access them using the numbers 1 to 8 regardless of their head number.
It is possible to invert the current sub selection - press 0 NEXT HEAD.
Using NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD without entering a number, operates as normal, selecting the next or previous head within
the overall selection.

9.15 Sub selection of elements

In normal operation, all the elements of heads with duplicated elements are treated as if there is only one element of each attribute.
MagicQ automatically copies the output from the 1st element to the duplicated elements. This enables the head to be treated in a
simple way like any other head.
Sub selection of elements to enable individual element control can be done using the "." operator. MagicQ keeps a global element
mask in the programmer to determine which elements are being controlled for the selected heads.
The first element in the head is ".1" and the duplicated elements are ".2", ".3" and so on. For heads that have both a main section
and duplicate elements (e.g. master colour channels and individual colour pixels) the main element is ".0".
For example, to select the second element of a duplicated head

1. 2 ENTER
MagicQ User Manual 87 / 579

To select all elements of duplicated heads.

1. > ENTER

To go back to normal selection (i.e. no duplicated elements selected)

1. ENTER

When all elements are selected the head selection text in the Window title bars will show ".all".
Note that the ENTER must be replaced with @ @ when the option to select heads from keypad is not set. @ @ can also be
replaced by NEXT HEAD.

9.15.1 Head Element Selection

From v1.0.1.0 the selection of individual head elements for duplicated heads has been enhanced to enable selection of different
elements from different heads using both the keypad and the Output window View Grid view.
This operates in addition to the existing global programmer elements selection which affects all selected heads. When using the
keypad the element selection is global unless multiple dot operators are specified in the synax or until elements are added to an
existing selection.

.2 ENTER Select global element 2

.2 THRU 4 ENTER Select global elements 2,3,4
101.2 ENTER Select head 101 and global element 2
101.2 THRU 4 ENTER Select head 101 and global element 2,3,4
101 THRU 104 . 2 THRU 4 ENTER Select head 101 to 104 and global element 2,3,4
+105 . 4 ENTER Add Head 105 head element 4 to the existing selection
101 . 1 + 102 . 2 ENTER Select Head 101 head element 1 and Head 102 head
element 2
101 . 1 + . 2 + 102 . 3 ENTER Select Head 101 head elements 1 and 2 and Head 102 head
element 3

When head element selection is in operation the title bar of the Outputs, Group and Palette windows shows the elements in the
order selected, prefixed by "HE".
In the Output View when a Grid is set to Multi Head then selection of elements will always select individual head elements rather
than global elements.
In the Output View multiple head elements can be selected by dragging over the required elements.
The selection of head elements is ordered, in the order that they are selected. When dragging over multiple elements, the initial
drag direction determines the order - as per dragging over single element heads.
Operations such as changing attributes, selecting palettes, and applying times will only affect the selected head elements, not the
full heads.
Normal head FX can be applied and will affect only the selected head elements and will respect the head element selection order.
The head element selection can be recorded into a Group - the Group will show HE followed by the number of heads in the top
right corner - e.g. HE2 indicates that 2 heads have some head elements selected. When the groups are selected the head elements
will be added or removed from the current selection in a similar way to direct selection from the Output Window.
Any Head that has a head element selected, or has had a head element selected since the last clear / deselect of heads will show
in the Outputs, View Heads and Programmer windows as selected, but operations that support head elements will only affect the
current head elements selected.
Pressing CLEAR, DESELECT HEADS, NEXT HEAD, PREV HEAD, ALL or SINGLE will revert MagicQ to the normal head
selection. Entering a global element number (e.g. . 2 ENTER) on the keypad will also revert to normal head selection.
MagicQ User Manual 88 / 579

Keypad selection and setting intensities of elements using the dot syntax operates as before, except that when using the + operator
at the start of a selection it enables per head element selection.
Palettes can be applied with times using the standard timed shortcuts (*, *+, *- , */ and *.) and will respect the head element
selection order.
Group FX on Groups with head element selection will operate on the head element selection (v1.9.1.1 and above).
The existing programmer elements can also now be used to apply timed palettes with element section order / priorities as shown
in the Group, View Elements window.
Note that when setting intensities using the keypad using the @ syntax it is not possible to set heads with multiple head elements,
only one dot is allowed in the command syntax.

9.15.2 Element selection in the Group window

The View Elements view shows the current global element selection and enables one or more global elements to be selected or
deselected.
Each element has a newly supported priority which is shown in the top right corner of the element. Elements can have the same
or different priorities enabling either sequential element usage or simultaneous element usage.
When an element selection is active, FX are now only applied to those elements. If the option "Inc Element (synced)" is chosen
then the element priorities will be used in playing back the FX. Both Group FX and Normal FX take the element selection and
priority into account.
For example, if half of the elements have priority 1 and the others have priority 2 then the FX offset is split into two - all the
elements with priority 1 will have the same FX offset, whilst all the elements with priority 2 have the same (opposite) FX offset.
When elements are selected from the keypad then they automatically get increasing priorities - e.g. if you enter . 6 THRU 10
then elements 6 to 10 will be selected with increasing priorities 1 to 5. If you enter . 10 THRU 6 then then elements 6 to 10 will
be selected with decreasing priorities 5 to 1.
When individual elements are selected in the View Element window then they get increasing priorities. When the programmer is
cleared or all elements are deselected the priorities are reset.
It is possible to set priorities directly to one of more elements using SET.
Element priorities are stored when Groups are recorded and are recalled when groups are selected - therefore it is possible to
create groups with the same heads but different element priorities.

9.15.3 Groups with element selection

The duplicated element selection can be stoed in Groups - so you could make a group with no duplicated element selection and
one with all duplicated elements selected. Groups with duplicate element selection show a "." after the number of heads in the
top right of the group item. Note that duplicate element selection applies to all selected heads in the programmer and in groups,
so it is not possible to store e.g. element 1 from head 1 and element 2 from head 2 in the group.

9.16 Sub Groups

MagicQ stores sub group information in groups. If multiple groups are selected and then recorded into a new group, the new
group will store the selected heads and also store the groups that are active.
The original groups that were active when a group was recorded can be recalled by using INCLUDE and selecting the group.
If the group is always to be used for recalling sub groups then the Group type should be set to Sub Group.

9.17 Group Type

The Group Type can be set using soft Button E. There are four options:
MagicQ User Manual 89 / 579

Norm Operates normally - selects the Group and all the Heads
within the Group
Sub Groups Group always recalls sub groups rather than the Group
Elements Only Sets the Element selection only. No Heads or Groups are
selected
No Groups Selects the Heads within the Group, but not the Group

9.18 Highlight Mode

Highlight mode is used in conjunction with Single mode and Odd/Even mode. There are four possible modes of operation
depending on the setting in the Setup Window of the Highlight Mode - "Normal", "Advanced (highlights/lowlight)", "Advanced
Highlight only" and "Advanced, no reset".
In "Normal" mode, the intensities of the selected heads are reduced except for the one (or ones in Odd/Even mode) that are being
controlled. Highlighting of the controlled head(s) makes programming of positions much easier.
In "Advanced (highlight/lowlight)" mode, the selected heads are highlighted using the highlight values from the personality. If
heads from the current selection are sub selected (e.g. through Single or Odd/Even) then the sub selected heads are highlighted
and the remaining heads in the selection are lowlighted.
"Advanced Highlight Only" is the same as above, but no lowlighting occurs. If heads from the current selection are sub selected
(e.g. through Single or Odd/Even) then only the sub selected heads are highlighted - all other heads remain at their playback
state.
"Advanced no reset" is the same as "Advanced (highlight/lowlight)" but is not cleared when you press CLEAR. Press Highlight
again to reset it.
When in Highlight mode the LED on the HIGHLIGHT button is lit - pressing the HIGHLIGHT button again or the ALL button
returns the head control area back to the default mode.

9.19 Lowlight function

A lowlight function is accessed by pressing SHIFT and HIGHLIGHT. When active the selected head is lowlighted to the value
in the personality. This allows each head in the current selection to be temporarily lowlighted to try to find a particular head –
without making a massive change to the current lighting state.
Highlight mode must be set to Advanced highlight/lowlight.

9.20 Reselecting heads using Palettes and Intensities (Active Palette and Intensity)

To reselect all heads using a particular palette, hold ALL and press the palette entry.
<Hold ALL> <Green>
Or use the keypad
<Hold ALL> <COL 5 ENTER>
To reselect all heads at or above an intensity level hold ALL and type the level. Then release ALL or press ENTER.
<Hold ALL> <50 ENTER>
To reselect all heads at a specific intensity level hold ALL and type @ followed by the level. Then release ALL or press ENTER.
<Hold ALL> <@ 60 ENTER>
To reselect all heads active in the programmer
<CTRL> + <ALL>
To select all heads in the current step of a playback
<Hold ALL> <S>
MagicQ User Manual 90 / 579

9.21 Fan Mode

The FAN button enables a different mode of operation of the encoders whereby instead of encoder changes being applied to each
selected head in a linear fashion, changes are applied in a fan. Positive changes fan the heads apart whilst negative changes fan
the heads together. Fan mode cannot be used when Single mode is are active since fanning only makes sense when more than
one head is under control.
Pressing and holding the FAN button enters FAN mode temporarily. Releasing the FAN button returns to the normal mode.
When you press and hold FAN you get a toolbar on the screen that gives you direct access to fanning options. On MagicQ PC
you can press SHIFT + FAN to bring up the FAN toolbar.

There are 3 types of FAN

Asymmetric (default, as in previous s/w) – fans from centre asymmetric
Symmetric – fans from the centre symmetric
End – fans from the end
It is possible to use "Parts" for fanning parts so that the fan is replicated across the selected heads. For 2’s, 3’s select the 2 Parts
or 3 parts. For higher number of parts, use the N parts option and entering a number on the keypad. In FAN mode the current
FAN type and parts is shown in the status display window (Fan-A, Fan-S, Fan-E).
It is possible to use "Segments" for fanning segments – adjacent heads do the same fanning.
It is possible to use "Groups" for fanning. When fanning by groups, the fan is performed on each group in turn as if the group
contained the only selected heads. This enables a fan to be simultaneously applied to groups of different sizes.
Fanning by segments overrides fanning by parts. Fanning by groups overrides fanning by parts or segments.
The following short-cuts also work:
Hold FAN + press LOCATE. Returns to default FAN type – asymmetric.
Hold FAN + press NEXT HEAD. Chooses next FAN type.
Hold FAN + press PREV HEAD. Chooses previous FAN type.

9.22 And Only

The AND ONLY (*) function enables selecting of the common heads between groups. It can be used on pairs of groups or on
ranges of groups. When selecting a number of groups then the * operator can be used to specify that only the heads that are in
both groups are selected.
GROUP 1 * 2 ENTER
This selects heads which are in both groups 1 and 2
And Only can be used with the THRU, + and – operators.
GROUP 1 THRU 4 * 5 THRU 8 ENTER
This select heads which are in one of the groups 1 to 4 and also in one of the groups 5 to 8.
It is possible to use And Only together with the @ operator to set levels directly.
GROUP 1 * 3 @ FULL ENTER
Note that if the option "Select heads and palettes from keypad" is set to "No" – then the * * operator must be used to select groups
from the keypad:
1*2**
1 THRU 4 * 5 THRU 8 * *
1 * 3 * * @ FULL ENTER
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9.23 Group Window

Two additional Group windows have been added; enter 2 Group and 3 Group to open the second and third Group windows
respectively. It is possible for one Group Window to show Groups, one to show Heads and one to show Elements.
There are now three group types which affect how the group is recalled:

• Normal (as before)

• Elements only - when the group is recalled it only changes the element mask
• Sub Groups - when the group is recalled it activates sub groups

The group type can be set using soft button E. Groups that are set to Elements only show as "E" in the top right corner together
with the number of elements stored in the group. Groups set to Sub Groups show a "S" in the top right corner together with the
number of sub groups stored in the group.
Selection order can also be changed by pressing and holding the ALL button.
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Chapter 10

Palettes

MagicQ supports a comprehensive palette system for easy access to your favourite looks. When heads are patched, the console
automatically generates palettes for the patched heads.
There are four types of palettes corresponding to Intensity, Colour, Beam and Position. Each palette supports up to 1000 different
entries.

10.1 Using Palettes

There are four types of palettes corresponding to Intensity, Colour, Beam and Position. Each palette supports up to 1000 different
entries.
To use a palette, select the heads you wish to apply the change to. Then open the required palette by selecting one of the Intensity,
Colour, Beam or Position Windows.
From within the window select a palette entry. That palette entry will be applied to all the selected heads.
In the Beam Window the first 5 soft buttons above the touch screen are used for selecting the Beam Page 1 to 5 – the rest of the
soft buttons are used for selecting the palette entries.

Palette entries that contain data for the currently selected heads are shown in white. Palette entries that do not have any data for
the currently selected heads are shown in grey.
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In the Colour Window the top soft buttons Col Norm, Col CMY, Col RGB and Col HSI determine how the colour mix encoder
wheels are used to modify the colour.
Col Mix is used to select between Palettes and the Lee, Rosco and Generic colour charts and also to select the colour mixing
rainbows.

10.2 Recording Palettes

To record a palette entry, select the heads you wish to apply the change to. Then open the required palette by selecting one of the
Intensity, Colour, Beam or Position Windows.
Modify the attributes of the heads until you are happy with them. Then record the palette entry by pressing RECORD and then
selecting the palette entry in the window.
When you record a palette entry that has already been used in programming of Cues and Cue Stacks then the Cues and Cue
Stacks will be updated to reflect the changes. This is useful, for example, for touring shows that play many different venues.
If the Cues use positions from the Position palette, then each day it is only necessary to change the palette entries, rather than
having to re-record all the Cues.
When palettes are recorded, only the attributes appropriate to the palette are recorded. So when recording to the colour palette,
only colour attributes are stored. By default, the console records all the attributes appropriate to the palette, regardless of whether
you have adjusted them in the programmer.
Palette values are shown in the Output, Programmer and Cue windows by a small black rectangle in the bottom left corner.

10.2.1 Recording individual attributes into a Palette

You may wish only to record only certain attributes into a palette entry – e.g. only the shutter attribute into the beam palette.
You can modify the way the console records palettes using masking in the Record Options window. Open the Record Options
MagicQ User Manual 94 / 579

Window when recording by holding SHIFT and pressing RECORD. Alternatively press the REC OPTIONS soft button in the
Programmer Window.
Press the REC INT, REC POS, REC COL, REC BEAM soft buttons to apply masking based on attribute type. Select attributes in
the window to apply masking based on individual attributes. For instance to store only the shutter attribute, press the SHUTTER
attribute.
In some circumstances you may wish to record other attributes into a palette – e.g. intensity into a beam palette. Simply press
the appropriate buttons in the Record Options Window. The Palette entry shows I, P, C, B to indicate which attributes are stored
in the Palette.
Once the Palette entry is recorded the masking options are returned to their defaults. You can lock the mask so that it is not
returned to the defaults by pressing the LOCK MASK soft button in the Record Options Window.

10.2.2 Recording only the selected heads

By default when recording palette entries, changes are only made for selected heads. The modifications are merged with the
existing palette entries.
To ensure that all heads that have been changed are updated, press CTRL + ALL to select all heads in the programmer before
re-recording the palette entry.
It is possible to set the "Recording to Palettes" option to "All Heads in Programmer" to force all heads that are active in the
programmer to be updated in the palette rather than just the selected heads.

10.3 Intensity Palettes

The Intensity window has a View Palettes view similar to the Position, Colour and Beam windows. Palettes can be recorded,
moved, copied and removed and used within Cues just as with Position, Colour and Beam palettes.
By default only Intensity parameters are recorded into the Intensity Palettes regardless of whether other attributes are in the
programmer. A record mask (SHIFT + RECORD) can be used to override which attributes are recorded.
The only difference with Intensity Palettes compared to Position, Colour and Beam palettes is that by default the record type is
set to all heads that have intensity in the Programmer being recorded into the Palette not just the selected heads. This avoids the
need to always select heads (e.g. by selecting the All Dimmers group) before recording an Intensity Palette. The record type can
be changed by pressing SHIFT RECORD and selecting RECORD TYPE.
To record intensity into a Colour, Beam or Position Palette hold SHIFT and press RECORD to open the Record Options Window
(as above) and select the REC INT soft button.

10.4 Duplicate elements in Palettes

In normal operation heads with duplicated elements are treated as if there is only one element of each attribute. MagicQ auto-
matically copies the output from the 1st element to the duplicated elements. This enables the head to be treated in a simple way
like any other head.
If you have element specific data in the Programmer then it will be recorded into a Palette during the normal Palette record
operation.
If you recall the palette without a duplicated element selection active, then it will only recall for the 1st element - so the duplicated
elements will be the same as the main element. If you sub select all duplicated elements before applying the palette then you can
recall the element specific data.
You can sub select all duplicated elements by doing e.g. .1 THRU 3 to sub select the 3 elements.
From v1.2.7.1 it is possible to store the duplicated element selection in Groups - so you could make a group with no duplicated
element selection and one with all duplicated elements selected.
To select all elements of duplicated heads.
MagicQ User Manual 95 / 579

1. > NEXT HEAD

OR

1. > @@

To go back to normal selection (i.e. no duplicated elements selected)

1. NEXT HEAD

OR

1. @@

10.5 Naming Palettes

A palette can be named when it is recorded by keying in the name before selecting the palette entry to record.
A palette can be named at any time by keying in the name, pressing SET and selecting the palette entry. If you are not using an
external keyboard the select the palette entry, press SET and enter the name on the on screen keyboard.

10.6 Updating Palettes

A palette can be updated simply be selecting some heads, applying the palette and then re-recording the palette. MagicQ
automatically merges into the changes from the Programmer into the existing Palette.
Only the heads that are selected when you re-record the palette will be modified in the palette - other heads recorded in the palette
will not be changed.
The attributes active in the Programmer for that attribute type (Intensity, Pos, Colour, Beam) are added to the palette regardless
of whether they were in the Palette before. From v1.9.2.0 it is possible to specify a RECORD UPDATE whereby only attributes
that are already in the Palette are updated. Hold UPDATE and press RECORD or press SHIFTand RECORD to select REC
UPDATE.
A complete palette can be edited using Include and Update. Press Include and then select the Palette entry to include the entire
palette into the programmer. The console automatically selects all the heads that are in the Palette entry. Modifications can then
be made in the programmer, and when complete pressing Update stores the changes back to the Palette.

10.7 Copying and moving Palettes

Palette entries can be moved and copied just like any other window item.
When a palette entry is moved, programming follows the palette entry - i.e. if you have a Cue which uses a Colour palette entry,
then moving that Colour palette entry, will cause the Cue to be updated to continue to reference the palette entry.

10.8 Removing attributes from Palettes

You can delete an entire palette entry by using REMOVE as with any window item.
To remove specific attributes from a palette entry you can use the REC REMOVE record option. This works in a similar way to
the normal record mode – except that where items in the programmer are normally merged into the palette entry, they are now
removed.
The MASK IPCB and MASK ATTRIB record options enable selection of which options are deleted as for normal recording of
palette entries.
For example, to remove the shutter attribute from a previously recorded beam palette entry; clear the programmer, select the
heads, and modify the shutter attribute only. Then press SHIFT and RECORD, and select the REC REMOVE and MASK
ATTRIB, Shutter record options. Then select the palette entry.
MagicQ User Manual 96 / 579

10.9 Viewing / Editing Palette contents

You can view the contents of a palette entry at any time by pressing the VIEW PALETTE soft button in the Intensity, Pos, Colour,
and Beam windows. This opens the Palette View window and shows the contents of the palette entry that the cursor was on.

Note that the View Palette window shows the entire contents of the palette entry regardless of which heads are currently selected.
You can modify the contents of the palette entry by editing the values in the spread-sheet. You can remove values, entire heads,
or entire attributes from the palette entry using the REMOVE button.
The View Palette, View Used window can be used to determine how many times Palettes have been used within a show.
The View Palettes window shows whether Palettes are linked to other Palettes (highlighted in Red). There is a button to unlink
the specific Palettes or using SHIFT, to unlink all the Palettes of that type (Position, Colour or Beam). Unlinking removes links
within the Palettes to other Palettes – it does not affect the links within Cues.
It is possible to step through the different Palettes using the Next Palette and Previous Palette buttons.

10.10 Linked Palettes

If you select a Palette and then record it as another Palette without changing any of the attributes then all the values in the new
Palette will be linked to the first Palette. Changing any of the attributes in the first Palette will change the attributes in the new
Palette. This is a linked Palette. MagicQ shows a L in the Palette entry to indicate a linked Palette.
When you change attributes using the encoder wheels or soft buttons then the Palette will contain hard values instead of links.
Only one level of linking is allowed – a Palette can link to another Palette, but it is not possible to link to further Palettes.
It is possible to unlink a Palette from the Intensity, Pos, Colour and Beam Window and also from the View Palette Window.
Put the cursor on the palette to unlink, or cursor select multiple palettes. Then press UNLINK PALETTE.
To unlink all palettes of that type (Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam) press SHIFT + UNLINK ALL PALETTE.

10.11 Using Palettes with times

Palettes can be applied with a time by simply typing in a number of seconds before selecting the Palette - this is very useful for
quickly setting fade times when recording Cues or for busking in effects. In addition you can use FAN mode to quickly spread
different times across a number of heads.
For example, typing in 3 before selecting a position will cause a fade to the position over 3 seconds.
Typing 0 THRU 3 before selecting a position causes the heads to move to the position with a spread of 3 seconds - i.e. the first
head moves immediately whilst the last head takes 3 seconds.
To fan delays, rather than fade times, type delay / fade – e.g. for 1 second fade but delayed from 0 to 3 seconds type 0 THRU 3 /
1 before selecting the palette.
A short-cut can be used to perform fanned delay/fades – type a time followed by * before selecting the Palette to fan the fade
across the currently selected heads.
MagicQ User Manual 97 / 579

<time> * Fan times across selected heads

<time> * / Reverse fan
<time> * + Into centre fan
<time> * - Centre out fan
<time> *. Random
* Use last fan time

The above shortcuts fade each of the selected Heads in turn - thus the fade time of each Head is the total time divided by the
number of Heads. To specify a fade time for each of the Heads the shortcuts can be extended with a Head fade time, for example:
<time> / <head time> *
Applying Palettes with times and fanned times can be applied to all Palette types including Beam and Colour. For example to
perform a gradual fade from one colour to the next over all your colour mixing heads, select the heads, 0 THRU 5 before selecting
a colour palette entry.
You can modify the order that a fan is applied to heads by selecting the heads in the appropriate order - at any time you can invert
the order using the Selection soft button in the Group Window.
Whenever a Palette is selected with a time the times are stored in the programmer. This makes it very easy to build up Cues with
times. Simply select the Palettes you want with the required times and Record the Cue. The Cue will playback with the required
times.
MagicQ v1.7.1.5 has a shortcut for symmetric fans from centre - for older versions hold ALL and select CENTRE OUT and then
hold FAN and select SEGMENTS 2.

10.11.1 Fading over Group Grids

The following short cuts are supported when applying Palettes for normal Cues and when using Group Cues:

*.. Fade left to right across Group Grid

*// Fade right to left across Group Grid
*++ Fade out to in on Group Grid
*-- Fade in to out on Group Grid
*+- Fade centre out to in on Group Grid
*-+ Fade centre in to out on Group Grid
*. . . Fade top to bottom across Group Grid
*/// Fade bottom to top across Group Grid
*+++ Fade top out to in on Group Grid
*--- Fade top in to out on Group Grid

So for example to fade Colour palette 2 left to right across the Group Grid over 3 seconds enter
COL 2 / 3 * +

As with the existing shortcuts the fade time can be controlled by entering <total time> / <fade time> before the short cut, e.g.
perform an inter centre fade to Colur 2 with each pixel fading for 3 seconds with total 10 second fade enter:
COL 2 / 10 / 3 * + -
When using Group Cues these timing short cuts are stored in the Cues so changing the Group (and Group Grid) will automatically
update the Cues.

10.11.2 Using FAN

You can set both delay and fade times in FAN mode by entering delay / fade. For example to move all your heads onto a position
in turn, type 2 / 2 before selecting the position.
MagicQ User Manual 98 / 579

Minimum fade times can be applied using the + operator, for example to perform a fade of between 2 and 6 seconds to a new
position on a group of heads enter FAN mode, type 2+4 and select the new position. The first head will fade over 2 seconds
whilst the last will fade over 6 seconds.
To use both minimum delay and fade times type, for example, 2+4/3+5. This gives delay times of between 2 and 6, and fade
times of between 3 and 8 seconds.

10.12 Making Palettes into Cue Stacks

You can copy one or more palettes from the Position, Colour or Beam windows to a Playback (use SHIFT + cursor keys to select
multiple items). This enables quick generation of Cue Stacks based on your palettes.
The Cue Stack will include one Cue for every Palette selected. The Cues will contain values from the Palette for the currently
selected heads. Other attributes can be added using Record Merge.
If a Cue Stack already exists on the Playback, then the extra Cues are appended to the end of the Cue Stack.
Copying a Group to a Playback makes a Cue with Intensity at 100% for all the channels in the Group. Selecting multiple groups
using the cursor (SHIFT + cursor keys) and then copying to a Playback creates a multi step Cue Stack of intensities – one Cue
step for each group. This is an easy way to create, for example an intensity chase of your different moving light groups or your
different par can colour groups.

10.13 Selecting Palettes from the keypad

You can select palettes from the keypad. Enable the Setup Option, "Select channels in Beam, Col, Pos". To select a palette use:
COL 5 ENTER
BEAM 3 ENTER
Timed fades can be entered at the same time – e.g. to apply colour palette 5 with a time of 4 seconds spread across all the selected
heads:
COL 5 / 4 * ENTER
It is possible to record, include and remove Palettes from the keypad:
RECORD GROUP <group number> ENTER
RECORD POS <palette entry> ENTER
RECORD COL<palette entry> ENTER
RECORD BEAM <palette entry> ENTER

10.14 Merging of Palettes from another show

It is possible to merge Palettes from any previous show that uses the same type of heads - you can select the palettes from a
specific head or all the heads that match with your current show.
It is possible to select Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour palettes, or combinations of the three attribute types.
To import the Palettes, press the LOAD PALETTES soft button in the View Palette window.
Select Add to only add the Palettes as new Palettes, or select Merge to merge those that match existing Palettes names and icons
and add the unmatched ones as new Palettes.
Select All to load Palettes for all Heads in the show file, or Choose to select which Heads from the show file to use. Select Default
Pal to only load Default Palette info from the show file.
MagicQ User Manual 99 / 579

When MagicQ merges Palettes with existing Palettes it ignores any default Palette information in the loaded Palettes, retaining
default Palette information from the existing Palette. When adding Palettes any default Palette information is loaded into the new
Palette.
Select Match DMX to only import Palettes that match the DMX address of those in the show. Select Match Head No to only
import Palettes that match the head number of those in the show. Select Expand Head Type to import the Palettes for all heads of
that head type in the show.
Alternatively from the Setup Window press the SHIFT + IMPORT SHOW soft button and select Palettes.

10.15 Modifying Palettes in the personality

When palettes are recorded they become part of the show data and can be used during programming of the show. Recording
palettes does not affect the personality file. This ensures that changes you make for the purposes of the show do not affect future
shows.
It is sometimes necessary to update the personality file - either because the data in the personality file is incorrect, or to add extra
palettes entries to the personality.
Pressing SHIFT when you select the palette entry to record, causes the changes to be copied through into the personality.
Note that if you have confirmations turned on then press SHIFT when you click on Yes in the confirm box rather than when you
select the item.
When recording through into the personality file, the console takes the first selected head and copies the data associated with the
palette entry you selected into the personality file. If the palette entry is already in the personality file (i.e. there is a palette entry
with the same name as the one you selected) then that palette entry is replaced. Otherwise a new palette entry is created in the
file.
You can examine the personality file, by going into the Patch Window and pressing the Edit Head soft button. Then press the
Select Head button to choose the personality to examine.
Note that we recommend Importing Palettes rather than modifying the Personalities wherever possible. This ensures that you
benefit from any updates ChamSys make to the personality.

10.16 Capturing Palettes from DMX input

You can program palettes by capturing real DMX data from another consoles. This provides a handy way of converting show
data from one console type to another, or to back up data from one console on another.
In order to use DMX Capture the Input Universes in Setup, View DMX I/O must be set up to correctly receive data from the
network or from MagicDMX.
First select the heads you are interested in. If no heads are selected then data will be captured for all heads.

10.16.1 Manual Palette Capture

In View Palette window use the PREV or NEXT buttons to move to an empty palette. Then use the CAPTURE PALETTE soft
button to capture the values of this palette type (Intensity, Pos, Colour, Beam) and record them into the Palette.
If no heads are currently selected then capture is for all heads, otherwise only data for heads that are currently selected will be
captured.

10.16.2 Auto Palette Capture

For auto capture, press SHIFT + AUTO CAPTURE. MagicQ will now automatically capture a palette of this palette type and
save it to a free palette entry every time the DMX input changes. Press STOP capture to stop auto capturing palettes.
To use this function with another console first set up the DMX input then press AUTO CAPTURE and on the other console select
all the different palettes for capture in turn. MagicQ will detect when it is receiving different data and will record a new palette
for each one.
MagicQ User Manual 100 / 579

10.16.3 Manual capture from Palette windows

Change to the appropriate Palette Window - Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam.

Press CTRL and RECORD then select a Palette entry – this will load the DMX input data for the selected heads into the
programmer and record it into the specified Palette entry.

10.16.4 Manual Including into the Programmer

Alternatively use Include to get the data into the programmer and record the Palette entry in the normal way for recording palette
entries.
Press CTRL and INCLUDE and then ENTER. This will include the DMX input data for the selected heads into the programmer.
The data can then be stored into a Palette in the usual way using RECORD.
You can grab all attributes of a moving head by changing to the Group window, pressing CTRL and INCLUDE, then ENTER.

10.17 Expanding Palettes

The Expand Palette function allows data in Cues to be expanded to use all attributes from a Palette. For example, consider a
show that is using heads with RGB colour mixing but now has been morphed to heads with extra colour wheels. The Cues
programmed into the show do not have the extra colour wheel info - they just have RGB attributes. With Expand Palette it is
possible to program the extra colour wheel attributes into the Palette and then expand the Palettes into all the Cues that use the
Palette.
In the Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam Window press EXPAND PALETTE.
All programmed Cues that contain heads that use the Palette are expanded. Only heads that are already in the Cue, and that
have at least one attribute using the Palette are expanded - it does not affect heads that are not in the Cue or heads that have no
attributes from the Palette in the Cue.
To expand a range of palettes, open the Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam window, cursor select the required palettes and then
press EXPAND PALETTE.
Heads that have some attributes in the Cue referencing the Palette but others using hard values, will convert the hard values to
use the values from the Palette.
Heads that have some attributes in the Cue referencing the Palette but others using other Palettes, will not change the attributes
that are using other Palettes.
To expand all the Palettes of a particular type press SHIFT + EXPAND ALL PALETTE. This will expand all of the Palettes in
that Window.
Expanding Palettes is also supported in the View Palettes window.

10.18 Replacing Palettes in Cues

To replace Palettes in one or more Cues in a Cue Stack with different Palettes, for example to change all the channels using the
Green palette to use the Red palette.
In the Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam windows press REPLACE PALETTE. Then select the palette to replace, the new
palette, and then the Plahyback to replace in.
If heads are selected in the programmer then the change will only affect the selected heads. If no heads are selected then all heads
that use the palette are affected.
It is possible to select a specific Cue or a range of Cues by entering the Cue numbers before selecting the Cue Stack. If no Cues
are specified then MagicQ will prompt whether to use the current Cue or all Cues in the Cue Stack.
MagicQ User Manual 101 / 579

Only channels that were already in the Cue will be changed - no new channels will be added. Channels that are using the original
Palette but which are not in the new Palettes are unchanged.
Both levels using Palettes and FX using Palettes are changed.
To replace in multiple Cue Stacks or Cues then follow the steps above but instead of selecting a Playback, open the Stack Store
or the Cue Store, cursor select the required Cue Stacks or Cues and the press ENTER.

10.19 Tracker Palettes

Tracker Palettes are special palettes that use a remote tracker device rather than absolute values stored in the palette. MagicQ
supports several different remote tracker protocols and can receive information for up to 20 Trackers. See Setup, View Settings,
Network, Tracker rx.
By setting a Palette to be a Tracker Palette then wherever the Palette is used the channels follow the tracker device with an
optional offset. Tracker palettes recorded with values of 128 for the pan and tilt attributes (0 degrees pan and tilt) will have no
offset. Any other values will function as an offset to the tracker device.
To set a Palette as a Tracker Palette go to View Palette and press the SET TRACKER soft button. Then select Tracker and enter
a tracker ID.
To unset a Palette as a Tracker Palette press SHIFT UNSET TRACKER or press SET TRACKER and select none.
The Tracker controls the base position. It is therefore possibel to add a FX on top of the tracker position - for example spots
could be set to run a circle around the Tracker position of a moving car.
When a channel changes from control by an absolute value or normal Palette to a Tracker Palette then it uses the fade times to
crossfade between the original position and the tracker position.
When a channel changes from control by a Tracker Palette to a absolute value or normal Palette then MagicQ used the fade times
to crossfade from the tracker position to the new position.

10.19.1 Default Palettes

Palettes can now have default values. Default Palette values are not specific to a particular head and can exist in a Palette even
when there are no channels from Heads in the Palette. This is particularly useful for Group Cues where Heads may be removed
from a show and new Heads added.
Default Palettes are automatically created whenever a Palette is recorded or updated according to the Auto Create Default Palettes
setting. Prior to v1.9.4.2, default palettes were only created if Group Cues was enabled. Default Palette generation can be
controlled by the Auto create Default Palettes option in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage.
The Palette defaults are shown on the top row of the Palette View window. Default Palette values can be created using the
DEFAULT PALETTE soft button in the Palette View window. MagicQ uses the existing channel data in the palette to create the
values for the default attributes. Where attributes have range with range types - e.g. narrow iris, then then the attribute will be
stored as a range type ratherthan a hard channel value. This enables the default to be correctly applied to new Heads added to the
Palette.
Colour Palettes have additional information - they store a CIE X/Y value for the colour from the palette. Creating a Default
Palette for a Colour Palette automatically creates a CIE X/Y value for the Palette. MagicQ uses the existing channel data to
calculate the CIE value.
Press SHIFT + DEFAULT ALL PALETTE to add default values to all Palettes.
Press REMOVE on the Default Palette row to remove the Default Palette. To remove the Default Palette (including CIE X/Y
values) from all Palettes press SHIFT + REMOVE DEF ALL PALETTES.
If required, the CIE value can be set on a Colour Palette without creating a Default Palette - press the SET CIE soft button to set
a CIE value for the Palette. Press SHIFT + UNSET CIE to remove the CIE value.
The Palette default value is automatically used in Palette FX and Group Cues where there is no explicit channel data stored for
selected heads in the Palette. This avoids the need for having explicit Palette data for all heads which reduces the show file size.
MagicQ User Manual 102 / 579

The Palette Default values are not currently used by Cues using individual Head data Palettes - this requires explicit channel data
in the Palette.
To expand a Palette to all patched Heads press the EXPAND HEADS soft button. This adds attributes for all patched heads to
the Palette using the default values. If no default values exists then it automatically creates default values first using the existing
channel values in the Palette. Channels that already have explicit values in the Palette are not affected by EXPAND HEADS. If
you wish to fully recreate a Palette from the DEefault Values then first remove the channel data (but not the Default Palette).
Default Palettes can be imported from any previous show file which used Default Palettes. In the Int, Pos, Col or Beam Windows
press VIEW PALETTE to open the Palette View window, and then press LOAD PALETTES and select DEFAULT PAL.
MagicQ has a setting to automatically expand Palettes in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage. This has been renamed to "Expand
Heads in Palette". Previously this only expanded Heads of the same type. Now there are additional options to expand to all
Heads.
MagicQ User Manual 103 / 579

Chapter 11

FX Engine

11.1 Adding in FX

To apply a FX to some heads, select the heads then from the FX Window, Group Window, or Prog Window press the ADD FX
soft button.
MagicQ divides FX into the categories - Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam, Any Attribute, User and Old. Choose the Category
and then the FX to apply.

The position category includes FX using the pan and tilt attributes:

The colour category includes FX using the CMY/RGB attributes:

MagicQ User Manual 104 / 579

The Any Attribute folder contains FX that are not specific to particular attributes of the head – these are marked with a * – e.g.
Ramp, Sine and Cosine. When one of these is selected you are prompted for which attribute you wish to apply the FX to. For
instance you could program a circle using a Sine on the Pan attribute and a Cosine on the Tilt attribute. Alternatively you could
just use the circle FX!

You can apply multiple FX to a head, provided that the FX uses different attributes - e.g. you can mix a Pan Sine with a Tilt Sine.
Once you have chosen a FX you are returned to the Prog Window. Use the encoders to modify the parameters of the FX such
as the speed, size and spread between heads. By default FX size goes up to 255. Hold SHIFT and use the encoder to get sizes
above 255.
The Prog Window provides a Simple and an Advanced View. The Simple View enables modifications of the FX as applied to all
heads. The Advanced View enables the parameters of the FX to be modified for each different head – this, for example, enables
different sizes to be set for different heads.

FX can be added and removed from the Programmer window.

MagicQ User Manual 105 / 579

11.1.1 FX Speed & Size

The FX Speed can be modified on encoder X. The soft button stops/starts the FX allowing it to be temporarily stopped.
The FX Crossfade can be set on encoder Y – 0% is snap whilst 100% is complete crossfade. The soft button can be used to tap
to time the speed of the FX.
The Attack of the FX Crossfade can be changed by using SHIFT and encoder Y. The attack defaults to "Even" - equal ramp up
and ramp down. The FX must support Width and the Width must be less than 50% for the attack to take effect. Changing the
value of Attack from 0% to 100% changes the slope of the attack. 0% is snap in, fade out. 100% is fade in, snap out.
The FX Size can be modified on the encoder wheel D from 0% to 100%. Pressing SHIFT and turning the encoder wheel allows
the size to be oversized up to 800%. Pressing the soft button swaps between the chosen size and zero size. This allows an FX to
be temporarily taken out.
The default for the Speed can be set in the Cue Stack window in View Options, View Defaults, FX. The default for Size comes
from the FX File.

11.1.2 FX base values

By default FX are added to the current channel values - therefore it is important to ensure that the channel values are set correctly.
For example, to run a circle in the centre of a MAC500s pan and tilt range, it is necessary to set both pan and tilt to the centre
position (128) before adding the FX. Changing the channel values changes the point around which the FX is centred.
Similarly in order to run a 0% to 100% dimmer chase on HTP channels the channels should be set to 50% intensity and the FX
added.
Channel values and FX values do not have to be recorded onto the same playback. One playback can be used to set the centre
position of the FX and another to control the FX itself. The centre position can itself be part of a multi Cue Cue-Stack or a chase
thus a particular FX can itself be moved around.
If you wish to have a particular playback move heads to a particular position without a FX then record both the position and a
zero size FX on the playback. Recording a zero FX ensures any other playback running an FX for those heads is over-ridden.
You can add a zero size FX using SHIFT + ADD FX 0 SIZE soft button in the Group or FX windows.

11.1.3 FX add modes

It is possible to change the way that FX are added to the base values. In the FX View of the Prog Window and Cue Window there
is an "add mode" field. Page right to see this option. This determines how the FX in a Cue is added to the base values. There are
three choices; Normal, Plus and Minus.

• Normal is as default – i.e. a FX will apply both plus and minus of the base.
• Plus adds the FX onto the top of the current base – i.e. the level will never be less than the base.
• Minus subtracts the FX from the current base – i.e. the level will never be greater than the base.
• Abs (absolute). MagicQ ignores the base value for the FX and simply outputs the FX value. This is useful for absolute position
FX and for colour change FX.

11.1.4 FX Spread (offsets over heads)

When a FX is applied to a group of heads, the spread determines how the FX is played back over all the heads. By default the
spread is even (100%) – i.e. the same FX is applied to each head but offset so that each of the heads is at a different point in the
FX cycle. With even spread the heads are spread evenly round the cycle.
Setting the Spread to None (0) causes all of the heads to start at the same point in the cycle – i.e. they all do exactly the same
thing. Choosing values between 0% and 100% enables different looks to be generated.
The FX Spread is the maximum offset between heads within the FX. FX Spread values greater than 100% are allowed.
MagicQ User Manual 106 / 579

The offsetting of the FX over heads can be further enhanced using FX Parts and FX Segments. FX parts and FX Segments have
no effect if FX Spread is 0.
The spread can be viewed in the Outputs Window, View Chans, View DMX, View Move window. This shows a 2D representation
of the pan and tilt values of each of the heads.

The default Spread comes from the FX File.

11.1.5 FX Parts

This enables the FX cycle to be repeated across a number of heads. When FX parts is 0 the FX is offset across the total umber
of heads selected in the FX. Using Parts the FX can be offset so that, for example the FX can be offset (with FX parts = 3) such
that the FX is offset other the first 3 heads, and then the next 3 heads, the next 3 heads, and so on. . .
The FX part can have the values "none", "2s", "3s" etc. For example when set to "3s" the FX will be played back spread over
the first 3 heads and then this will repeat over the remaining selected heads – i.e. heads 1,4,7,10 will do the same thing, heads
2,5,8,11 will do the same thing. When a "FX part" is selected, the "spread" determines how the FX is spread across the 3 heads.
The default for FX parts can be set in the Cue Stack window in View Options, View Defaults, FX.

11.1.6 FX Segments

FX segments work together with FX Parts to enable easy control of the relative offsets of different heads within a FX. FX
Segments are the number of adjacent heads that have the same offset.
So for example consider 12 heads.

Table 11.1: 100% FX spread (no FX Parts or FX Segments)

1 0%
2 8%
3 16%
4 25%
5 33%
6 41%
7 50%
8 58%
9 66%
10 75%
11 83%
12 91%
MagicQ User Manual 107 / 579

Table 11.2: With FX Segments = 2’s

1 0%
2 0%
3 16%
4 16%
5 33%
6 33%
7 50%
8 50%
9 66%
10 66%
11 83%
12 83%

Table 11.3: With FX Segments = 3’s

1 0%
2 0%
3 0%
4 25%
5 25%
6 25%
7 50%
8 50%
9 50%
10 75%
11 75%
12 75%

Table 11.4: With FX Parts = 2’s

1 0%
2 50%
3 0%
4 50%
5 0%
6 50%
7 0%
8 50%
9 0%
10 50%
11 0%
12 50%

Table 11.5: With FX Parts = 2’s, Segments = 3’s

1 0%
2 0%
3 0%
MagicQ User Manual 108 / 579

Table 11.5: (continued)

4 50%
5 50%
6 50%
7 0%
8 0%
9 0%
10 50%
11 50%
12 50%

The default for FX segments can be set in the Cue Stack window in View Options, View Defaults, FX.

11.1.7 FX Direction & Inversion

The FX direction can be set to the following options:

• Forward
• Backward
• Centre In
• Centre Out

• Rnd
• Odd/Even
• Even/Odd

• Left/Right
• Right/Left
• Segments
• Invert

• Invert Odd/Even
• Invert Even/Odd
• Invert Left/Right

• Invert Right/Left
• Invert Segments

Forward and Backward affect the direction of the FX.

Odd/Even automatically makes the odd heads go forward and the even heads go backwards. Left/Right splits the heads in two,
with the first half going forward and the second half going backwards. Segments alternates forward / backward for each segment.
Centre In and Centre Out split the heads, pairing the outside ones, and so on to the centre.
Rnd uses a random order for the FX. Note that for Group FX the random order will change each time the Cue is loaded into the
Cue Engine - for example when reloading the show file / restarting the console.
MagicQ User Manual 109 / 579

Inverts change the polarity of the FX waveform rather than reversing the direction. For simple FX Waveforms of 1 or 2 steps the
resulting FX will be identical. For FX waveforms with more than 2 steps, they will be different.
Consider a pulse 2 steps on 4 heads, spread 0%
Forward

----
####

Invert

####
----

Invert Odd Even

-#-#
#-#-

Invert Even/Odd

#-#-
-#-#

Invert Left Right

--##
##--

Invert Right/Left

^^__
__^^

Consider a pulse 4 step FX Waveform on 4 heads:

Forward

___^
__^_
_^__
^___

Backward

^___
_^__
__^_
___^
MagicQ User Manual 110 / 579

Invert

^^^_
^^_^
^_^^
_^^^

For FX waveforms that have more than one attribute, the invert is applied only to first attribute of the FX waveform. This ensures
a simple mirror of movement FX such as circles etc. . .
The default for FX direction can be set in the Cue Stack window in View Options, View Defaults, FX.

11.1.8 Width

Waveform FX with one or two steps can have a Width parameter on Encoder C. The pulse, ramp, rampup, rampdown, sineup,
sinedown, dimmer chase and iris chase all have Width.
This enables the width of the FX to be altered without having to select different FX (e.g. pulse 2 step, pulse 3 step etc. . . ) When
set to 50% it is equivalent to a pulse 2 step. When set to close to 0% the pulse or ramp is very narrow, whilst at close to 100%
the pulse or ramp is very wide.
For example, consider a head with a ramp on Intensity with crossfade 100% and width set to 50%. The head will ramp up and
down between 0% and 100%. Changing to 25% will cause the head to stay at 0% for half the period and then ramp up to 100%
and back down to 0% for the other half of the period. Changing to 75% will cause the head to stay at 100% for half the period
and then ramp down to 0% and back up to 100% for the other half period.
The default Width comes from the FX File.

11.1.9 Speed Type

Speed Type can be set to Run, Stop and Double there are now the options Div 2, Div 3, Div 4, Div 5, Div 6, Div 7, Div 8. The
default is Run.
The Div options enable FX to built up with different attributes at multiples of one rate but still synced.
The divisors / doubler is applied after all other rate controls regardless of whether the FX is using its own timing or is being
controlled by a Speed Master.

11.1.10 Rnd

FX can be set to use Random from the Rnd field. The Rnd Step option causes the Heads to execute the FX in a constantly
changing random order.
This works particularly well for FX that use a Width such as Dim Chase, Ramp, 2 Col. This enables more of a random strobe
type effect. To get the best result use width < 30% or greater than 70%. Using parts (e.g. parts = 3) will ensure the randomness
kicks in quicker when first activated.
Prior to v1.9.3.0 the Random field was assigned permanently to a FX in the FX Editor and it was not selectable within the
Prog/Cue window.
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11.1.11 One Shot

MagicQ has support for one shot FX – i.e. FX that play back only one cycle and then stop. FX can be set to One Shot from the
One Shot field. The FX will cycle through all heads one time and then the FX will be removed. The FX will restart if a new Cue
with the same FX is executed.
There are two example one shot FX in the FX library - PulseOne and RampOne. Custom waveform FX can be created and set as
one shot in the FX parameters.
When in the Programmer, pressing BLIND BLIND will restart the FX.
Prior to v1.9.3.0 the One Shot field was assigned permanently to a FX in the FX Editor and it was not selectable within the
Prog/Cue window.

11.1.12 Timing

The Timing field on the right side of VIEW FX in the Prog and Cue windows can be set to Per Head or Per Step.
When set to Per Head, the FX bases its timing on the number of heads in the FX, or if Parts are selected the number of Parts.
Segments are also taken into account.
When set to Per Step, the FX timing is for each step in the Waveform FX.
Note that if the FX is under control of a Speed Master set to Per Head timing, then this will override the Per Step timing in the
FX. If either the FX or the Speed Master is set to Per Head timing then PEr Head timing is used.
The default for the Timing can be set in the Cue Stack window in View Options, View Defaults, FX. In new and old shows this
is set to Per Step by default. Changing it to Per Head will affect any new FX created.
There is a new soft button in the Cue Store window to convert all FX in Cues between Per Cycle and Per Head timing. This can
also be used with the filtering to select a sub set of the Cues to change.

11.1.13 FX fade times

FX can be configured to fade in and out rather than snapping in and out.
The fade times are configured in the View Times view of the Programmer Window and the Cue Window. In older versions of
software they were available in the View FX view of these windows (use the PAGE RIGHT button to move to the appropriate
columns).

11.1.14 FX delay times

MagicQ supports a FX Delay Type option for applying individual delay times to FX as well as base levels. When enabled, the
individual delay times for the base level of an attribute in a head will also apply to any incoming FX on that attribute. This allows
sweeping effects across large numbers of moving heads.
The delay FX option is configured in the Cue Window, View FX, Delay Type. Note you need to cursor right to see it. There is a
similar option in the Programmer Window if you want to set it before you record a Cue.
When set to "None" there is no delay - all the FX start to fade in at the start of the Cue.
When set to "Delay start" the FX will delay by the amount set for the individual attribute in View Times. If there are no delay
times for the individual attributes then there is no delay on the FX. After the delay for a particular head the FX will start as if it
was the start of the Cue - i.e. the offset will start from the position it would normally start from at the beginning of the Cue. The
final offset between the heads will be dependent on the delay time. Note that if you include a Cue with FX set to "Delay start"
into the programmer then it will look different as when Cues are included the delay times are ignored.
When set to "Delay size" this is like "Delay start" except that after the delay the FX is not restarted. Instead the size is faded in
and the offset is therefore exactly as it would have been if there was no delay. This means after all heads have delayed then the
final offsets between heads will be as if there had been no delay.
MagicQ User Manual 112 / 579

If you don’t want to change the base level, then you just set it at the same levels as the previous Cue - but you add individual
delay times so that MagicQ delays both the start of the level change (could be no change) and the start of the FX.
MagicQ does not currently support FX Out Delay times.
Note that the FX In Delay and FX Out Delay times in the Cue Window and Programmer Window, View Times, Simple View
are not currently supported. To add FX delay times set Individual Delay times and configure the FX Delay Type in View FX to
"Delay Start" or "Delay Size" as above.

11.1.15 Initial spreads

If you are running multiple FX from within a Cue then you may wish to select an initial spread between the different FX.
Configure this from the Programmer Window and the Cue Window (use the PAGE RIGHT button to move to the appropriate
columns). Both a coarse and a fine spread can be configured.

11.1.16 FX on CMY and RGB heads

The inbuilt colour FX are designed to work on both CMY and RGB heads - these FX are set with the "Auto Invert RGB" option
set in the Waveform FX. This means that, for example, adding the RGB FX to a group of CMY and RGB heads will cause all
heads to change colour red, green, blue.

11.1.17 Flicker FX

MagicQ includes a number of FX designed to simulate flickers – these can be used to simulate fires, candles and lightning. FX
speed, size and spread can be used to generate different effects. The flicker FX available are:
Flicker Random flicker above and below base level
Flicker up Random flicker above the base level
Flicker down Random flicker below the base level
Flicker sync Random flicker – all heads in the FX synchronised together
Flicker crossfade Random flicker with random levels and random crossfades

11.1.18 Multiple FX

It is possible to have multiple different FX on a head – e.g. a circle on pan and tilt and a red green blue colour mix on the colour
mix attributes.
MagicQ User Manual 113 / 579

When viewing and editing multiple FX in the Programmer Window or Cue Window the encoders A,B,C,D,X and Y affect only
the FX that the cursor is placed over. When a new FX is added the encoders automatically default to controlling the parameters
of the new FX.
If the cursor is placed in the All FX row at the top of the Window then these encoders affect all FX as per previous behaviour.
The E encoder can still be used to modify the individual parameter at the cursor location.

11.1.19 Joining / Splitting multiple FX

There is a function to split some heads out of a FX or to join similar FX together in the Programmer – use SHIFT and the JOIN
FX and SPLIT FX soft buttons.
When Split FX is pressed the currently selected heads are moved out of the FX that they are in, into a separate FX. If the selected
heads are the only heads in the FX then no change is made to the FX.
When Join FX is pressed MagicQ analyses all the FX in the programmer and joins any similar FX of the same type together. The
speeds/sizes/offsets are retained until the enlarged FX are modified.

11.1.20 Modifying FX for selected Heads

It is possible to change FX for a specific set of heads by first selecting the heads and then modifying the parameters in the FX
Window instead of in the Programmer Window. In the FX Window there are FX speed, size, crossfade and offset encoders. These
encoders apply changes to the FX of the currently selected heads. Note they affect all FX running on those heads so if the head
has a circle and a CMY colour FX then both will be changed. To change FX individually use the encoders in the Programmer
Window, FX View.

11.1.21 Changing FX

It is possible to change the type of FX running on a selection of heads from within the Programmer Window using the CHANGE
FX soft button. This enables a different FX to be selected, but with the speed, size and offsets remaining the same. The FX can
only be changed into compatible FX – i.e. a circle can be changed into a square or diamond, but not into a RGB effect.

11.1.22 FX Reordering

It is possible to reorder the heads in a FX without having to recreate the FX. Press the REORDER FX button in the Programmer,
View FX View. MagicQ prompts for the order, Normal, Reverse, Into Centre, Centre Out, Random. Normal will always return
them to head number order.
Note that if the current selection order is different to the one in the Cue then it will automatically use this as the new order rather
than prompting for an order.
For Group FX it reorders the Groups within the FX, not the Heads within the Groups. For reordering of heads within a Group
FX use the Direction field in the FX.

11.1.23 Blocking FX

When the Setup option "Programmer overrides FX" is set then the Programmer automatically includes a "Block FX" option –
this means that whenever a channel is in the programmer it has an implicit zero FX – so that any FX running on the channel on
Playbacks is ignored. If the channel has a FX in the programmer then the FX will run as expected. This, for example, enables
the user to take control of a moving light and place it in a fixed position.
MagicQ User Manual 114 / 579

11.2 Generating user FX

It is possible to generate user FX by programming a chase and then converting it into a FX. The FX can then be applied to any
head with the required attributes.
For example, to create a new movement FX, create a position chase by recording the pan and tilt values for one or more heads.
Set the chase speed to the speed that you wish the FX to default to. If you wish the FX to snap (not fade) then set the chase
contrast to 0%.
Convert the chase into a FX by opening the Cue Stack window and pressing SHIFT and MAKE FX. If the chase only contains 1
attribute then you will be asked whether you wish the FX to always apply to the specified attribute, or to allow it to be applied to
any attribute. If the Cue Stack has more than 1 attribute in it, then the user is prompted to choose which attributes to use in the
Waveform FX.
If multiple heads are used in the chase then multiple heads will be generated in the FX – this enables different heads in the FX to
do completely different FX. (For example, you could record a FX where 2 heads do a tilt and 2 heads do a pan)
To record a FX that can be applied to any attribute, choose 1 attribute only (e.g. dimmer) and create the chase using this attribute.
When you press MAKE FX, then select the "Make FX apply to any attribute" option.
Waveform FX support any number of attributes but it is recommended that only a small number of attributes are stored in
Waveform FX – e.g. just position, colour mix or intensity. For more complex FX store the FX in the FX Window and save to a
FX Library.
Use Record Remove to remove unwanted attributes from entire Cue Stack.

11.3 Editing user FX

MagicQ includes a FX Editor which can be used to edit the Waveform FX. Note that changing the Waveform FX makes a
permanent change to the FX on the MagicQ system including all FX of that type used in the current show and on any new shows
made on that console. If users wish to edit the inbuilt Waveform FX then they should use "Save As" to save the FX as a different
FX name before editing.
All User FX are shown in the User category - only inbuilt FX are shown in the Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam categories.
All FX are stored in the FX folder as .wve files - MagicQ intelligently filters them into categories.

11.4 Palette FX

Some of the inbuilt FX use Palette values rather than absolute values. This enables FX to be built up quickly from existing
Palettes. The FX are updated each time the Palette is changed.
Palettes can be chosen when the FX is applied rather than having to create new Waveform FX. Palette selection can be changed
directly in the Programmer, View FX and Cue , View FX windows. Changes of Palette selection are immediately updated in the
Output.
The inbuilt library of FX contains several Waveform FX that allow selection of Palettes - including 2col, 3col, 4col, 2pos, 3pos,
4pos, 2iris and 2focus.
For example, to make a FX that colour changes between yellow and magenta simply choose the 2col FX - then select the
"Yellow" palette, followed by the "Magenta" palette. Change the width parameter to vary the proportion of time spent on yellow
and magenta.
Note that MagicQ maps Red to Cyan, Green to Magenta and Blue to Yellow, so the 2col, 3col and 4col will work equally as well
for CMY heads as for RGB LED heads.
If palettes are moved in the Position, Colour or Beam windows then the reference in the FX will be modified to be the new ID,
so that the FX stays the same.
MagicQ User Manual 115 / 579

11.4.1 Palette FX on heads with different attributes

Palette FX can be applied to heads even if the heads do not have all the attributes in the Palette FX.
The 2col, 3col and 4col inbuilt FX include all 8 colour attributes (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Col Mix, Col1, Col2, Col3 and Col4)
so that when these FX are chosen they will run on all the colour attributes that are stored in the chosen Palette. This enables
colour palette FX to be run over multi heads with different attributes - CMY, RGB, RGBA, RGBW etc. . .
The 2cmy, 3cmy and 4cmy only can be used to limit FX to CMY attributes only - no FX on colour wheel, colour correction,
White or Amber.

11.4.2 User created Palette FX

Users can create their own waveform FX using the FX Editor. To make a waveform FX that has selected palettes, set both the
"Use Palettes" and "Use FX Palettes" in the Edit FX, View General. The palettes in Edit FX, View Chans are then Palette indices
rather than Palette numbers - e.g. Col 1 refers to the first selected Palette when you apply the FX, Col 2 the second selected
Palette.
If a FX uses Palettes and the selected Palettes do not have the attribute then MagicQ will use the default value for those attributes.
For example, 2col includes all the colour attributes - so if the Palette only has Cyan, Magenta and Yellow in it, then Colour Wheel
would be set to its default value in each FX step.
The Intensity attribute is a special case. If this attribute is included in the Palette FX but is not in the Palette then the MagicQ
will change the Intensity between 0% and 100% in each FX step. This enables generation of e.g. TiltDim type effects very easily
where the heads move in the dark.

11.5 FX colour flicks

MagicQ supports colour flicks - i.e. FX that apply a different colour over the base colour without mixing the colours - for example
running a red flick over a green base without mixing the red and green to get yellow.
The inbuilt FX library now includes Red, Green, Blue and White colour flicks. In addition there is a colflick FX where you select
the colour you want from a colour palette. The width parameter can be modified to change the width of the flick.
Users can create their own Waveform FX to perform complex colour flicks. In Edit FX, View General set the Default Add Type
to "Abs". In the Edit FX, View Chans set the curve to "Abs" for steps that you want to be absolute and to "Trans" for steps that
you want to be transparent (i.e. not affected by the FX - just the base level). The levels for steps set to "Trans" should be 0, or if
using Palette based FX then just set them to the first Palette selection (P1,C1,B1).

11.6 FX using base colour

It is possible to create FX that use any chosen colour rather than just primary colours – a new example Colpulse.wve is included
as part of the standard FX library.
When the FX is created, the base level of the colour channel will be used to determine the colour that the FX will use. When the
FX is played back the base level is used in the FX itself rather than the FX adding to the base.
To create a new FX based on base colour, in the FX Edit Window, View General, set Use Col Base = Yes.

11.7 Group based FX

MagicQ supports FX based on groups. Multiple groups can be selected and then an FX applied to each of those groups rather
than to individual heads.
This enables advanced FX over groups of heads. This has the advantage over parts and segments that the groups can split the FX
over different numbers of heads - e.g. 6 sports on the front truss, 4 on each of the sides, and 8 on the rear, The FX will be played
evenly across each Group as though it were 3 individual FX
MagicQ User Manual 116 / 579

It also has the advantage that if you add a head to the group then that head automatically becomes part of the FX in all the Cues
that use that FX. This makes managing FX and changing the size of your rig easier from show to show.
If multiple groups are selected then when adding FX, MagicQ automatically requests whether the FX should be applied to the
Groups or to the Heads.
FX can be added as a Group FX even if only one group is selected by using the ADD GROUP FX soft buttons in the Group and
FX windows. This has the benefit that if the heads of the Group are changed then programmed Cues using the FX automatically
change to use the new heads of the group.
Group FX and Palette FX can be used together to create FX that can be easily changed between different size rigs with only
minor changes to Groups and Palettes.
If groups are moved in the Group Window then the reference in the FX will be modified to be the new ID, so that the FX stays
the same.
As Group based FX contain channels not groups, it is not possible to carry out channel based edits on the FX such as merging
changes from the programmer or reordering the channels in the Group based FX.
The groups used within a Group FX can be changed by clicking on the groups in the Programmer and Cue windows.
In the Advanced View, REMOVE can be used to remove a Group from the FX. Pressing COPY COPY (or COPY followed by
ENTER) inserts a new Group to the FX - after inserting change it to the required Group.
It is possible to convert Group based FX into channel based FX. In the Programmer Window, View FX press SHIFT and CONV
GROUP FX. If the cursor is on the top row all FX will be converted, otherwise the FX at the cursor position will be converted.

11.7.1 Group FX Spread

The Spread of Group FX can be modified in the Prog Window, View FX and also once recorded in a Cue, in the Cue, View FX
Window using the "Group Spread" column. The options are:

Group Spreads according to the group (all members of group have

same spread) - as per previous software
All chans Spreads across all chans in all selected groups as if it was a
standard (non Group) FX
Within groups Spreads within each group as if each group was selected in
turn and a FX added to that group

Parts, Segments and Direction can be used in all "Group Spread" modes. When set to "Group" these will have limited effect
unless lots of groups are selected.
The "Within Groups" is particularly useful when running FX on Groups each with different numbers of heads - for example
consider a three truss system with 6 heads on the front truss, 5 on the mid and 4 on the rear with corresponding Groups - Front,
Mid and Back with 4,5 and 6 heads in each. Using "Within Groups" will run the FX synchronously across each truss.

11.8 FX on Heads with Duplicated Elements

When selecting FX for channels on Head with duplicated elements MagicQ prompts three options for applying the FX:

• Dup Elements
• Include Elements
• Use Elements

Dup Elements treats the elements as duplicated - i.e. all elements in the head do exactly the same thing. This is the default
operation which treats all the elements in a head as one. In software prior to v1.6.5.8 this was the only supported mdoe of FX for
Duplicated Heads.
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Include Elements includes all the elements in the FX enabling separate control of each of the elements as if they were separate
heads. For example if you apply a FX to 4 heads each with 3 elements then the FX would be spread over the 12 elements.
Use Elements runs the FX within the Heads, with all Heads performing the same FX synchronously across their elements. This
is the same as Include Elements except that MagicQ automatically sets Parts to the number of elements within the heads causing
all Heads to have the same offset.
When Group FX are applied to Heads with Duplicated Elements MagicQ will request how to apply to the duplicated elements.
If Include Elements is selected then the Group based FX will operate across all the elements of the heads in the group according
to the selected Group Spread - Group, All Chans, or Within Chans.

11.9 FX Window

FX can be recorded for re-use in multiple Cues when programming, or when busking live to quickly apply a complete FX over
multiple heads.
The FX Window enables the storage of FX and combinations of FX that are used regularly. The FX Window is opened by
pressing the FX button.

Record FX into the FX Window in the normal way – set up the FX in the programmer and then press RECORD. All of the
different FX currently in the programmer are stored including all of the size, speed and offset information. In addition, any base
levels for the channels that are controlled by the FX are also stored.
To recall the FX simply select some heads, and then select the FX from the FX Window. FX can be named, moved and copied
just like any windows items. FX can be played back on any head that supports the programmed attributes – not just the heads the
FX was recorded with.
Use the VIEW DATA view, to make changes to the core parameters of the FX.
Alternatively, edit FX by including an FX into the programmer and then using Update.
Note that by default FX are actually stored as Cues – you can see them in the Cue Store – however there is no need to access
them other than through the FX window.
When FX are imported, exported or the heads that the FX reference are removed, the FX are converted into generic FX enabling
them to continue to be used. Generic FX are not stored in the Cue Store.
When you program new Cues using a FX selected from the FX window, a copy of the FX is made so that you can make individual
changes in the programmed Cue.

11.9.1 FX Palettes

From v1.9.5.0 FX in the FX Window behave like palettes.

Updating the FX in the FX window will update instances where the FX has been used in Cues. The overall FX speed, size,
crossfade, width, direction, spread, parts and segments, add mode, initial offset and rnd type can be changed and will be updated
to the Cues. Note that changes to individual channel parameters within the FX are not updated, only the overall parameters.
The top text in the window shows which Cue the FX is used in, or if used in multiple Cues the number of times it is used.
Filtering by FX in the Cue Store and Stack Store provides further information on which Cues and Cue Stacks are using the FX.
The FX can also be edited by including the FX from the FX Window, edit in the programmer and then update. Note that when
updating, any changes to the type of FX, or individual channels will not be updated to the Cues - only overall parameters will be
updated.
If users do not edit the FX in the FX Window and do not include and update FX in the FX Window then MagicQ will operate as
in previous versions - the FX in Cues will never be updated from the FX.
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Cues that are linked to FX in the FX Window are shown in the Cue Window with FX X preceding the name where X is the FX
number in the FX Window. For example, a Cue that is linked to a circle FX in FX 2 in the FX Window will show as FX 2 Circle.
Moving FX items in the FX Window will update the Cues to maintain the link to the moved FX item.
Removing a FX from the FX Window will remove any links to that FX from all Cues - this is similar to when removing Int, Pos,
Col, Beam palettes items, which also remove links from all Cues.
Note that FX will only be linked to Cues that have been recorded in v1.9.5.0 or above.
Cues created in older versions of software will not have a link to the FX Window. Prior to v1.9.5.0 editing the FX in the FX did
not affect the programmed Cues – only new Cues programmed using the FX.
Use SHIFT + EXTRACT FX soft button in the FX Window to extract FX from the Cues in an older show. The FX are extracted
from the Cues and created in the FX Window, with the Cues linking to the FX. Where identical FX have been used in multiple
Cues only one FX will be created in the FX Window.
Cues can also be linked to FX already in the FX Window using the CHECK FX LINKS and CHECK ALL LINKS soft buttons.
The CHECK FX LINKS soft button checks for identical FX to the cursor item FX that in all Cues, creating a link if the FX
match. The CHECK ALL LINKS checks for all FX. No new FX are created in the FX window - it only creates links where FX
are identical between the Cues and the FX Window.
The REPLACE FX soft button can be used to replace a FX with another FX in specific Cues, or all Cues on the system. This
works in the same way as REPLACE GROUP in the Group Window and REPLACE PALETTE in the Pos, Col and Beam
windows.

11.10 Importing and Exporting the FX Library

The FX in the FX Window can be stored to a FX library file so that the FX can be reloaded and reused in any MagicQ show. Use
the SAVE FX LIB to make a FX library file – all the FX in the FX window are stored to the file. The FX are saved as generic FX
– i.e. they can be played back on any type of head as long as it has the same attributes. Reload a FX library using the LOAD FX
LIB.
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Chapter 12

Programmer

The programmer is the function of MagicQ where show data is configured for recording. The programmer takes priority over
all playbacks. It can also be used during live running to override the outputs – for example, for changing the colour or gobo of
intelligent heads.
MagicQ outputs any channels that are active in the programmer at highest priority – i.e. they over-ride all other playbacks.

12.1 What is in the programmer?

The Prog Window enables you to determine exactly what is in the programmer and how it is configured. Press PROG to open
the window. The programmer stores three types of data

• Levels
• Times

• FX

In the Prog Window there are three views, corresponding to the three types of data – View Levels, View Times and View FX.
Use the three top left soft buttons to select the view.

In the Channel Times and Channel View windows you have a choice of a Simple View or an Advanced View. The Simple View
is sufficient for most programming – it enables modifications of fade times on a per attribute type basis and modifications of each
programmed FX. The Advanced View enables fade times and FX parameters to be set up on a per channel basis.
In Levels View select Advanced View to view the raw values rather than the palette/range names.
The LED on the CLEAR button is illuminated when there is data in the programmer.
A second copy of the Programmer Window, the Programmer Info Window can be opened for displaying on an external monitor.
Press CTRL + Prog to open the Programmer Info Window.
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12.2 Clearing the programmer

To clear the Programmer press CLEAR. All channels will be deactivated and all HTP channels will be set to zero.
Pressing SHIFT CLEAR clears the heads that you have currently selected. Use this to clear one or more heads without clearing
all heads from the programmer.
To clear the programmer over a period of time, type a number before pressing CLEAR, e.g. Press 5 CLEAR to clear the
programmer over 5 seconds.
To set all channels to default values use CTRL + CLEAR (supported from v1.7.2.1 and above).
It is possible to force all LTP channels to zero by using SHIFT + CTRL + CLEAR. (supported from v1.7.2.1 - in previous version
this was supported on CTRL + CLEAR).

12.3 Activation by Channel or by Head?

After CLEAR has been pressed, the programmer is empty - i.e. there are no channels active in the programmer. When the level
of a dimmer channel or an attribute of an intelligent head is changed for the first time then it becomes active in the programmer.
For heads with multiple channels, there is a choice here as to how the other attributes of a head are affected by the activation of
one of the head attributes.
By default, if one attribute of a head is changed then only that attribute is activated - this is referred to as "Activation by Chan".
This can be modified in the Setup Window in the "Activate chans/head" option. When set to "head" then when one attribute of a
head is changed, all the attributes of the head are activated. For LTP channels the values of the attributes in the programmer are
set to the current output value. HTP channels will remain at zero.
MagicQ also supports "IPCB", "IPC" and "Col". These group similar parameters together, so for example if you touch a colour
attribute or the colour attributes are loaded into the programmer. "IPCB" means all Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam attributes
work in this way, whereas "IPC" only works on Intensity, Position and Colour attributes, not Beam attributes.
Performing a LOCATE activates all parameters. At any time all of the attributes of the selected heads can be forced into the
programmer by opening the Programmer Window, holding SHIFT and pressing ACTIVE.

12.4 Recording a Cue

The basic unit of storage on the console is the Cue, which stores

• Level information
• Timing information
• FX information

This corresponds to the information in the programmer - recording a Cue is simply a matter of transferring what is in the
programmer into the Cue.
To record a Cue, first set up the look, then press RECORD and press the SELECT button of the Playback to record the Cue onto.
To name the Cue, key in the name before pressing RECORD. You can name a Cue that has already been recorded by keying in
the name, pressing SET and pressing the Select button for the Playback that the Cue was recorded onto.
To test the Cue, first clear the programmer by pressing CLEAR then raise the Playback fader or press the Playback FLASH
button.
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When a Cue is recorded it is automatically added to the Cue Store - a list of all Cues stored in the show. The Cue will be given a
unique Cue Number (e.g. Q1). This enables the Cue to be re-used in future programming.
To view a recorded Cue, press the SELECT button for the Playback, and then press CUE to open the Cue Window.
The Cue Window is very similar to the Programmer Window - it has the same views for Levels, Timing and FX.

12.4.1 Levels

All active channels in the programmer are transferred into the Cue. Thus if "Activation by Head" is in use then all the attributes
of activated heads will be stored.
If the channel level was set using a Palette, then that is also recorded so that the Cue can keep track of changes to the Palette.
When you subsequently change the Palette the changes will be reflected in the Cue.

12.4.2 Timing

The timing information in the programmer is copied into the Cue. Cue timing can be set up before or after the Cue is recorded.
Timing information for channels consists of two types:
General Times: stored for each type of attribute (Int In, Int Out, Position, Colour, Beam)
Individual Times: stored on an individual channel basis
All Cues have General Times whereas Individual Times are optional. When a Cue has Individual Times then these override the
General Times. Cues can have Individual Times set for only certain heads or attributes – in this case Individual Times will be
used for those heads and attributes, whilst the General Times will be used for all other heads and attributes.

12.4.3 FX

The Cue stores FX information for each of the FX that is in the programmer.

12.5 Split Cue Times

It is possible to add Split Cue times (different times for different heads) both before a Cue is programmed in the Programmer
Window and afterwards in the Cue Window.
Split times can be added by playing back Palettes with time or by directly editing the Times in the Programmer or Cue Windows.
In both the Programmer and the Cue Window the View Times has two views – View Simple and View Advanced. View Simple
is used for simple changes to times including entering split times across the selected heads. View Advanced is used for editing
attribute times for a particular head one by one.

12.5.1 View Simple

The View Simple shows both General Times and Individual Times. The General Times are the times that are applied by default
to attributes in the Cue – i.e. if you do not specify any Individual Time for an attribute on a head then the General Times will be
used. The Individual Times lets you enter times for specific heads and for specific attributes.
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If you select some heads selected then the Individual Times will show you the times for those heads otherwise it will show times
for all heads in the Cue. If heads have different then the lowest and highest times are shown.
You can set split times in the Individual Times by selecting some heads and entering the shortest time followed by THRU and
then the longest time. For instance, if you enter 4 THRU 8 in the fade field then it will set a fade times from 4 seconds to 8
seconds across the selected heads. The order is determined by the current order within the selected heads – you can change the
selection order from the Group Window.
Using the NEXT HEAD, PREV HEAD displays the times for individual heads so you can step through each of the heads in turn
to see their times. Use All to get back to the summary for all selected heads.
It is possible to set individual times on a per attribute view – but you must have some heads selected for this to work.
Use REMOVE to remove delay and fade times from heads – the times will be removed and MagicQ will use the General Times
for these heads.

12.5.1.1 Fade Type

It is possible to specify the fade type in both the Programmer Window, View Times and Cue Window, View Times.

• Default – fades according to Instant attribute in Personality

• Fade – always fades
• Snap at start – always snaps at beginning of fade
• Snap at end – always snaps at end of fade
• Damped - fades using a damped fade curve - starts slowly, speeds up, slows down
• Slow start - starts slowly, finishes fast
• Slow end - starts fast, finishes slowly

Fade types can be set for individual attributes or for attribute types such as Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam.
Note that as per individual delay and fade times, the fade type is only adjustable for attributes that are in the Programmer / Cue.
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12.5.2 View Advanced

In the View Advanced you can set delay and fade times on a per head and per attribute basis one at a time. It is also possible to
set multiple heads and multiple attributes by highlighting multiple items using SHIFT and the cursor keys. To fan times across
heads use Simple View.

12.6 Recording to a specific Cue Id

To Record to a specific Cue Id in a Cue Stack, enter the Cue Id number on the keypad before you press RECORD and select the
Playback S button.
It is also possible when the Setup option "Select Heads and Palettes from keypad" is set to record Cues using only the keypad.
Press RECORD + ENTER to record directly to the currently selected Playback. You can record to a specific Cue Id on the
currently selected playback by entering a number and pressing RECORD + ENTER.
You can record to a specific Cue Id and Playback by entering the Playback number followed by /, followed by the Cue Id and
pressing RECORD + ENTER.
For example 6/2.0 ENTER records to Playback 6, Cue Id 2.0.

12.7 Snapshot Icons

MagicQ stores Snapshot images of the Visualisation, Media or Pixel Mapping output when recording Cues and Palettes enabling
easy identification of the contents of Cues and Palettes. MagicQ grabs Snapshots directly from MagicVis and MagicHD. MagicQ
can also grab Snapshots from Capture using CITP and from MSEX compliant Media Servers.
Icon snapshots are stored on the MagicQ system/console rather than in the show file to avoid the show file getting too large. In
normal operation MagicQ will save the icon snapshots to the icon folder on the MagicQ system and retrieve them when needed
for display. To copy icon snapshots along with your show file to a different MagicQ system, then the show extras file (.xhw)
needs to be copied along with the show file of the same name. These icon snapshots will then be loaded alongside the show file
when opened.
MagicQ will only store snapshot icons when the relevant Visualiser / Media Server is active and connected.

12.8 Record Options

Record options can be accessed when recording by pressing SHIFT and RECORD or at any time using the REC OPTIONS soft
button in the Programmer Window.
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12.8.1 Record Short cuts

There are many short-cuts keys for recording

Record Merge

Hold S and press REC Record Merge into Current Cue on Playback
REC 0 ENTER Record Merge into Current Cue on Playback
REC UPDATE Record Merge into Current Cue on Playback
Hold + and press REC Record Merge (then choose where to merge)
Hold – and press REC Record Remove (then choose where to record)
Hold UPDATE and press REC Record Update (then choose where to record)

Record Cue Only

Hold / and press REC Record cue only (then choose where to record)

Record selected heads only

Hold * and press REC Record selected heads only

Hold * and + and press REC Record merge selected heads only
Hold * and - and press REC Record remove selected heads only

12.8.2 Masking

The console supports comprehensive masking facilities to enable the operator to select which attributes are recorded from the
programmer into Cues.
By default there is no masking applied - all channels in the programmer are recorded into Cues. Two types of masking can be
applied - masking by attribute type and masking by attribute.
Masking by attribute type enables the operator to select which of the intensity, position, colour and beam attribute types is
recorded. Press the REC INT, REC POS, REC COL and REC BEAM soft buttons to select the attribute types to be recorded.
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Select attributes in the Record Options Window to select to record individual attributes into the Cue.
Select Entire State to record all the values in the Programmer regardless of whether they have been changed since the last Cue
was record – this forces a blocking Cue to be recorded with hard values. Use ALL + RECORD as a shortcut to select Entire
State.
The Status Display indicates when any masking is active. Masking is cleared once a Cue is recorded - this can be prevented by
pressing the LOCK MASK soft button in the Record Options Window.
The Record Option Window displays individual attribute names based on the currently selected head so that it is easy to recognise
the attributes to select. If no heads are currently selected then it uses the first active head in the programmer.
Masking can be selected quickly by holding Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and pressing RECORD for recording only the
selected attributes.

12.8.3 Options

The console supports several additional options for recording Cues. These include recording all the channels from heads regard-
less of whether they are active in the programmer and recording only heads that are currently selected. Press the REC OPTIONS
soft button and select an option.
Record options return to the defaults once a Cue is recorded.

12.9 Active

MagicQ has an Active function for loading attributes into the programmer at their current value. This can be used to ensure that
the programmer contains all the attributes of the selected heads, or to add in individual attributes to the programmer.
To make individual attributes active in the programmer, hold SET and press the soft button associated with the attribute in the
Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam windows.
It is also possible to make active entire Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam attributes by holding Position, Colour or Beam or
Intensity and pressing SET.
To make all the attributes of a group of heads active, first select the heads you want to control, then hold * and press SET.
Alternatively in the Programmer Window press SHIFT and select ACTIVE.

12.10 Removing channels from the Programmer

12.10.1 Removing channels using the REMOVE button

To remove (knock out) items from the programmer.

• Select the heads you wish to remove attributes from. If no heads are selected then all active heads in the programmer are
affected.

Then choose one of the following methods

• Hold REMOVE and press All, Position, Colour, Beam. This removes all attributes of these of Intensity, Position, Colour or
Beam.
• Hold REMOVE and turn an encoder wheel or press the soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows – the
specified attribute will be removed.
• Hold All, Position, Colour or Beam and press REMOVE. This removes all attributes of these of Intensity, Position, Colour or
Beam.
• Hold a soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows and press REMOVE. The specified attribute will be
removed.
• Hold * and press REMOVE to remove all attributes of the selected heads.
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12.10.2 Removing channels using the Programmer Window

It is also possible to remove attributes from the programmer by editing the spread sheet view in the Programmer Window.
Select the item (s) with the cursor that you wish to remove from the programmer and then press the REMOVE soft button.
For example, to remove the iris attributes for all heads in the programmer:

• Select VIEW LEVELS in the Prog View.

• Select the entire Iris column (move to the top, hold SHIFT and press END)
• Press the REMOVE ATTR soft button.

To remove, all of the attributes of MAC500 head numbers 2 and 3 from the programmer:

• Select VIEW LEVELS in the Prog View.

• Move the cursor to the Head Name column.
• Select MAC500s 2 and 3 (move to the row for number 2, hold SHIFT, move to row for number 3)
• Press the REMOVE HEAD soft button.

To remove, the FX for head number 2:

• Select VIEW LEVELS in the Prog View.

• Select ADV VIEW.
• Move the cursor to the Head Name column for Mac number 2.
• Press the REMOVE HEAD FX soft button.

12.11 Making channels hard values

Channels in the programmer can be set to have hard values instead of palette values. This function can be accessed in the
Programmer Window, View Levels with SHIFT + MAKE HARD. All attributes of the currently selected heads that are active in
the programmer are made hard (non palette) values. If no heads are selected then all heads in the programmer are affected.
Keyboard shortcuts are also available by holding POS, COL, BEAM, * or one of the attribute soft buttons and pressing INC.
This operates in a similar way to making channels active using SET, knocking out channels using REMOVE or partial locating
channels with LOCATE.
To make channels hard in the the programmer.

• Select the heads you wish to make hard attributes from. If no heads are selected then all active heads in the programmer are
affected.

Then choose one of the following methods

• Hold INCLUDE and press All, Position, Colour, Beam. This makes the Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam attributes hard.
• Hold INCLUDE and turn an encoder wheel or press the soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows – the
specified attribute will be made a hard value.
• Hold All, Position, Colour or Beam and press INCLUDE. This makes all of the Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam attributes
hard values.
• Hold a soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows and press INCLUDE. Channels of the specified attribute
will be made hard.
• Hold * and press INCLUDE to set all attributes of the selected heads to hard values.
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12.12 Copy between heads

You can copy between heads using the keypad. To copy the head data, select some heads from the keypad, press COPY and then
enter the destination heads. For example, to copy from heads 1 to 2 to heads 5 to 8
1 THRU 2 COPY 5 THRU 8 ENTER
MagicQ also supports the @ Syntax.
COPY 1 THRU 2 @ 5 THRU 8 ENTER
It is not necessary to have the same number of source heads as destination heads. Each of the source heads is used in turn to copy
data to the destination heads.
If the source head is using a palette for an attribute then the destination head automatically also uses the palette - but uses its
value from the palette, not the value from the source head.
Head data can be copied between different types of heads. If the source head is not using a palette then MagicQ will try to match
range information - for example if the source head has a random strobe in the shutter channel then MagicQ will try to find a
random strobe in the shutter channel of the destination head. If no range match can be found then MagicQ simply uses the hard
value from the source head.
The Copy heads setting in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage specifies whether copying of heads in the programmer is limited to
the attributes that are in the programmer or whether it includes attributes that are active on playbacks.
Fade times will only be copied if the source head has level data in the programmer. FX data will only be copied between heads
where the source head has FX data in the programmer.
Selected attributes can be copied rather than the entire head. In software v1.9.1.0 and above this can be done directly from the
keypad.
1 THRU 2 COPY POS COL 5 THRU 8 ENTER
To specify individual attribute masks use SHIFT + COPY and set the required attribute mask. A shortcut to copy just one attribute
type is to hold the attribute type button and press COPY - e.g. to copy just colour, hold COLOUR and press COPY.
COPY GROUP 1 @ GROUP 2 ENTER will copy head data from heads in Group 1 to heads in Group 2.
You can copy from the current selection to other heads by using the COPY @ syntax, e.g. to copy from currently selected heads
to heads 1 and 2:
COPY @ 1 THRU 2 ENTER.
COPY @ GROUP 2 ENTER.
Copying head data in this way respects sub selection on the source - so when sub selection is active then it will only copy from
heads that are sub selected not from all heads that are selected.

12.13 Blind programming

A show can be programmed without affecting the state of the outputs using blind programming mode. In this mode the program-
mer will operate as normal (with the current levels being displayed in the Prog Window) but the contents of the programmer will
not be output.
Enter and exit blind mode by pressing the BLIND button. The button illuminates to indicate blind mode is active and BLIND is
indicated in the status display.
Blind mode is also useful during playback for busking in FX. For example you might wish to set up a FX on some moving heads
using blind mode – configuring the speed and size before you make it live.
You can enter and exit blind mode with times. For example, press 10 BLIND to enter blind mode over 10 seconds.
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12.14 Parking (freezing) channels

It is possible to park (freeze) channels using the PARK soft button in the Group Window. Press SHIFT + PARK to unpark
channels.
All attributes of selected heads that are in the programmer are parked. To make all the attributes of the selected heads active, go
to the Programmer Window and press SHIFT and ACTIVE.
When parking, if no attributes are in the programmer then the whole head is parked.
When unparking, all attributes of the head are unparked regardless of those that are in the programmer - this avoids the need to
work out which attributes were parked.
Parking persists over shutdowns and resets. Parking information is stored in the show file.
Parking forces HTP values to the parked value regardless of other playbacks (In Group window, SHIFT + ACTIVE).
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Chapter 13

Outputs Windows

On MagicQ you can view the Outputs in many different ways. MagicQ supports up to 4 different Output Windows. This allows
four different output views to be viewed simultaneously.
Press the OUT button to open the main Output Window. Press 2 and then OUT to open the second Output Window, 3 + OUT for
Output Window 3 and 4 + OUT for Output Window 4. The 2nd Output Window – the Output Info Window can also be opened
by pressing CTRL + OUT.
In the Outputs Window, just as in the Programmer Window and Palette View Window there is auto ordering of heads. MagicQ
orders the heads according to the selection order. When no heads are selected the order is the normal head order. Auto ordering
can be turned off in the Setup Window under Windows, "Auto Row ordering".
The Outputs Window has many different views – press the soft buttons on the top left hand side to change the views.

13.1 Heads View

The Heads View shows information for all of the heads patched in the show - press the VIEW HEADS soft button.
The sort order of the heads is as chosen in the Patch Window, Sort Head. If the Setup option, View Settings, Windows, Auto
Row Ordering is set to "yes" then the sort order is modified to show the currently selected heads at the top.
The Output values shown are the values calculated internally in MagicQ BEFORE any patch adjustments are made such as
dimmer curves, offsets, inverts, merges, min and max and vdims.
Press CTRL and SHIFT to see the 16bit raw DMX output values.
You can request only information for certain heads to be shown by using the PROG ONLY, SEL ONLY and SEL PB soft buttons.
These show respectively, heads that are active in the programmer, selected heads, and heads in the current cue on the selected
playback.
You can choose what information is shown for the heads using the VIEW VALS, VIEW RAW and VIEW PLAYBACK and
VIEW CUE IDS soft buttons. VIEW VALS shows the values including range and palette names. VIEW RAW shows the
numeric values. VIEW PLAYBACKS shows which Playback is controlling the attribute and VIEW CUE IDS shows which Cue
ID in a Playback is controlling the attribute.
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The following colours are used:

Red: Attributes that are in the Programmer
White: Attributes under control of a Playback.
Blue: Attributes controlled by the currently selected Playback
Grey: Attributes not under control of Playbacks or Programmer

13.2 Intensity View

The Intensity View shows just intensity information for the patched heads enabling a large number of heads to be shown within
the window. Press the VIEW CHANS and VIEW INT soft buttons. Intensity level is shown as a percentage (%).
The sort order of the heads is as chosen in the Patch Window, Sort Head. If the Setup option, View Settings, Windows, Auto
Row Ordering is set to "yes" then the sort order is modified to show the currently selected heads at the top.
The Output values shown are the values calculated internally in MagicQ BEFORE any patch adjustments are made such as
dimmer curves, offsets, inverts, merges, min and max and vdims.
Use the VIEW HORIZ soft button to change whether heads are shown horizontally or vertically.

The VIEW NAMES soft button allows names to be shown. Deselect this option if you wish to maximise the number of heads
shown in this window or you wish to have a more traditional theatre channel list view.

The VIEW COLS soft buttons allows colours to show the state of the channel.

Red In programmer
Cyan Increasing value
Green Decreasing value
White Static value controlled by Playback/Cue
Magenta Tracked value
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13.3 DMX Channels View

The DMX Channels View shows the actual values that are being output on the DMX or on the network. Press the VIEW CHANS,
VIEW DMX and VIEW VALS soft buttons. Note that these values are the real output values – if the output is enabled then these
values will be the values transmitted in the DMX packets on the wire. Inversions, merging, and all other modifications are made
to the values before they are displayed in this Window.
Intensity channels are shown in red, position in green, colour in purple and beam in yellow. Channels that are not patched are
shown in grey.
Use the View Names option on soft button B to make it easier to find specific DMX channel outputs.
Use the VIEW INPUTS / VIEW OUTPUTS soft buttons to view the DMX / network values that are being received rather than
the ones being transmitted.
When viewing the Inputs it is possible to select the VIEW MIN MAX soft button to show the maximum values received.
Deselecting the VIEW MIN MAX resets the view.
VIEW ART-NET changes to a view of the first 256 Art-Net universes with a count of the number of Art-Net packets being
received on each universe per second. From v1.7.1.3, counts in red show an Art-Net universe where there is a conflict from 2 or
more consoles.

13.4 Movement View

Press the VIEW CHANS, VIEW DMX and VIEW MOVE soft buttons for movement view.

The movement view shows the relative positions of heads in terms of pan and tilt range on a 2D map. It also shows the current
colour of the heads. This enables previewing of FX and relative positions without the lighting rig. Press the VIEW CHANS,
VIEW DMX, VIEW MOVE soft buttons.

13.5 Chart View

Press the VIEW CHANS, VIEW DMX and VIEW CHART soft buttons for chart view.
In this view whole universes of DMX are shown in a graphical format. Use Encoder A to change the starting universe.
Press VIEW INPUTS to view the DMX inputs to the console instead of the outputs.

13.6 Plan View

Plan View enables 2D plans of the stage rig to be constructed and viewed. It also enables grids of LED or dimmers to be created
for use with the in-built pixel mapping (Bitmap FX) engine. Press the VIEW PLAN soft button.
MagicQ User Manual 132 / 579

13.6.1 Creating rig plans

It is possible to create a rig plan in the Outputs window, so that you can easily identify the levels and colours of your moving
lights based on their position in the lighting rig. The model of the rig in MagicQ consists of a grid - each cell can be assigned to
a particular head number.

In the Outputs Window, select View Plan. Then select View Grid and View Hd Nos. Press Grid Size and enter a matrix size for
your lighting rig – e.g. 30/20 gives a 30 column by 20 row grid.
If grid width is specified then MagicQ will choose a height to keep the aspect ratio for the background bitmap, or if none to
match the width.
A grid is now displayed. In each of the boxes enter the head number of the head that you wish to be represented in this box. In
order to make best use of this feature all heads should have unique numbers.
The grid can be zoomed on encoder E. Hold ALT to zoom horizontal only.
Soft button E can be used to zoom into the current cursor position and to reset back out to 100%.
Background images can be added via the Grid Action soft button.

13.6.2 Inserting heads using heads numbers

You can use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to cursor select a number of items and set a sequence of head numbers starting
from the entered head number. The order of the cursor selection determines how the items are ordered - for example, cursor
selecting an area from bottom right to bottom left and then to top left will cause the heads to be number from bottom right to top
left starting horizontally.
Note that it is not necessary to have a head number assigned to every cell in the grid – cells can be blank. This enables the lights
to be positioned in the grid in a corresponding way to how the heads are positioned on the rig.
To remove a head number from a cell, press REMOVE and select the cell. Move and Copy can also be used to quickly move or
copy one or more cells.
MagicQ User Manual 133 / 579

To enter an element of a Head enter <Head No> . <Element>

When setting Head Nos into a Grid with Grid Options Multi Element MagicQ now sets Head Nos according to whether an
element is specified or not. Head Nos without elements are set as single Heads in the grid whilst Head Nos with elements are set
as mul;ti element Heads in the Grid. For example, setting Head No 10 will insert just the Head 10 in a single cell, whilst setting
Head 10.1 will insert all the Head Elements into cells as per the element layout of the Head.
The Grid Option "All Multi" forces Heads with multiple elements that are entered as a Head No without an element specified to
be inserted as all elements in a Multi Element grid.

13.6.3 Inserting Heads using Insert Heads

You can use the INSERT HEADS button to insert the currently selected heads into the grid. The heads are placed in order of
head number. If no heads are selected then all heads from the patch are inserted.
The Insert Heads soft button has the options Horiz, Vert, Dup Ele (Horiz), Dup Ele (Vert), 3D and and Col Web.
Horiz, Vert insert into the Grid in the horizontal or vertical direction. Multi element heads will be inserted into separate grid
cells according to the width and height specifiers in the personality and using the shape from the personality to determine the
orientation of the multiple elements. Duplicate element heads will be inserted as a single cell.
Dup Ele (Horiz) and Dup Ele (Vert) are used to insert all the elements of a Duplicated Element head into the grid as separate cells.
The duplicated elements will be inserted into separate grid cells according to the width and height specifiers in the personality
and using the shape from the personality to determine the orientation of the duplicated elements.
Note that Horiz and Vert refer to the relationship between separate heads, not the orientation of the multi elements or duplicated
elements within a head. To rotate a multi element or a duplicated element head to an orientation that is different to that specified
in the personality, use the Output Multi Head Support below.
3D is used for inserting for 3D pixel mapping in the 3rd dimension - only multi element heads can be inserted in 3D.
Col Web is for inserted Colour Web only.

13.6.4 Output Grid Multi Head Support

The Output Grids supports manipulation of multi element heads and duplicated heads as complete objects. When setting a grid
size for the first time MagicQ prompts whether to use multi heads or not. The option can be changed at any time by pressing the
GRID OPTIONS soft button and selecting Set Multihead or Clear Multihead.
In Multi Head mode, MagicQ automatically keeps tracks of the elements of the the multi element or duplicated heads, adjusting
them each time the head is inserted, moved or rotated in the Grid.
Setting Multi Head to "No" will change back to each element operating with each cell for multi head fixtures being placed
manually by the user. When pixel mapping on multi element Heads we recommend to set Multi Head to "Yes".

13.6.5 Output Grid display types

Press VIEW TYPE to select the information that is displayed in each cell. The options are:

• Head Names
• Head Nos
• Intensity
• Head Nos + Int
• Head Nos + Int + Names
• Colours
• Patch
MagicQ User Manual 134 / 579

• Current Cue
• Pixel

Select Colours to view the outputs of your rig. When a head has a level greater than 0% the box starts to get filled until at 100%
it is completely filled. The colour of the lamp is also indicated.
When set to Patch, the head number and DMX address of each Head is shown.
Selecting Current Cue shows the contents of the current Cue instead of the Output. The current Cue is the Cue that is showing in
the Cue Window - which normally is the active Cue on the currently selected Playback - unless the Cue Window has been locked
to a specific Cue in a Cue Stack.
When set to Pixel, the output is a pixel array the size of the grid. It can be zoomed to fill the window if required with each pixel
being expanded up to more pixels. Head nos, head names or intensities are not shown.

13.6.6 Output Grid Repatching

It is possible to repatch Heads from within the Output window, making it easier to modify a show to a festival or house rig.
Open the Output Window in View Plan and View Grid. Choose Output Type of Patch.
The REPATCH soft button can be used to repatch Heads.
Click on a cell to select a Head. Then press REPATCH and enter the new DMX address.
Multiple cells can be selected before pressing REPATCH, using SHIFT, CTRL or by dragging over cells.
When Head Test is on (Soft button C) then repatching a Head will cause the test to follow the changed DMX, making it easy to
prove that the new address is correct.

13.6.7 Output Grid Options

The options of the grid can be configured:

Multi Ele In multi element mode MagicQ handles the head as one
head, automatically inserting the elements.
All Multi In multi element mode, any Head Nos manually set without
an element number specified, cause all Elements to be
inserted.
Grid on Groups Grid operates on Groups (a Group per cell) rather than
heads
MagicHD Pix Grid output is taken from MagicHD layer
Show Symbols Heads in the Grid are shown as symbols based on the
Shape specified in the Patch for the Head, or the default
from the Head Personality
Keep Aspect Ratio The aspect ratio of the background image is maintained. If
not background image is specified then the Grid cells are
kept square.
True Colour The grid shows colours based on fixture emitter data (if
supported on that fixture)
Select Lines Selection of whole rows or columns is supported by
clicking on empty cells adjacent to items in the grid
Int None Colours are shown according to their colour or gel
regardless of intensity level
Int Colour Grade Colours are graded according to the current intensity - so if
fixture is at 0% intensity then no colour will be shown
Int Glass Fill Colours use the full colour but the cell is filled according to
the intensity, like filling a glass.
MagicQ User Manual 135 / 579

Inv Background Inverts the background colour - i.e. white to black, black to
white
Rot 0 Background Background is displayed as per the image
Rot 90 Background Background is rotated 90 degrees
Rot 180 Background Background is rotated 180 degrees
Rot 270 Background Background is rotated 270 degrees

Background images are selected from the show\bitmaps folder. Bitmaps that are used within a MagicQ show are saved into the
.xhw show file.

13.6.8 Output Grid Actions

In View Grid mode, actions can be performed on the grid

Patch Pixmap Patch a Pix map personality on the grid

Arrange Vis Sets the XYZ location of the head in the Visualiser based
on its grid position
Set Background Sets a background image to the grid
Clear Background Clears the background image
Gen XY Generates XY data for the Grid - reserved function - for
Support use only
Reorder XY Reorders according to XY data - reserved - for Support use
only
Import Grid Imports a Grid from CSV file
Export Grid Exports the current Grid to CSV file

13.6.9 Importing and Exporting Grids

There is a facility to Import and Export Grid data to CSV files for editing in Excel or other systems. In Output, View Plan choose
View Grid and Grid Action.
The Export Grid exports the current Grid to a file in the show folder named gridX.csv where X is the Grid ID. Group Grids have
the Group number plus 100, so Group Grid for Group 1 is grid101.csv.
The Import Grid imports from a file of the same name. When Importing if a Grid already exists then all cell data from that Grid
is first removed and the size is set to the size of data in the .csv file.
The format of the file is simply head numbers or head number.element number. Each head number in a row is separated by a
comma or a semi colon and the line is terminated by a newline or carriage return.
A typical Grid CSV file for a Grid of width 4, height 3 would be:
1,2,3,4 5,6,7,8 9,10,11,12
For a Grid with multi head elements with a 10x1 LED pixel bar it would be:
1.1,1.2,1.3,1.4,1.5,1.6,1.7,1.8,1.9,1.10

13.6.10 Selection of heads in Outputs Plan View

Heads can be selected from the plan view and then their parameters changed by pressing and holding the Group, Position, Colour
or Beam buttons. When the programmer setting "Highlight defaults beam and colour" is enabled, any heads selected will have
their dimmer set to 100% in open white.
When the Outputs Plan view is used as a stage plan it is possible to select multiple heads in a row or column by clicking on blank
spaces in the grid. Ensure the Grid Option, Set Lines is enabled.
Clicking on a blank space at the top edge of the grid will select/deselect heads in the whole column depending on the current
selection state of the heads.
MagicQ User Manual 136 / 579

Clicking on a blank space on the left edge of the grid will select/deselect heads in the whole row depending on the current
selection state of the heads.
Clicking on a blank space at the bottom edge of the grid will select the whole column regardless of the current state of selection
of the heads.
Clicking on a blank space at the right edge of the grid will deselect the whole row regardless of the current state of selection of
the heads.
Clicking within the grid on a blank space that is adjacent to a head will have the same effect as above – but only for all the heads
directly adjacent to each other. As it is possible that the blank space that is clicked on may have more than one adjacent head, the
priority is left, top, right, bottom.
For other plans where head numbers are packed into the grid with no blank spaces – e.g. LED arrays, it is still possible to use
this method but the grid must have blank spaces around the edges of the grid.

13.6.11 Groups within Grids

It is possible to mix both individual heads and groups within a Grid.

Create a Grid as normal and then copy any required Groups from the Group Window into the Grid.
Groups in Grids can be used to select heads and are also used by the Pixel Mapper to output for all heads in the group instead of
just for one head.
Note that if you wish to make an entire Grid work on Groups then this continues to be supported using Set Grid On Groups in
Grid Options - all boxes in the Grid will then refer to Groups instead of Heads.

13.6.12 Key Macros in Grids

Key Macros can be set in the Output Grid. For example, this could be used to put CLEAR, LOCATE or changes to intensity into
the Grid.
To place a key macro in a grid, simply copy the Key Macro from the Macro Window into the Grid when in View Grid. If the
Macro has an icon assigned then that icon will be shown in the Grid.

13.6.13 Exec Items and Text in Grids

Exec Grid items can now be copied to the Output Grids. This enables Palettes, Cues, Cue Stacks and Assign Special items to be
shown and selected in the Output Grids.
Text can now be stored directly on the Output Grids. Press SET and store alphanumeric text. Note that if the entered text is
purely a number, or a number including "." or "-" then the text will be treated as a head/element number and used to insert heads
in the grid. For convenience, the text strings are the same as are used in the Pixel Mapper.
MagicQ User Manual 137 / 579

Chapter 14

Editing Cues

14.1 Including Cues into the Programmer

A programmed Cue can be included back into the Programmer so that the information can be used to program further Cues.
When a Cue is included all the level, timing and FX information is loaded.
Cues can be included directly from Playbacks - the current Cue in the Cue Stack is included. Cues can also be included from the
Cue Stack, Cue and Cue Store Windows. Including of Cues is an easy way to edit Cues.
To include a Cue press INC and the S button of the Playback. The current Cue on that playback will be included.
INC S
To include a specific Cue on the Cue Stack enter the Cue ID - for example to include Cue 2.00 use
INC 2 S
You can also use keypad syntax or the Record Options to specify that only part of the Cue should be included into the programmer
– for example only certain attributes or only selected heads.
INC POS COL S
GROUP 1 INC S
101 INC POS S
To specify a Group or Head and a Cue ID use / to separate the Head No or Group ID and the Cue ID.
GROUP 1 INC / 2 S
101 INC / 2 S
The alternative order keypad syntax is also supported, but HEAD must be used to specify HEAD numbers to distinguish from
Cue IDs.
INC HEAD 101 S
INC HEAD 101 / 2 S
INC GROUP 1 S
INC GROUP 1 / 2 S
Masking can be selected quickly by holding Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and pressing INCLUDE for including only the
selected attributes.
Press SHIFT and INCLUDE to get the full include options.
By default only the data recorded into the specified Cue is included into the programmer. Use the Entire State option when
including Cues into the programmer to include the whole tracking state of a Cue. The shortcut cue ALL + INCLUDE can be
used to select Entire State.
MagicQ User Manual 138 / 579

When Cues are included into the Programmer then the channels from the Cue are automatically selected if the Setup option
"Select Heads on Include" is set. At any time, CTRL + ALL selects all heads in the programmer.
Include from a playback uses the current Cue unless a Cue ID is specified.

14.1.1 Including Cues at a specified level

By default Include loads the Cue into the programmer at 100%. It is possible to modify this action using the keypad to use
selected levels.
To include a Playback or Cue at a particular level (e.g. 40%), press INCLUDE, type @ 40 and select the Playback or Cue to
include.
To include a playback at its current level press INCLUDE, type @ and press the Select button of the playback.

14.1.2 Snapshot

The Snapshot function enables the complete current output to be loaded into the programmer and hence recorded into a Cue.
This function takes the Cues running on all active playbacks and includes them into the programmer based on the level of the
fader. Both channel information and FX information is included into the programmer.
To snapshot the current output, open the Programmer Window and press the Snapshot soft button.
There is a shortcut for recording a complete snapshot - hold THRU and press REC.

14.2 Editing using Include and Update method

Cues can be edited using INCLUDE and UPDATE. This includes the Cue data into the programmer where it can then be changed,
before it is saved back to the Cue using Update.
First, clear the Programmer, then include the required Cue back into the Programmer. Modify the required values in the Pro-
grammer and then use Update to re-record the Cue.
You can include multiple Cues into the programmer. When you press UPDATE, the last Cue that you included will be modified.
The Status Display shows which Cue was the last one to be Included.

14.3 Record Merge (Updating a Cue with the contents of the programmer)

You can quickly and easily merge the contents of the programmer into the current Cue on a Playback by holding the S button for
the playback and pressing REC. The programmer is merged into the current Cue on the Playback.
To merge into a specific Cue on a Playback, hold + and REC to select Record Merge and then type the Cue ID on the keypad
before pressing the S button for the Playback.

14.4 Making changes to multiple Cues

Changes can be made to multiple Cues using the REC MERGE and REC REMOVE record options to specify a change in the
programmer which is then merged with or removed from a number of Cues.
There are some short-cuts for selecting RECORD MERGE and RECORD REMOVE
Hold ‘+’ and press REC for REC MERGE
Hold ‘-‘ and press REC for REC REMOVE
Then press a S button and MagicQ will ask whether to merge into the current Cue on the Cue Stack or the Entire Cue Stack.
MagicQ User Manual 139 / 579

14.4.1 Changes to multiple Cues using keypad

MagicQ supports record merging / record removing to a range of cues using the keypad – for example, to merge into Cue ids 2
through 4:
RECORD MERGE 2 THRU 4 S
This function also works for the shortcuts – e.g. holding S and then typing a range of Cue Ids before pressing RECORD.
Both the THRU and the + and – operators are supported.

14.4.2 Changes to multiple Cues using Cue Stack window

To remove all the pan and tilt information for a group of heads from all the Cues in a Cue Stack on a particular playback.
Clear the programmer.
Select the heads and modify the pan and tilt attributes.
Open the Cue Stack Window and select the playback with the Cue Stack to modify.
In the Cue Window, use cursor keys to select all the Cues (PG LEFT, HOME, SHIFT+END).
Press SHIFT + RECORD and select REC REMOVE record option.
Press ENTER.

14.5 Editing using Update

MagicQ supports a function for easy updating of Cues and Palettes without first Including the Cues and Palettes. This is useful
when making modifications to a pre-programmed show.
When you press Update (when not in Include Mode) a list of all the Palettes and Cues that have been over-riden is shown. You
can then choose which of the Palettes and Cues to update by selecting from the select box. One you have finished your selection
press the "Done" button. You can press "Cancel" at any point to cancel the Update.
When using a tracking Cue Stack, MagicQ will show all the Cues that have been overriden in the Stack – hence you can make
an update even if the attributes were used in a previous Cue on that Cue Stack.
Pressing SHIFT + UPDATE forces an update using the above method even if a Cue was previously included.

14.6 Direct Modification of Intensities in Cues

To add or change the intensity of heads (or dimmer channels) recorded into a Cue on a Playback without using the programmer,
press and hold the SELECT button of the Playback with the Cue to be modified. Then use the keypad to adjust the intensity
channels – e.g. typing 1 THRU 4 @ FULL will add channels 1 to 4 at FULL into the current Cue on the Playback. The change
is immediate and permanent. The programmer is not affected.
Setting intensities in a Cue can be absolute - e.g. setting some heads to 50% - or relative, e.g. setting some heads +10% where
they are already used.
To remove a level from the current Cue on a Cue Stack – hold the S button and set the channel at the special level . .

For example, whilst holding S type

• 1 @ FULL Sets head 1 to FULL in current cue on Playback with S held

• 1 @ +10 Adjusts head 1 intensity +10% in current cue on Playback with S held
MagicQ User Manual 140 / 579

• 1 @ FULL THRU Sets head 1 to FULL in all cues on Playback with S held
• 1 @ +10 THRU Adjusts head 1 intensity +10% in all cues on Playback with S held
• 1 @ .. THRU Removes head 1 intensity in all cues on Playback with S held

Note that in order to use THRU at the end of the syntax line to select all Cues in the Playback the Setup option, View Setup,
View Settings, Keypad, Auto Enter on Intensity Set, must be set to No.

14.7 Copy heads in Cues

Head information can be copied from heads within a Cue/Cue Stack to other heads within the Cue Stack. The destination heads
do not have to have been in the Cue/Cue Stack prior to the copy.
From v1.9.1.0 use the following
GROUP 1 COPY GROUP 2 S
101 COPY 102 S
To copy individual attribute types only
GROUP 1 COPY POS GROUP 2 S
The @ syntax is also supported
COPY GROUP 1 @ GROUP 2 S
COPY 101 @ 102 S
COPY POS GROUP 1 @ GROUP 2 S
If a Playback has more than one step then MagicQ will offer the choice of copying heads in the Entire Cue Stack or in a specific
Cue. It is also possible to manually enter the steps to copy heads in before pressing the S button.
The process of a selecting a Cue Stack and Cues is similar to the process when record merging or record removing in Cues/Cue
Stacks - just in this case a copy head data operation is carried out instead of a merge/remove from the Cue/Cues.
Prior to v1.9.1.0 or to use specific attribute masking use one of the following:

• Hold + and COPY

• Press SHIFT + COPY and select the COPY HEADS option
• Press COPY HEADS option from the Copy toolbar (when Always Show Record Options = Yes)

Once in COPY HEADS mode choose the heads to copy by either selecting from the keypad
2 @ 3 ENTER
Or from the Group Window by selecting a source and destination Group.
Finally select an item to copy heads in - for example press the S button of a Playback.
MagicQ User Manual 141 / 579

Chapter 15

Cue Stacks

MagicQ stores sequence of Cues as Cue Stacks. Cue Stacks keep track of the order of the cues and the options for how they are
played back. A Cue Stack may have only one Cue associated with it or may have a whole list of Cues.
When you record a Cue onto a Playback, MagicQ automatically generates a Cue Stack. MagicQ adds the Cue Stack to the Stack
Store. The Stack Store is a list of all Cue Stacks stored in the show. The Cue Stack will be given a unique Cue Stack Number
(e.g. CS1). This enables the Cue Stack to be re-used in future programming.
If a Playback already has a Cue Stack stored on it, then by default the new Cue will be added to the end of the Cue Stack.
However if you key in a Cue Id before pressing RECORD then the Cue will be inserted into the Cue Stack in the appropriate
place.
To view a Cue Stack, press the SELECT button of the Playback and then CUE STACK to open the Cue Stack Window. Alterna-
tively double click the SELECT button of the Playback.

15.1 Cue Stack Window

The Cue Stack Window shows details of all the Cues in the Cue Stack including their names, numbers and timing information.
The fields can be edited in a similar way to the Prog Window and Patch Windows.

The status field indicates the current status of the Cue in the Cue Stack. If the Cue is active (i.e. it is in the process of execution)
then the field indicates a % complete and the entire cue is coloured red.
Each Cue within a Cue Stack has a Cue Id (e.g. 1.0). This value is specific to the Cue Stack and is used for tying up Cues with a
script in theatre style playback. It is distinct from the Cue Number (e.g. Q1) used to identify the Cue in the Cue Store.
Each Cue also has some text associated with it. This text enables easy recognition of the contents of the Cue when the Cue
Stack is played back. This text is displayed above the main Playbacks. It can also be displayed on the displays above the Wing
Playbacks.
Soft button A can be used to select different views. The different view modes show the columns in different orders. View modes
include Default, Info, Macro and Tracking and Media.
It is possible to open two cue stack windows on MagicQ systems. To open a second cue stack window using CTRL + Cue Stack
window button. The Choose Cue stack soft button inside the window can be used to lock a cue stack window to a particular
stack.
MagicQ User Manual 142 / 579

15.2 Chase Timing

When you record more than one Cue onto a Cue Stack, the Cue Stack behaviour kicks in to control the transition from one Cue
to another. By default the Cue Stack operates like a chase - i.e. each Cue is executed in turn, with timing being handled by a
Chase Speed for the whole Cue Stack.
The timing mode can be changed, so that the Cues play back in a theatre style using the GO / STOP buttons, by pressing the
CUE TIMING and CHASE TIMING soft buttons in the Cue Stack View Options Window to modify the timing mode.
In Chase Timing mode it is possible to manually change the Fade and Delay times by pressing Cue Stack, View Options, Chase
Times. The delay/crossfade is determined by whichever was set last - the specific delay times or the crossfade.

15.3 Cue Timing

When using Cue Timing, the timing of each cue is determined by individual Wait, Delay and Fade times for each Cue in the Cue
Stack. The MagicQ can execute multiple Cues at one time - for example a Cue Stack could have one Cue that fades in MAC500s
in green whilst another Cue fades in HPEs in red.
The Wait time affects when execution of the Cue is started. The Delay and Fade times affect how each individual Cue is
executed. The Wait time can be set to "Follow" - in this case the Cue is executed when the last Cue finishes - i.e. Cues are
executed sequentially.
Each Cue has a Next Cue - by default this is set up to be the following Cue in the Cue Stack. You can change the Next Cue to be
any of the Cues in the Cue Stack. This enables loops and sequences to be set up.
The Next Cue for the last Cue in the Cue Stack defaults to being the first Cue in the Cue Stack.

15.3.1 Cue Timing Example

To illustrate the above Cue Timing consider a Cue Stack with three Cues. When the Cue Stack starts executing it executes the
first Cue using its Delay and Fade times.
As soon as the first Cue has been started (regardless of whether the first Cue is in a Delay, Fade or Complete stage) the next Cue
in the Cue Stack will be examined to determined its Wait time.
If the Halt field on the next Cue is set, then the Cue Stack waits for Go to be pressed before starting the next Cue – otherwise it
executes the next Cue using its Fade and Delay time. The picture below shows 3 Cues each set to follow the previous Cue but
with "Halt" set to "Yes".

If the Wait time on the next Cue is set to "Follow" then the Cue Stack will wait until the first Cue has completely finished fading
(i.e. all channels have reached their final values) before starting the next Cue.
If the Wait time on the next Cue is set to a time then the Cue Stack waits that time before executing the next Cue. This time is
completely independent of the first cue – the first cue may still be in Delay or Fade and will continue until the Fade completes.
If you enter a wait time in the Wait field MagicQ automatically changes the Halt field to No so that the Cue executes after the
specified Wait time. The picture below shows Cues 2.00 and 3.00 automatically running 1 second and 2 seconds after Cue 1.00.
MagicQ User Manual 143 / 579

15.3.2 The Halt field

This field determines whether MagicQ waits for the user to press GO before executing the next Cue. It can also be use to setup
Cue triggers from the remote interface, Scheduled events or timecode.
Pressing ENTER only toggles between Yes and No. To get the advanced options, such as Timecode, Scheduled or Remote either
double click the field or press SHIFT + ENTER.
The options "Yes (Ignore TC)" and "No (Ignore TC)" are the same as "Yes" and "No" except that when these Cues execute the
incoming timecode will be ignored.

15.3.3 Cue Delay and Fade times

The Delay and Fade times shown in the Cue Stack Window are properties of the Cue whilst the Wait time is a property of the
Cue Stack. Modifying the Delay and Fade times of the Cue may affect other Cue Stacks that use the Cue.
The Delay and Fade time fields show the maximum delay and fade times used by any channel within the Cue – so giving a
summary of the maximum delay and fade of the Cue. To view the actual times of the Cue move the cursor to the Delay or Fade
field and press the View Cue soft button. This opens the Cue Window for the selected Cue, automatically showing the Cue Times.
Delay and fade times can be entered directly in the Cue Stack Window – note however that this will set the times for all attributes.
If you wish to change just the times for Position, Beam or Colour then these should be set up in the Cue Window, Simple View
for general times or Cue Window, Advanced View for channel specific times.
Split intensity in/out times can be entered into the Cue Stack Window in the Delay and Fade fields using /. For example, 2/3
entered in the Fade field will fade the current cue in over 2 seconds, and will fade the previous cue out over 3 seconds. Only
intensities times are affected – Beam, Colour and Position times remain at their current values.
When executing Cues, MagicQ will primarily use the specific delay and fade times entered in the Advanced View, of the Cue
Window. If no times are specified, then the general times used in the Simple View will be used.
Times can be added in the Advanced View using the keypad and can be removed using the REMOVE button. In the Advanced
View, the times shown are fade times, except where delay times have been set up, then times are shown as delay/fade.
Times can also be set up for the selected heads in the Simple View.
In the Cue Stack and Cue Windows delay and fade times with a ‘>’ symbol at the end indicate when there are advanced times set
for the Cue.

15.4 Tracking

By default, MagicQ works in a similar way to traditional lighting consoles, in that what is in the programmer is recorded into the
Cue. This is a "no nonsense" mode where you get what you expect recorded into your Cues.
If you program just a FX chase on pan and tilt into a Cue, then that is what you get. If you program a complete look for a head
including all the attributes, then that is what you get. Looking at a Cue in the Cue Window gives you the full picture.
MagicQ User Manual 144 / 579

In a Cue Stack, you can choose for each Cue whether the Playback continues to control HTP and LTP channels used earlier in
the Cue Stack but not stored in the current Cue. In "Live (Chase)" the LTP channels are tracked, but HTP channels (Intensities)
are not.
Traditionally lighting consoles used tracking mode to reduce show storage by only recording changes into each Cue. This can be
confusing as when you jump around in Cue Stacks they may not play back as they were programmed. Busking live shows can
be particularly difficult, as it can be more difficult to predict what is going to happen.
MagicQ show files do not require a significant amount of space compared to the storage space available so show size is not a major
concern. MagicQ has powerful editing modes that enable changes to be made to multiple Cues simultaneously – overcoming any
benefits tracking mode might have for storing Cues in separate parts.
MagicQ supports a tracking mode, which can be turned on through View Settings in the Setup Window. We recommend that
users unfamiliar with tracking use MagicQ in its default, "non tracking" mode.

15.4.1 Tracking on MagicQ

The easiest way to change between tracking and non tracking is to change the "Programming Mode" by pressing soft button B
in the Setup Window and choosing one of the modes. For non tracking select Live (Chase) or Theatre Non Tracking. All other
modes are tracking.
Changing the "Programming Mode" affects the "Programmer Tracking" option in the Setup Window and also the defaults for
tracking ("Track","Zero old HTP" , "Zero old FX", "Rel old chans") on the Cues Stack options. The "Programmer Tracking"
option by itself determines how Cues are recorded - it does not affect how they are played back.
When programmer tracking mode is off, then the entire contents of the programmer is recorded into Cues regardless of whether
attributes have been change since the last Cue was recorded.
When programmer tracking mode is on, then only attributes that have been modified since the Cue was recorded are stored into
the new Cue. Attributes are determined as modified if their value had been changed using an encoder, using keypad entry, using
a range button, using a palette or by a locate head. Note that modifying an attribute to a new value and then returning it to its old
value counts as modified.
Whilst in programmer tracking mode it is possible to force a record of the whole of the programmer by selecting the ENTIRE
STATE record option. Record options are configured by pressing SHIFT and RECORD; whereupon the Record Options window
is opened. Pressing any Window select button hides the display option and returns to the appropriate Window.

As a Cue Stack is executed, it keeps track of channels that have been used in previous Cues but are not used in the current Cue.
How these channels are handled depends on the following settings on each Cue in the Cue Stack – there are three options which
are shown in the Track field.
H Track HTP (Defaults Yes in tracking mode)
L Track LTP (Defaults Yes in all modes)
F Track FX (Defaults Yes in tracking mode)
So, to get a Cue Stack recorded in tracking mode to track all channel state during playback, ensure that all the Cue Stack steps
have HLF set in the Track field.
If Track LTP is not set then LTP channels that were used in previous steps in the Cue Stack but not in the current step are released
with the release time of the Cue Stack. If Track HTP is not set then HTP channels that were used in previous steps in the Cue
Stack but not in the current step are faded out using the Intensity fade out time of that Cue step.
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In addition there is an option on the Cue Stack that affects how tracking works for jumps and going backwards up the Cue Stack.
If "recalculate state on jumps" is set, then MagicQ recalculates the entire state of the Cue Stack when you jump to a new Cue
using "Goto Cue" or if you press the Pause button to go backwards up the Cue Stack.
When tracking Duplicated Elements, if a Cue has Duplicated element 1 but not other elements, then any other elements that were
tracking are removed. This ensures it is possible to go from reduced elements back to control of all Duplicted elements.

15.4.2 Viewing Cue Data and Tracking Data

The Cue Window shows the Cue data for the current Cue on the selected Playback. The Cue Window, has three views, View
Levels, View Times and View FX just like the Programmer Window.
When looking at a Cue Stack in the Cue Stack Window it is possible to go directly to the Cue Window by placing the cursor on
the required Cue and pressing the View Cue soft button. If the field the cursor is on is a timing field then the Cue Window will
open to show View Times, otherwise it will open to show View Levels.
It is possible to view Cue data for different Cues in a Cue Stack by pressing the PREV CUE and NEXT CUE soft buttons. When
a Cue is examined that is not the current Cue on the selected Playback, the Cue Window becomes locked to that Cue. Press the
UNLOCK WINDOW soft button to return to viewing the current Cue.
The Cue Window can also be used to preview Cues when in tracking modes – there is a View Tracking soft button. When this
option is on the Window shows all of the values that are tracking from previous Cues as well as the data in the selected Cue. The
tracked data is shown in dark colour whereas the data from the selected Cue is shown in active colours.
When running a Cue Stack it is possible to determine which values have been tracked through the Cue Stack by selecting "View
Cue Ids" in the Outputs Window. This shows which playback and which Cue on that playback is controlling the outputs. Thus,
when values are tracking through a Cue Stack the Outputs Window will show the Cue that originated that value.

15.4.3 Tracking out FX

All FX can be tracked out using the Cue Track field in the Cue Stack - remove the "F" from the Cue Track field.
FX in Cues can be tracked out by setting them as "Track Out" - page right to the "Track Out" field in the Cue, View FX and
Programmer, View FX views.
When a Cue executes a FX with "Track Out" set it removes the FX for all the channels in this FX from the playback. The
parameters of a "Track Out" FX are ignored - except for fade out times - the FX will continue to run using the parameters it was
using before until the fade out completes. The FX will fade out using the FX Out time in the View Times view unless the "Fade
Out" field in the FX is changed from "Default" to a specific time.
The "Track Out" FX do not need to exactly match the original FX - but it would be normal to copy the original FX and set it to
"Track Out" to ensure that all the channels from the original FX are tracked out.
It is possible to have both "Track Out" FX for an old FX and at the same time new FX for the same channel in a Cue provided
there some of the heads from the old FX are not used in the new FX. Channels from the new FX will ignore the "Track Out" for
the old FX and will crossfade from the old FX as per previous software.
Track Out will work for both normal FX and Group FX.

15.4.4 Copying Cues in tracking mode

When in tracking mode, performing an unlinked copy of a Cue in a Cue Stack now copies the entire state of the Cue, not just the
specific cue values. When copying multiple Cues from one Cue Stack to another Cue Stack, the first Cue will be copied entire
state with the following cues being just the changes.
If Cues are copied linked in tracking mode then they will always be just the change values not the entire state.
When using Theatre Tracking mode and Hog II Warp mode, MagicQ defaults the Cue Storage option "Copy mode (unlinked/linked)
to "unlinked".
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15.4.5 Blocking / Unblocking Cues

It is possible to block and unblock Cues from the Cue Stack Window and from the Cue Window through soft buttons.
Blocking a Cue has the effect of adding to that Cue all the state information that would track through into that Cue if the Cue
Stack was executed up to and including that Cue. When a Cue is blocked it becomes a hard Cue – i.e. if edits are made to
previous Cues then the edits will not affect the blocked Cue.
Unblocking a Cue has the effect of removing from the Cue all the state information that would track through into that Cue if the
Cue Stack was executed up to and including that Cue. When a Cue is unblocked it removes hard values in the Cue from the Cue
that duplicate tracked values – therefore it enables values to track through from where they were first used.
Unblocking and blocking Cues in a Cue Stack does not affect the appearance of the Cues and Cues Stacks when the Cue Stack is
played back – it simply affects where the data is stored and what effect an edit will have on a Cue.
Multiple Cues can be blocked / unblocked in the Cue Stack Window by selecting a range using SHIFT and the cursor keys.

15.5 Cue Only

The "Cue Only" function in the Cue Stack Window can be used to mark a Cue as a temporary change to the lighting state before
continuing the tracked state from the following Cue. The Cue Only field is on the right hand side of the Cue Stack Window (page
right) and is only relevant when using tracking mode.
MagicQ enables one or more Cues to be marked as Cue Only – when MagicQ moves on to the next Cue which is not set to "Cue
Only" then it reverts to tracking the Cue Stack from before the "Cue Only" cues.
Note that sequential Cues marked "Cue Only" will each be based on the state previous to the first "Cue Only" Cue with the
additions of the specific Cue. To track changes through a sequence of "Cue Only" Cues, record each Cue using "Entire State" to
capture the entire programmer contents in to each "Cue Only" Cue.

15.6 Mark Cues

Mark Cues are special cues that are used to pre-load LTP values before the following Cue is executed thus ensuring that, for
instance, moving heads are in the correct position before the Cue executes. Note that Mark Cues only take effect if the corre-
sponding head has intensity set to 0 – otherwise the change would be noticeable.
The Mark Cue only affects LTP values for heads controlled by the Cue Stack which are currently at zero intensity. If these heads
are used in the next Cue then their value will be faded to the value of the next Cue. By default the fade is set to 3 seconds but this
can be modified as required. Note that attributes that are specified as Instant in the personality file will snap to the new value.
The Mark Cue executes as soon as the previous Cue has completed execution.
In the Cue Stack Window press the Mark Cue soft button insert a Mark Cue before the Cue which the cursor is currently on.
Alternatively enter a Cue Id and press Mark Cue to insert a mark before the specified Cue Id.
An entire Cue Stack can be configured to automatically perform the function of marking all Cues - set the Move When Dark
option in View Options in the Cue Stack Options.
The time taken for the Move When Dark is specified in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage, Default mark/move when dark time.
When using Marking and Move When Dark attributes of moving lights will be marked even if they have not been previously used
in the Cue Stack. This result is that when a Mark Cue is executed in a Cue Stack, MagicQ will take control of the parameters
used in the Marked Cue from other Cue Stacks even though the Cue is not yet executed.

15.7 The Cue Store and Cue Stack Store

MagicQ stores Cues and Cue Stacks in the Cue Store and Cue Stack Store respectively. Since you can program Cues and Cue
Stacks directly onto playbacks, it is possible to program complete shows without referring to the Cue Store or the Cue Stack
Store.
However, sometimes you may wish to build up a library of Cues or Cue Stacks that are not assigned to playbacks. You might
then assign them to playbacks later, e.g. during a technical rehearsal.
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15.7.1 Cue Store

To record a Cue into the Cue Store simply set up the required look in the programmer, open the Cue Store Window, press
RECORD and press an empty Cue in the Cue Store Window.
You can test programmed Cues in the Cue Store by pressing the appropriate Cue. MagicQ searches for an unused playback (from
the last playback down) to test the Cue on. Pressing the Cue again removes the Cue from the playback.
You can restart a Cue that is being tested by pressing the "Retest" soft button. Holding CTRL and selecting a Cue also restarts
the Cue.
You can view the contents of a programmed Cue by moving the cursor to the required Cue in the Cue Store Window and pressing
the View Cue soft button. This opens the Cue Window locked to the specified Cue. Pressing the Unlock Cue button returns the
Cue Window to monitoring the current Cue on the currently selected playback.
Use the REMOVE UNUSED soft button to remove Cues from the show that are not being used. Cues that are assigned to Cue
Stacks or used in the Execute window will not be removed. From 1.9.2.2 MagicQ also checks for usage in Automations.

15.7.2 Stack Store

To record a Cue into a Cue Stack in the Cue Stack Store Window set up the look as above, open the Cue Store Window, press
RECORD and press the Cue Stack you wish to record the Cue into. If the Cue stack is empty then a new Cue Stack will be
generated. Otherwise the Cue will be added to the existing Cue Stack, either at the specified Cue Id, or at the end of the Cue
Stack.
You can test programmed Cue Stacks in the Cue Stack Store by pressing the appropriate Cue Stack. MagicQ searches for an
unused playback (from the last playback down) to test the Cue on. Pressing the Cue Stack again removes the Cue or Cue Stack
from the playback.
You can restart a Cue Stack that is being tested by pressing the "Retest" soft button. Holding CTRL and selecting a Cue Stack
also restarts the Cue Stack.
You can view the contents of a programmed Cue Stack by moving the cursor to the required Cue Stack in the Cue Stack Store
Window and pressing the View Stack soft button. This opens the Cue Stack Window locked to the specified Cue Stack. Pressing
the Unlock Stack button returns the Cue Stack Window to monitoring the Cue Stack on the currently selected playback.
Note that the Cue Id used as a sequence number in the Cue Stack (e.g. 1.00) is different to the QId used in the Cue Store (e.g.
Q5). The Cue Id is the sequence number within the Cue Stack wheras the QId is the reference number in the Cue Store.
Some users prefer to hide the QId and only use and view Cue Ids – use the Setup, Cue Storage Settings – "Hide Cue Store Ids
(Qxxx). When this option is set the Cue Stack window and Cue Window only either show the Cue Ids from within the Cue Stack
– they do not show the Q ids from the Cue Store.
Normally each step in a Cue Stack has a Cue assigned to it.
When importing or exporting shows sometimes Cue Stacks will have steps that do not have a Cue assigned to them. The CREATE
CUES soft button forces MagicQ to create Cues (with no channels) for any steps in Cue Stacks that have no Cue assigned to
them.
Use the REMOVE UNUSED soft button to remove Cues Stacks from the show that are not being used. Cue Stacks that are
assigned to Playbacks or used in the Execute window or on Master faders will not be removed. From 1.9.2.2 MagicQ also checks
for usage in Automations, Cue Stack macros and TC Tracks.

15.8 Assigning Cues and Cue Stacks

Cues and Cue Stacks can be assigned to Playbacks at any time.

To assign a Cue, open the Cue Store Window, press the MOVE button, select a Cue, and then select a playback to assign the Cue
to. You can assign to real playbacks or to playbacks in the Playbacks Window. You can assign to a specific Cue Id in a Cue Stack
on a playback, by keying in a Cue Id before you select the playback.
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To assign a Cue Stack, open the Cue Stack Store Window, press the MOVE button, select a Cue Stack, and then select an empty
playback to assign the Cue to. You can assign to real playbacks or to playbacks in the Playbacks Window.
Multiple Cues and Cue Stacks can be assigned at a time, by using SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to select multiple Cues
and Cue Stacks in the appropriate window.

15.9 Copying and Moving Cues

Cues can be copied and moved within a Cue Stack using the standard move and copy procedures. For example, to move a cue,
press COPY, select the source, then select the destination. To copy multiple cues, press and hold COPY, select multiple entries,
release COPY and select the destination.
When copying or moving within a Cue Stack, Cues the Cues are moved or copied before the destination Cue that you select. To
copy or move onto the end of the Stack select "End" as the destination.
Cues can be copied onto other Cue Stacks that are assigned to playbacks. Select the Cues in the Cue Stack window and then
select a playback fader as the destination.
Cues can also be copied using the keypad syntax COPY CUE. For example, to copy Cues 1 and 2 to Cue 5.
COPY CUE 1 THRU 2 @ 5 ENTER
Or to copy Cues 3 to 5 at the end of the Cue Stack:
COPY CUE 3 THRU 5 @ ENTER
By default when copying Cues MagicQ does not create new Cues - it simply makes another link to the existing Cue. The default
can be changed in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage, Copy mode to Linked, Unlinked, or Unlinked Entire State.
To force MagicQ to create a new Cue press SHIFT and COPY and select Unlinked. To force record of entire state, press SHIFT
COPY and select ENTIRE STATE.
A copy options toolbar can be enabled from Setup, View Settings, Windows, Always Show Record Options = Yes.

15.10 Linked Cues

Cues that are used more than once in a Cue Stack or that are used in more than one Cue Stack are called Linked Cues. If you edit
a linked cue it will affect all places where the Cue is used. The Cue Store Window shows where each cue is used.
In Cue Stacks linked Cues are shown with a "L" in the Cue field. It is possible to unlink a Cue by moving to the Cue in the Cue
Stack and pressing SHIFT and UNLINK CUE.
If you wish to avoid creating linked Cues, then when copying Cues and Cue Stacks use SHIFT + COPY (copy unlinked) rather
than COPY and select COPY UNLINKED.
It is possible to link Cues in a Cue Stack to other Cues in the Cue Stack or to a Cue in the Cue Store. When the Cue at the cursor
is not linked to any other Cues then SHIFT + LINK can be used to link the Cue.
To link a Cue you put the cursor on the Cue(s) that you want replaced then press SHIFT LINK. Then press ENTER on the Cue
that you want those Cues linked to.
Alternatively type the ID of the Cue in the Cue Store on the command line of the Cue you want to link to then press SHIFT
LINK. For example to link to Q2550 type 2550 and press SHIFT LINK. That step will then be linked to Q2250. It is possible to
cursor select multiple Cues in the Cue Stack and then link them all to the same Cue.

15.11 Copying Cue Stacks

When Copying Cue Stacks MagicQ will create a new Cue Stack, but will only create new Cues when COPY UNLINKED is
used.
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When copying Cue Stacks unlinked MagicQ takes into account linked Cues in the source Cue Stack.
Any Linked Cues that are linked to other Cues outside of the source Cue Stack remain as Linked Cues. Any linked Cues that
were only linked within the Source Cue Stack are copied to a new Cue, but all of these Cues in the new Cue Stack are Linked
together.

15.11.1 Selective copying of Cue Stacks

MagicQ supports the SELECTED ONLY option when copying Cues and Cue Stacks. Only the selected heads from the source
Cues and Cue Stacks will be copied. If none of the selected heads are in a source Cue then an empty Cue will be generated.
The Cues in Cue Stacks created using copying SELECTED ONLY will always be unlinked.

15.11.2 Creating a new Cue Stack for different heads

MagicQ can create a Cue Stack based on an old Cue Stack but using different heads.
Press SHIFT + COPY and select the COPY TO SEL option. This creates a new Cue Stack with identical Cues to the original Cue
Stack except that it uses the selected heads instead of the heads in the original Cue Stack. The new Cue Stack will not contain
the heads from the old Cue Stack, unless they are part of the new selection.
MagicQ will rotate around the heads from the existing Cue to provide data for the new heads - for example if the old Cue Stack
had 4 heads and 8 heads are selected then heads 1 and 5 from the selection will both use data from the first head in the old Cue
Stack.
This option will work on Cue Stacks containing multiple head types, but the best conversion will occur when copying from one
set of heads to another set of heads. In some situations it may be preferable to do a selective copy of the original Cue Stack to
heads of only one type and then to use the COPY TO SEL option on that new Cue Stack.
The Cues in Cue Stacks created using COPY TO SEL will always be unlinked.

15.12 Removing Cues and Cue Stacks

Cues can be removed from a Cue Stack by opening the Cue Stack window, then pressing REMOVE and selecting the Cue you
wish to remove by pressing in the "Status or Cue Id" field.
It is also possible to remove a specific Cue from a Cue Stack using the keypad. Type a Cue Id on the keypad then press REMOVE
and select the S button of the Playback you wish to remove the Cue from.
To remove an entire Cue Stack from a Playback press REMOVE and hit the S button of the Playback. Press S button again to
confirm.
Note that the Cue Storage Setting in the Setup options determine whether the Cue and Cue Stack are removed from the Cue Store
and Cue Stack Store as well.

15.13 Cue Stack Defaults

The default operation of Cue Stacks can be modified in the Defaults view of the Cue Stack Window.
Defaults can be configured for all of the Cue Stack options including operation of the faders and buttons, chase defaults and the
defaults for each Cue Stack step.
Changing the Defaults does not change Cue Stacks and Cues which have already been recorded – it only changes the options for
when new Cue Stacks and Cues are recorded.
When inserting and adding Cues to a Cue Stack MagicQ by default derives the settings from the previous Cue in the Cue Stack.
If the setting Setup, Cue Storage Settings, "Derive settings from previous Cue" is set to "No" then all new recorded Cues will use
the default step settings.
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15.14 Col Tags

MagicQ supports Col Tags on each of the Cue Stacks. Set Col Tags in the Cue Stack, Options, Function. When a Col Tag is set
for a Cue Stack then that Col Tag is shown in the Playback legend above the Playback faders and buttons.
The RGB LEDs on the MQ500 and Stadium Wing playbacks can be set to show the colour of the Col Tags - in Setup, View
Settings, View Windows set Playback Col Tags Playback to Cue Stack.

15.15 Cue Stack Favourites

Cue Stack Favourites provide a way to quickly apply favourite settings to different types of Cue Stacks.
Cue Stack Favourites include:

• Button, Fader, Encoder options

• Activate / Release options
• Cue Stack function
• Advanced function (but not timecode or DJ)
• Intensity, Pos, Col, Beam, FX Fade in times for single step Cue Stacks
• Chase Timing/Cue Timing/Timecode (multi step Cue Stacks only)
• Cue Stack Release time
• Colour tag
• Icon

In the Cue Stack window there is a new view with 100 favourites. Press VIEW OPTIONS (or click 3 times on the S button) and
then press VIEW FAVOURITES.
The settings of the current Cue Stack can be recorded onto a selected Favourite. The Favourite can then be applied to any Cue
Stack.
Favourites can be named, moved, copied and removed in a similar way to all other MagicQ items.
Note that when applying to a Cue Stack with multiple steps fade times are not applied. Release times are applied in all cases.
Icons are only applied if the Favourite has an Icon in it - otherwise the icon on the current Cue Stack is retained.
Cue Stack Favourites are stored in the show file. They are also stored in the settings file when using SAVE SETTINGS and
IMPORT SETTINGS.

15.16 Audio in Cue Stacks

MagicQ supports two methods of playing back audio files from a Cue Stack. The first is allocating a single audio file to a Cue
Stack, which is started when the Cue Stack is activated and stops when the Cue Stack is released. This is good for if you have
a particular song for a timecode Cue Stack and need to synchronise Cue playback to the audio file. The second method is to
specify an audio file as part of a given Cue in a Cue Stack. This will play the audio file when the Cue is activated.
Audio output is available direct from the jack port on the front of the MQ500 consoles, from rear of the MagicQ Pro 2014,
and from the audio port when using MagicQ PC on Windows, Mac and Linux. MagicQ older Compact consoles and Pro2010
consoles do not have audio output ports.
MagicQ will search for audio files in the show\audio folder.
The Timeline Editor gives a visual timeline of the audio file and Cue Stack information to allow Cue Stacks to be programmed
along a visual timeline.
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15.16.1 Audio Cue Stack

To specify an audio file to play when a Cue Stack is activated, goto the Cue Stack options, select the Audio tab, and then select
your track in the "Audio file" setting.
The "Audio Play Mode" setting can be used to associate an audio file with a Cue Stack for use in the Timeline Editor, but to not
actively play back from MagicQ. This is useful in the situation where an external system is playing back audio and providing a
timecode input to MagicQ, but where the waveform is still visualised in the Timeline Editor window.
If a Cue Stack has an audio file as well as timecode Cues, then MagicQ will make sure that the audio follows the timecode value
for the Playback. Scrubbing the timecode value from an external source will make the audio file jump to the given time. Using
the "Set Timecode" feature in MagicQ will similarly jump to the corresponding point in the audio file.

15.16.2 Audio FX Cues

MagicQ supports playback of audio files triggered from Cues within Cue Stacks.
Use the "Audio" column in the Cue Stack window to specify the audio file to play when the corresponding Cue is triggered.
Each playback supports play of one Cue audio file at a time. If a Cue is triggered with an audio file configured, then any audio
playing from a previous Cue in the same Cue Stack will be stopped. Audio files playing from the Cue Stack setting will continue.
Multiple playbacks can be used to play multiple sounds simultaneously.
The Macro & Audio fields support some special commands to stop, close, jump and set the gain level. ChamSys recommend
using the Macro field for these commands.
In the Macro field:

D <Audio command> Audio Command, supported commands are stop, close,

jump, dev, Param1,g (gain)
Dstop Stops playing the file
Dclose Stops playing the file and closes the audio port
Djump Jumps within the current audio file to the calculated
position (timecode only)
Ddev Changes to use output device d
Dgain <gain> Changes audio gain on current playback
Dgain <playback> , <gain> Changes audio gain on specified playback 1 to 202
Dparam 1,<g> Changes gain level (volume) where g is value 0 to 100

In the Audio field:

filename.wav Plays filename.wav (also supports other file types)

stop Stops playing the file
close Stops playing the file and closes the audio port
jump Jumps within the current audio file to the calculated
position (timecode only)
dev Changes to use output device d
gain <gain> Changes audio gain on current playback
param 1,g Changes gain level (volume) where g is value 0 to 100

15.16.3 Audio Formats

MagicQ will decode a variety of both lossy and lossless audio file formats. This includes .wav, .ogg, .flac, .alac, .mp3 and .aac.
When using .wav files, only 8 and 16 bit formats are supported. It will accept both mono and stereo formats and sample rates up
to 96kHz and will internally resample the audio files configured in the show to 44.1kHz stereo when playing back.
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15.16.4 Audio Volume

Audio files will initially play back at 100% volume from their files unless overridden by the audio field above. The master output
volume from MagicQ can be configured in Setup, View Settings, Ports, Audio output volume.
Cue Stack audio and Cue Audio will fade out when a Playback is released with a Release time configured.
If a Playback is configured with the "Fader controls audio volume" setting, then the audio volume will also be multiplied by the
fader level.

15.17 Cue Stack Macros

Cue Stack macros enable control over other Cue Stacks from within Cue Stacks such as activation, release, go, stop, and setting
level of other Cue Stacks. Macros are typed into the Macro field in the Cue Stack window (scroll to the right). Macros can affect
multiple Cue Stacks on different Playbacks enabling complete shows to be driven from one master Cue Stack.
Cue Stack macros take the following format:

A <Playback no> Activate playback

A <Playback no> / <Level> Activate playback at level
A <Playback no> / <Level> / <Fade time> Activate playback at level with time
B <Macro no> Run macro (0 = stop all macros)
R <Playback no> Release playback (0 = release this playback)
R <Playback no> / <Fade time> Release playback with time
R1000 Release All Holdover Playbacks
R999 Release Holdover Cue Stack on this Playback
T <Playback no> Test playback (activate with level 100%)
T <Playback no> / <Fade time> Test playback with time (activate with level 100%)
U <Playback no> Un-test playback (release with level 0%)
G <Playback no> Go on playback.
G <Playback no> / <Cue id> / <Preload flag> / <Fade Go to Cue id on playback with time (when <preload flag>
time> is set to 1, cue is preloaded).
G 0 / 1 / <Frames> / <Layer> Go on current playback when the MagicHD layer is the
given number of frames from the end
G 0 / 2 / <Frames> / <Layer> Go on current playback when the Pixelmapper layer is the
given number of frames from the end (for server 2 and
above add 16 to the layer for each server)
H <Type> 1 – Lamp on all heads, 2 reset all heads, 3 lamp off all
heads, 4 cancel screen save
H <Type> / <Uni zone> Type is 5 for enable Uni zone, 6 for disable Uni zone
H 10 / <Speed Master> / <Command> / <Parameter> Control Speed Masters
H 11 / <Device ID> / <Zone> / <Status> Lyntec Zone. Status = 1 for On, 0 for Off
H 12 / <Device ID> / <Chan> / <Status> Lyntec Channel. Status = 1 for On, 0 for Off
H 112 / <state> Emergency Hot Takeover, <state> is 1 for On, 0 for Off.
Also works for H 911 and H 999.
S <Playback no> Stop playback
C <Playback no> Choose playback
K <level> / <Fade time> Set level of last Cue Stack to be activated (e.g. with an A
command) / fade time
L <level> / <Fade time> Set level of current playback / fade time
M <level> / <Fade time> Set level of the playback that is running the macro / fade
time
J <Cue Id> Jump to Cue Id on current playback
E <Cue Stack id> Activates Cue Stack (in Stack Store).
E <Cue Stack id>/<Level>/<Cue Id> Activate Cue Stack at level. Cue Id is optional.
E 0/<Exec Page>/<Item> Activate Exec Grid item
F <Cue Stack id> Releases Cue Stack (in Stack Store)
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F 0/<Exec Page>/<Item> Release Exec Grid item

I <Timecode> Set internal timecode (1000 to pause, 1001 to play, 1002 to
reset to 0. All other values to set specific timecode)
O <Timecode> Set current received timecode
P <Page no> Change page (page no of 0 means next page)
V <View no> Open Layout (window layout)
W <Enable> Enable/disable timecode generation (1 for enable, 0 for
disable, 2 for use internal timecode from this Playback)
W <Autom ID> / <Enable> Enable/disable Automation (1 for enable, 0 for disable)
Q <Timecode> Enable timecode gen from timecode e.g Q100
T0 / <Zone id> / <Button id> / <State> Trigger 10Scene - Zone id 1 to 20, Button id 1 to 10, State
is 0 for button released 1 for button pressed 2 for activate
and 3 for release
X <Data> Transmit data on the serial port
Y <Data> Transmit data on the network port over ChamSys Remote
Ethernet Protocol
N <Data> Transmit data over MIDI
K/ <Data> Transmit data over OSC.
D <Audio command> Audio Command, supported commands are stop, close,
jump, dev, Param1,g (gain)
Z<DDMMYYYY>Z Scheduled Events Date

Note that either / or , can be used as the separator between parameters in commands that have more than one parameter. It is not
neccesary to add a / or , after a command between the next command - MagicQ will detect A to Z as a command. Midi, Serial,
Audio & Ethernet cue stack macro commands cannot be mixed with other cue stack macros within the same cue.
The playback number can either be the playback number 1 to 202. Alternatively Playbacks for wing playbacks can be entered as
1-1 to 1-24, 2-1 to 2-24 etc. . . Playbacks can be playbacks with faders or virtual playbacks (playbacks on non fitted wings).
Multiple Playbacks and multiple Cue Stacks in the Stack Store can be selected using + and THRU (>) in the first parameter.
For example to activate playback 8
A8
To press GO on playbacks 3 to 5,
G3>5
To activate Cue Stacks 30 and 32 in the Cue Stack Store at 100% on step 2.00.
E30+32/100/2.00
Multiple commands can be put in a Cue Stack macro, e.g. to activate PB1 and then release PB2
A1R2
The G macro optionally supports two parameters. The first parameter is the playback, the second is the Cue ID to GO. For
example, G5/6 will GO Cue Id 6 on Playback 5.
The A macro optionally supports two parameters. The first parameter is the playback, the second is the level in %. For example,
A5/60 will activate Playback 5 at 60%. To activate at 100% we suggest using the T macro rather than A - i.e. T5 instead of
A5/100.
The R macro supports the parameter 0 to release itself – i.e. R0 releases the playback that is running the macro.
Where using the E and F Macros to control Execute grid item the item starts from the top of the grid left to right.
The commands X, Y, N and K/ take a list of byte values (0 to 255) or strings in between "" separated by \ or ,
To send the bytes 10 followed by 20 followed by 30 on the serial port use the command
X10,20,30
From v1.9.0.4 the Cue Stack macro commands X,Y,N, K/ and D (Serial, Ethernet, MIDI, OSC and Audio commands) can be
placed after other macro commands in the Macro field. They must be the last command in the Macro field. Previously they had
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to be the one and only macro command. As before, only one macro command X,Y,N,K,D can be in a Macro field. For example
it is now possible to do:
A1 R2 Y"G2"
G2 K/pb/1/go
Executing the Q Macro turns off timecode receive on the ChamSys MIDI/Timecode USB interface and on some consoles.
Timecode for the I and O commands can be specified using any of the separators / ; , . If no separator is specified then the time
is in seconds.
Cue Stack macros can be tested from the command line on MagicQ consoles and unlocked MagicQ systems using the command
testmac followed by the macro. Note that the D, I, M macros normally run on the playback that is executing the macro so will
always apply to the current selected playback when executed from the command line.

15.17.1 Controlling Speed Masters

Use the H10 Cue Stack macro to control the Speed Master.
H10,<Speed Master ID>,<Command>,<Parameter>

Command Parameter Description

1 BPM Set the BPM
2 Activate
3 Deactivate
4 Run
5 Halt
6 Divisor Set Divisor (2 to 32. 0 for no divisor)
7 Multiplier Set Multiplier (2 to 32. 0 for no
multiplier)
8 Step
9 Source is DJ Beat
10 Source is Audio Beat
11 Source is DJ BPM
12 Source is Audio BPM
13 Source is Tap
14 Resync
15 Resync beat
16 BPM increment Increase the BPM
17 BPM decrement Decrease the BPM

15.18 Timecode Cue Stacks

MagicQ supports execution of the Cues in a Cue Stack according to timecode - either generated internally, or received externally
from other devices.
To use timecode in a Cue Stack set the Halt field of one or more steps to timecode. Note you will need to double click the Halt
field or put the cursor on the Halt field and press in the Input Window to open the Halt options. Pressing SHIFT and ENTER will
toggle through the options.
When setting Cues to timecode for the first time, the initial timecode value is set to previous timecode value in the Cue Stack +
1 second.
Timecode values in a Cue Stack must be in increasing order otherwise the Cue Stack may not play back at all. Timecode values
that are out of sequence are shown with a !.
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MagicQ supports both external and internal timecode - choose using soft button C. External timecode is received from LTC,
MIDI, Art-Net, Winamp or from the MagicQ timecode simulator.
Internal timecode is run on a per Cue Stack basis, starting from 00/00/00.00 when the Cue Stack is activated.
When the Cue Stack is active and a timecode value reaches a value in one of the steps then that step is executed.
When a timecode Cue Stack is on a playback, the GO and PAUSE buttons will now allow control of the timecode playback status
when using internal timecode or the external timecode simulator. If the timecode is paused, then the GO button will start the
timecode from where it was paused. Similarly if the timecode is running, then the PAUSE button will stop the timecode where it
is.
Pressing GO when the timecode is already running will progress the Cue Stack to the next cue in the same way as a non timecode
enabled Cue Stack works and the timecode will continue to run as before. This is useful in the case where there are some Cues
which don’t have a timecode and need to be manually triggered during the stack.
The Fast Forward and Fast Back buttons as part of the crossfade section will jump back and forward between the Cues, and will
also update the current timecode. This allows for fast navigation around timecode enabled Cue Stacks.
If the Cue Stack has an audio file associated with it, then the audio playback will follow the timecode value for the Cue Stack.
See Timecode Support for how to set up external timecode on the console.

15.18.1 Editing timecode

Timecode values can be edited individually and can be set in the format 0/0/0.00. The + and – operators can be used to add or
subtract times to the timecode times for one or more cues. This is useful for changing the absolute times of a Cue Stack whilst
maintaining the relative times between Cues. Use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to select multiple times and offset their
values using + or -.
To set a Cue Step to use the current timecode being received enter / in the Wait field. If multiple Cues are cursor selected then the
first Cue will take the current timecode and the following Cues will all be modified, but keeping the same offsets between Cues
as they previously had. This enables a whole section of Cues to be moved to a new timecode.
To adjust all timecode values in a Cue Stack including the TC Tracks use the Adjust TC soft button and enter a +/- value to adjust
by. Alternatively, press SHIFT + Encoder Y to nudge all timecode values up or down.

15.18.2 Learn Timing

It is possible for the console to learn the timing live. Set the steps in the Cue Stack to timecode. Then release the Cue Stack, and
in the Cue Stack window, press SHIFT and RECORD TC.
Now press the GO button for the Cue Stack. MagicQ starts the timecode running at 00/00/00.00 and each time you press GO it
moves to the next Cue whilst recording the current timecode into the Wait fields. At the end of the Cue Stack, press RELEASE
to end the timecode record mode.
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15.18.3 Testing timecode

When a Cue Stack has some steps set to timecode the Cue Stack Window shows the timecode simulator / internal timecode on
soft buttons X and Y.
When a Cue Stack is set to External Timecode then the timecode simulator is available - this is the same simulator that is available
in the Setup window, but is easier to access when working on a timecode Cue Stack. Use soft button Y to turn the timecode
simulator on and off. The display for soft button X shows the current timecode value (either received from external timecode or
set by the simulator). Use soft button X to start and stop the timecode, or enter a value on the keyboard/keypad and press the soft
button to jump to a new timecode value.
When a Cue Stack is set to Internal Timecode then soft button X shows the current internal timecode value of the playback. Use
soft button X to start and stop the timecode, or enter a value on the keyboard/keypad and press the soft button to jump to new
timecode value. Soft button Y can be used to restart the internal timecode at 0.
When using the TC simulator or internal timecode, manually jumping to a Cue that is set to timecode timing will cause the
timecode to be set to that timecode value. Jumping to a Cue can be done by pressing GOTO CUE or putting the cursor on the
Cue Status field of a Cue and pressing ENTER.

15.18.4 External timecode

A Cue Stack on a Playback will only run external timecode steps when it is active - it will not activate by itself. Either manually
activate the playback before the external timecode is started or use an Autom event to set a Playback to activate when a particular
external timecode range is detected.
In some cases it may be useful to have a master Cue Stack controlled by timecode that is always active which then activates other
Cue Stacks for each song.
When timecode values jump (for example when changing tracks), MagicQ checks for each active Cue Stack, whether the external
timecode received is within the range of the first timecode value in the Cue Stack and the last timecode value in the Cue Stack.
MagicQ will only execute a change of Cue if the new value is within the range controlled by that Cue Stack. This helps to avoid
the erroneous execution of an entire Cue Stack.
When timecode values jump forward, MagicQ will jump to the Cue that corresponds to the new timecode. If the Cue Stack,
Options, Advanced, Recalculate State on Jumps is set to "Yes" then MagicQ will execute all of the Cues from the current Cue to
the new Cue including any macros, media and audio clips. If Recalculate on Jumps is set to "No" then only the new Cue will be
executed.

15.18.5 Timecode offset

MagicQ supports a timecode offset field for each Cue Stack. This can be used to add a positive or negative timecode offset to
all timecode values within a Cue Stack including all TC Tracks associated with that Cue Stack. For example if the Cues in the
Cue Stack have been set to respond to timecode starting at 0/0/0 and the timecode received actually starts at 2/0/0 then setting
the timecode offset to 2/0/0 will make the Cue Stack correctly respond to the received times. Similarly if the Cue Stack has been
set to respond to timecode starting at 5/0/0 then and timecode is actually received startign at 0/0/0 then setting a timecode offset
of -5/0/0 will have the desired effect.
The timecode offset can be adjusted in the Cue Stack Window by holding SHIFT and turning encoder D.
The timecode offset is set in Cue Stack options, Advanced. Note that all the Cues will still show their programmed timecode
values but an offset will be applied when playing back or recording timecode. The titlebar in the Cue Stack window shows the
offset.

15.18.6 Automatic activation and release of Playbacks

MagicQ supports an option to automatically activate and release Playbacks according to the current received timecode. To use
this feature set Setup, View Settings, MIDI & Timecode, Timcode activate/release to either Act/Rel TC Playbacks or Act/Rel TC
playbacks at full. MagicQ will activate and release all playbacks on the current playback page that contain timecode depending
on the received timecode.
Note that when this option is enabled, Playbacks that are in the range of the incoming timecode can not be released.
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15.18.7 Internal timecode

Cue Stacks set to Internal timecode start the internal timecode from 0 when the Cue Stack is activated.
There is support for setting the internal timecode from within a Cue Stack using the macro command ‘I’. To reset the internal
timecode for a Cue Stack to 00/00/00.00 use the macro I0. To set a specific time, e.g. 10 seconds use the macro I10.
Note when using internal timecode MagicQ uses seconds as the unit of measure rather than timecode frames.

15.18.8 Enabling / Disabling Timecode

It is possible to turn timecode decode on and off for a Cue Stack using soft button A in the Cue Stack Window. When timecode
is turned off the Cue Stack will not execute timecode Cues.
Press SHIFT + soft button on encoder D to avoid the confirmation request.

15.19 Cue Stack timecode tracks

MagicQ supports up to 10 timecode tracks (TC Tracks) linked to each Cue Stack. A timecode track allows a sequence of button
presses/fader movement events to be associated with the playback of a Cue Stack. This is useful where a main Cue Stack is used
to program the overall look, but additional effects and bumps need to be added in time to the music. The timecode tracks are
independent of the Cues in the Cue Stack, so it is therefore not necessary to generate a Cue for each of these effects/bumps.
All recorded timecode tracks are started when the Cue Stack is activated and are released when the Cue Stack is released.
Timecode tracks are visible in the Cue Stack, View TC view.
Tracks 1 to 10 are selected by soft button A. Tracks can be recorded and removed using the RECORD TRACK and REMOVE
TRACK soft buttons.
The RECORD TRACK function is used to record the tracks - in this mode MagicQ records all button presses and fader move-
ments as they occur with the appropriate times. The events and times can be modified afterwards. Each event can be edited
individually, or whole sections can be cursor selected and moved in time.
When recording a Track it is not recommended to record button or fader movements from the Cue Stacks itself as this may cause
unexpected results when played back.
Timecode tracks can be edited and steps can be manually added to them and removed from them.
Steps in a timecode track must have increasing Time field otherwise they will not play correctly. To reorder the steps so that they
are correctly in time order use the REORDER TRACK soft button.
Each timecode track can be turned on and off individually using soft button D.
Each timecode track is stored in MagicQ as a keyboard macro and if required can also be viewed and played back in the Macro
Window. When a Track is created MagicQ generates a keyboard macro with the name CSx TrY where X is the Cue Stack ID and
Y is the track number.
When the track is removed using the RMEOVE TRACK soft button the keyboard macro is also removed from the Macro window.
Timecode tracks can be managed completely from the Cue Stack window, so it is not necessary to use the Macro window. If
required the ASSIGN TC MACRO soft button in the Cue Stack window can be used to manually assign a keyboard macro to
a Track. To deassign a Track from a Cue Stack without removing from the show first copy the related keyboard macro in the
Macro window.

15.20 Importing timecode timings

MagicQ supports importing timecode values from .CSV files which can be exported from software such as InqScribe and Reaper.
In Cue Stack, View TC View select the IMPORT TC TIMINGS soft button.
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MagicQ normally looks for a .csv in the format:

<timecode>,<short name>,<long name>,<options>
Where the <short name> is used as the cue name and <long name> the comment field within MagicQ.
For example:
Header line 10:02:36.09,all on,Guests enter the room
10:02:36.13,OPP 2 ON CHASE,Start the event
10:02:36.23,ALL ON,Interval
When importing from InqScribe, first export as .XML, open using a spreadsheet editor (for example Excel), reorder the columns
to be as above and then save out as a .csv file.
MagicQ autodetects input from Reaper (first line starts with a #) - the format for Reaper is
<short name>,<long name>,<start tc>,<end tc>,<length tc>,<colour>
For example:
#,Name,Start,End,Length,Color R1,Intro,0:00:00:00,0:00:02:00,0:00:02:00, M1,Accent,0:00:00:11„,FFF80A
Once the times have been imported MagicQ gives the option to Make Cues, Make TC Stack or Load Markers.
When Make Cues is selected, Cues will be generated for each timecode value and appended to the Cue Stack on the current
playback for each of the timecode values in the file.
If there is no Cue Stack on the current playback than a Cue Stack will be generated on the currently selected playback with a Cue
for each timecode timing point. Each Cue can be programmed by merging into it. Remove any unwanted Cues. If the playback
is empty then a new Cue Stack will be created.
When Make TC Track is selected, TC Track items will be added to the current selected Track of the Cue Stack on the current
playback for each of the timecode values in the file.
If there is no Cue Stack on the current playback than a Cue Stack will be generated on the currently selected playback with a TC
Track 1 with a TC Track item for each of the timecode values in the file.
When Load Markers is selected, Markers will be loaded into the Cue Stack in the current playback. If there is no Cue Stack on
the current playback than a Cue Stack will be generated on the currently selected playback with the Markers loaded into it.

15.21 Timeline

The Timeline Window provides alternative views into the Cue Stack and enables editing of Cues and TC Tracks events in a
track sheet or visual timeline form. There are three views in Time line window; VIEW SHEET, VIEW CUELINE and VIEW
EDITOR.
To use the VIEW TC mode in the Cue Stack view, you can easily toggle between the timeline and the Cue Stack view using the
VIEW TIMELINE and VIEW CUE STACK options.
To record to a track first select the track layer normally named "CSYY TRKZ" where YY will be the number of the Cue Stack
and Z will be the track number. To select the track click/press the on box containing the track layer’s name once you have
selected you should see the INSERT IN TRACK option become available. It will immediately start recording and you will see
the changes you make appear live in the relevant tracks below.
To add more Timecode tracks you can do so using the new button "Add TC Track". It will immediately start recording and you
will see the changes you make appear live in the relevant tracks below.
To select multiple cues and/or steps in a track, if you hold shift and press/click and drag you are able to draw a box and select
multiple items.
Once selected you can either drag, copy or delete them all at once. If you drag them you must press/click on an item in the
selection then drag. To copy the items press copy then left click/press on the timeline to place them all at that position. The
timecode distances between all items are preserved. If you press return instead of clicking after pressing copy; it will paste all
the items 1 second after the original.
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Selected items can now be deleted as a group using the REMOVE button.
You are able to enter timecode value and update the playhead’s position while a track is running. Enter a +/- and/or your value
then press on the PB Timecode/encoder X soft button to have it apply the value against the current time. A value with no +/-
operator will set the position.
To keep the playhead centred you can turn on the "Center Playhead" option found on the horizontal scroll encoder Y soft button.

15.21.1 View Sheet

Press View Track Sheet to view the track sheet. The Track Sheet shows the data for the Cues for the Cue Stack on the currently
selected Playback.
Colours in the track sheet are as follows.

Red In programmer
Cyan Increasing value
Green Decreasing value
White Static value controlled by Playback/Cue
Magenta Tracked value

Values can be directly edited in the Track Sheet.

Use SHIFT and BLOCK CUE and SHIFT and UNBLOCK CUE to block and unblock Cues in the Track Sheet.

15.21.2 View Cueline

The Cueline is the original MagicQ timeline which enables viewing of a Cue Stack horizontally as a timeline. This view only
shows Cues within the Cue Stack, not TC Track Events and there is only very limited editing supported.
Use encoders A to specify the level of detail shown for each head and encoder B to choose specific attribute masks.
By default all of the heads in the Cue Stack on the selected Playback are shown – use the SEL HDS ONLY soft button to make
it only show the currently selected heads from that Playback.
Encoder D is used to modify the horizontal scale to choose how many Cue Steps are shown in the window.
Use encoders X and Y to scroll around the timeline.
View Vals and View Raw can be used to view the data values rather than the timeline.
Press VIEW TRACKING to show the tracking information for information that tracks from one Cue to another. When this is not
selected only the hard values in each Cue are shown.

15.22 View Editor

The Timeline Editor is designed to allow you to lay out Cues in a Timecoded Cue Stack on a traditional timeline based view.
It visualises audio tracks, timecode values, and both Cue and Timecode Track events in rows to allow you to visually see and
modify the Cue Stack.
To access the Timeline Editor, select your Cue Stack, and then press the TIMELINE EDITOR soft button from within the
Timeline window. The Timeline Editor will update the timeline to follow the currently selected playback. To lock the window
to a particular Cue Stack, select the Cue Stack as normal, and then press the CHOOSE CUE STACK soft button. To unlock the
window, press the same button again. Note that the cue stack needs to be set to cue timing and the cues within it set to timeline
(TC) timing. Cues can be set to TC timing using the Halt field within the cue stack.
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The timeline is split into multiple rows:

• Cue Stack audio file

• Section layer, allowing sections of the songs to be labelled e.g: "Chorus" or "Intro"
• Cues in the selected Cue Stack which have a timecode value set, showing their delay and fade values
• Cue audio files
• Timecode Tracks

The timeline view can be panned by dragging in any of the background space of the timeline window, or by using the "Horiz
Scroll" encoder. The horizontal zoom level can be changed with the "Zoom" encoder, or by pressing on the encoder soft button
to zoom in and out.
In its default mode, the cue and timecode track rows are unlocked and will allow movement by clicking and dragging individual
items. To prevent accidental changes to a cuestack, a row can be locked and unlocked by clicking the padlock icon next to the
row name.
Items can be selected and moved by clicking and dragging on the item. When selected, items can also be moved using the
"Timecode" encoder. Cue fade and delay times can be modified using their respective encoders.
If Cue’s are moved they also check whether they have had their order changed, if they change from orange to grey this is to show
they are now no longer in the correct order. To fix this press the "REORDER TC" softbutton. Once ordered they will return to
their orange colour and will then respect the updated time.
After a TC reorder it will likely rename a cue with a new Cue ID, so aware if you have linked any of the cues. If you wish to
renumber the cue’s so they follow a simpler order press the "REORDER CUE IDs" button.
When a timecode offset is enabled in the Cue Stack, then two rulers are shown at the top of the window, with the upper showing
timecode from the start of the Cue Stack, and the lower showing the equivalent external timecode with an offset applied.
The Timeline Editor is supported on the MQ500M, MQ500, MQ250M, MQ80, MQ70, MQ50 and MagicQ PC Systems. Legacy
products such as the MQ40,MQ40N, MQ60 and MQ100 Series consoles do not support the timeline editor.

15.23 View Cue Stack

Pressing "VIEW CUE STACK" will switch you over to the "CUE STACK" window, if you then press "VIEW TC" you see the
"VIEW TIMELINE" button. You can switch back and forth between these views using these options with ease.
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15.24 View Marker Options

All the markers can be moved, copied and removed using COPY, MOVE and REMOVE buttons.
Naming a marker set or marker (if applicable) can be done using SET.

15.24.1 Beat markers

The generate a bpm grid option has been moved if you would like to generate a grid based off a bpm you need select the “VIEW
MARKER OPTIONS”.

To generate a bpm grid simply use the encoder to set the BPM range you would like then press "Generate", if you need to add
any extra beat markers add use the “ADD MAJOR BEAT MARKER” to mark the beginning of a new grid and “ADD MINOR
BEAT MARKER” to mark the other beat positions.

15.24.2 Marker set layers

Marker set layers are used to label sections of a cue stack or song (if used), each layer can contain sections and unique markers.
In order to add to an existing “marker layer” it first must be highlight/selected.

Using the cursor will add the new marker to that position, otherwise it will be position at 0.
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To add a new marker set layer you need press either the “ADD SET TO STACK” or “ADD SET TO AUDIO” option. The latter
of the two options will only appear if there is and audio file assigned to the cue stack.

15.25 Choose Cue Stack

Using this option with lock/unlock the timeline window to a particular "Cue Stack".

15.25.1 Audio files

Audio files are shown in the timeline view as a waveform. If the input audio file is in stereo, then this is mixed down to mono
before being displayed.
There are two render modes currently available for audio files. The first will show the peak and RMS values of the overall
waveform. The second mode shows the peak values of the hi, mid and lo frequency bands of the audio file as an overlaid red,
green, and blue waveform. This can aid in aligning cues to particular beats which may not be easily visible on the standard
waveform, but easy to see when just looking at a particular channel. The modes can be toggled by pressing the "VIEW FREQ
BANDS" and "VIEW PEAK/RMS" soft button in the timeline editor window.
An example of how these two modes compare can be seen below. These show an audio file containing a single sine wave of
increasing frequency. The RMS value and peak values stay consistent across the file as the amplitude of the sine wave doesn’t
change, but the rising frequency can be seen going from lo, through mid, to high.
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The Cue Stack audio file will always start at the 00/00/00.00 timecode value as this is started when the Cue Stack is activated.
Cue Audio files will move in conjunction with their corresponding Cue in the above row.
The first time an audio file is loaded into the timeline window, the waveform image is generated in the background. Once this has
been created the timeline window will show the respective waveform. The underlying image files are stored in a folder named
_cache in the audio folder based on the file name. If an audio file with the same name is replaced in the audio folder, you may
need to clear this cache folder to regenerate the audio waveforms.

15.25.2 Playhead

The current timecode value is shown in the timeline using the red playhead bar. This will follow the timecode value for the
selected Cue Stack. If the Cue Stack is configured to use an external timecode input, and a timecode offset has been configured,
then the playhead will show the relative position in the Cue Stack of the external timecode. If the Cue Stack is either using the TC
Sim or internal timecode, then the Encoder X buttons will start and stop the timecode playback. The RESTART TC softbutton
will set the current timecode value to 00/00/00.00.
The playhead can be moved by dragging in the timecode ruler at the top of the display. If the Cue Stack has a Stack Audio file
associated and the Playback is currently active, then the Audio playback will also be scrubbed along with this.
When the timecode source is playing, the timeline window will follow the playhead to keep it in view. If you have scrolled away
from the current playhead, the Centre Playhead soft button on encoder Y can also be used to move back to view the current
playhead.

15.25.3 Timecode Tracks

Timecode track items are shown on the timeline where each macro target is shown on it’s own row. This means that Playback
actions for multiple Playbacks will appear on their own rows. An entire timecode track can be hidden using the arrow in the row
name. The timecode track can also be enabled or disabled using the &#x1f6ab; icon.
For TC track entries which change the level of a Playback, the level shown in the timeline window is the target level which the
Playback will fade to. The level can be modified using the "Parameter" encoder.

15.25.4 Timecode Loop

To enable the timecode loop function on a cue stack, you can use the ENABLE TC LOOP softbutton from within the Timeline
Editor window. This will toggle the function on and off. The timecode loop functionality is only supported with a Cue Stacks’
internal timecode and not on Cue Stacks configured to external timecode.
To modify the timecode loop in and out points, use SHIFT + CONFIG TC LOOP to enter the loop configuration mode. The
timecode in and out points can be modified using encoder A and B respectively. The In and Out points can also be set to the
current timecode value on the playback by using the SET LOOP IN POINT and SET LOOP OUT POINT softbuttons.
The loop configuration mode can be exited by pressing the BACK softbutton.
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Chapter 16

Playback

MagicQ consoles support 10 main playbacks situated immediately below the touch screen. Up to 192 additional playbacks are
available on up to 8 expansion wings.
All playbacks have a fader, a FLASH button and a SELECT button.
The 10 main playbacks also have GO and PAUSE buttons for control of Cue Stacks.
Cue Stacks on wings have GO buttons. SHIFT + GO gives PAUSE function.

16.1 Playback Display

The area above each of the main playbacks on the display is used to provide information about the status of the playback. This
includes the name of the Cue Stack that is loaded on the playback, the current Cue and the next Cue. The status of the Cue is
shown as a percentage along with an indication of whether the Cue is running or paused.
The LCD screen above each of the Playbacks on the Extra Wing displays the name of the Cue Stack. The name can be up to 12
characters. When a Cue Stack is assigned to Wing Playbacks that has multiple steps then the name of the Cue Stack is displayed
on the first line of the Wing Playback and the second line shows the current step. If no name is set for the Cue Stack then the first
line shows the current step and the second line shows the next step.

16.2 Activating and Releasing Playbacks

Playbacks are activated and released by pressing the associated buttons and raising the associated faders depending on the options
of the Cue Stack. Once a playback is activated it affects the output of the console until it is released.
By default the Cue Stack on a playback is activated when the fader is raised above zero and released when it is returned to zero.
Similarly it is activated when a flash button is pressed and then deactivated when the button is released.
The Cue Stack options can be configured so that the flash buttons/faders do not affect activation or deactivation. In this case the
playback can be activated by pressing the GO button. It can be released by pressing the S button to make the playback the current
playback and then pressing the RELEASE button.
The Cue Stack can also be configured so that it does not reset to the first step when it is released.
A Cue Stack can be set so that pressing the FLASH button, activates and releases the playback on alternate presses. Set the
"Flash Button toggles" option.
A release time can be set for the Cue Stack in the Cue Stack options, so that when released the levels fade out over a specified
time.
At any time a playback can be released with time by pressing the SELECT button of the playback, typing a time and pressing the
RELEASE button.
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Pressing SHIFT + RELEASE releases all playbacks simultaneously. It is also possible to enter a time before doing SHIFT +
RELEASE. Holding a single SELECT button and pressing SHIFT + RELEASE releases all the playbacks except the one for
which the SELECT is held.
Holding multiple Select buttons and pressing RELEASE releases all the selected playbacks.
Cue Stacks can be set to automatically activate or release on page change. When a Cue Stack is set to release on page change
then holding the S button of the Playback when changing page avoids the release of the Cue Stack.

16.3 Fader control

By default the playback fader controls the level of any HTP channels recorded into the current Cue on the Cue Stack. If the
"Fader controls HTP chans" option is set to "No" then the fader will no longer control the HTP channels – the Playback will
automatically be always set to 100% level.
The Cue Stack options can be configured so that the fader also controls LTP channels using the Fader controls LTP (IPCB)
option. This is useful for example, to set up a fader to perform a "fly away" at the end of a song. As the fader is moved up the
LTP channels are changed from their current values to the values recorded in the Cue.
MagicQ supports an additional option "All chans controlled LTP". This options allows the Playback when it is the last activated,
to consider all channels to be LTP. The value of HTP channels controlled by the Playback is the value output, regardless of the
HTP level of other Playbacks. This allows soloing of Intensities.
The Cue Stack can also be configured so that the fader controls the size and/or speed of any FX recorded in the current Cue. For
example, you can set up one fader to control a pan swing and another to control a tilt swing. Moving the faders to half gets a
small circle whilst moving to full gets a big circle. Varying the faders enables generation of ellipses.

16.4 Playback Buttons

In a Cue Stack set to Chase timing, GO runs the chase whilst PAUSE stops it.
In a Cue Stack set to Theatre timing, GO steps to the next step in the Cue Stack. When a Cue Stack is fading, pressing PAUSE
stops the fade mid step. When a Cue Stack is paused, pressing PAUSE fades backwards through the stack.
Pressing S + GO steps to the next step without fading. Pressing S + PAUSE steps back to the previous step without fading.
Pressing S + FLASH reasserts the Cue Stack to be the latest touched - this has the effect of reasserting channels that have been
overriden by other Playbacks.
Double clicking the S button opens the Cue Stack Window, View Cue Stack for that playback. Triple clicking the S button opens
the Cue Stack options for that playback (i.e. the Cue Stack Window, View Options). Holding SHIFT and double clicking the S
button opens the Cue Window for that playback to show the contents of the current Cue on that playback.
Each of the buttons illuminates to indicate its current state:

FLASH Green Add

Red Swap
Green flash Add - playback held over
Red flash Swap - playback held over
GO Green Cue Stack is running
PAUSE Red Cue Stack is paused
SELECT Blue Playback is selected

16.4.1 Playbacks without faders

MagicQ Extra Wings and Execute Wings have some playbacks without faders and without GO or PAUSE buttons.
On these playbacks the FLASH buttons can be set to toggle on/off in the Cue Stack Options, Buttons, Flash toggles.
MagicQ User Manual 166 / 579

From v1.7.1.3 there is support for toggling on/off these playbacks without permanently setting the FLASH buttons to toggle.
Hold SHIFT and press the FLASH or press S + FLASH to toggle.

16.4.2 Grand Master & Sub Master

To the left of the 10 playbacks are two master faders - a Grand Master which controls the overall HTP output level of the console,
and a Sub Master which controls the HTP output level of the playbacks. In addition the Sub Master can be configured to control
the level of the FLASH buttons.
Both the Grand Master and the Sub Master have FLASH buttons which respectively bump the overall HTP output level, and the
HTP output level of the playbacks to full.
LTP channels are not affected by the master faders.

16.4.3 Dead Black Out (DBO)

Above the Grand Master there is a DBO button. Pressing this button causes all HTP values to be set to zero, thus generating a
black out. Releasing the button causes the original HTP levels to be restored. LTP channels are not affected by the DBO button.

16.4.4 Add / Swap

Above the Grand Master there is an ADD / SWAP button which controls the function of the playback FLASH buttons. When set
to ADD, pressing a FLASH button causes the playback to be added to the output. When set to SWAP, pressing a FLASH button
again causes the playback to be added to the output, but all other playbacks are removed from the output.
Each FLASH button has an LED which is lit green for ADD and red for SWAP.
The ADD / SWAP functionality only affects HTP channels on the playbacks - LTP channels are not affected by the FLASH
buttons. The level of the playback is determined by the master faders – see configuring the masters.
Cue Stacks can be set to always swap. Open the Cue Stack window and press the SELECT button with the playback. In the
VIEW OPTIONS view set the "Flash Button Swaps" option to YES.
The "Flash acts like fader" option enables the FLASH button to act as if the fader was raised to full. This is useful if the fader
controls LTP (IPCB) channels, FX size or FX speed, or if the Fader is a master for intensity, size or speed.

16.4.5 Page Select

MagicQ supports 500 pages of playbacks for recoding different Cue Stacks for different songs.
The NEXT PAGE and a PREV PAGE buttons control which playback page is active, and hence which Cue Stacks the physical
playback faders and buttons control.
The current page number and name is displayed in the Status Display under the clock. The current page can also be changed
from the Page Window by selecting a new page, or by pressing PAGE and entering the page number on the keypad.
Changing the current page whilst playbacks are active does not affect the output of these playbacks - the playbacks are "held
over" until the playback is released.
It is possible to set up Cue Stacks to be activated and released on a page change in the Cue Stack options. When a Cue Stack is
set to release on page change then holding the S button of the Playback when changing page avoids the release of the Cue Stack.
The next Page can be preloaded in the Page Window by moving the cursor to the required item in the Page Window and pressing
the PRELOAD PAGE soft button. The preloaded page will be indicated in the Status Display above PB1 to PB5. Pressing NEXT
PAGE goes to the preloaded page.
The preloaded page can also be loaded using the keypad syntax <Page> <number> *. So PAGE 34 * preloads page 34. Pressing
NEXT PAGE goes to page 34.
MagicQ User Manual 167 / 579

16.4.6 Page Levels

It is now possible to save levels associated with the main playbacks and additional wing playbacks that are tied to the main
playbacks. Whenever the main page is changed to a new page it will set the levels for the playbacks according to the saved state
- this means that a "Song" will always start with the same playback levels. If the physical fader is not at the required level then
the level must be matched before the fader will control the playback.
To save levels for a page go to the Page Window and use the SAVE LEVELS and CLEAR LEVELS soft buttons. The levels are
stored in the show file and can be updated at any time using SAVE LEVELS again.
To set ties between playbacks on wings and the main playbacks go to Setup, View System, View Wings and set the required "Tie"
fields to "Main".
Cue Stacks can be set to Activate and Release on page change so that when a new page is selected one or more Cue Stacks
activated at a required level.

16.4.7 Current Playback

The current playback is the one that has its SELECT button illuminated. The current playback is used by the Cue and Cue Stack
windows to determine the Cue and Cue Stack to view / modify.
You can change the current playback at any time by pressing the SELECT button for the playback you want to make the current
playback
Press the SELECT button of a Playback twice in quick succession to select the Playback and automatically open the Cue Stack
Window so that you can view / change the contents of the Cue Stack.
Press the SELECT button of a Playback three times in quick succession to select the Playback and automatically open the Cue
Stack Window in the Options View.
Sometimes you may wish that the currently selected fader changes to follow the last fader that was raised. This behaviour can be
enables from the Setup Window by setting the "Current Playback follows last touched" option to YES.

16.4.8 Playbacks across multiple Pages

Multiple Playbacks can be active at one time from different pages. By default a particular Playback can only be active on one
Page – it is not possible to activate Playback 1 on Page 1 and Playback 1 on Page 2 at the same time. To activate two Cue Stacks
on one Playback see Page Holdover below.
It is possible to temporarily transfer a Playback that is active to a different Playback in order to unblock a Playback. Press SHIFT
+ SEL to action the transfer, and then select the S button of the Playback to transfer followed by the S button of the destination.
Transfer is only possible when a Playback is active. Once a transfer has occurred the original Playback can be used to run a
Playback from a different page. When the transferred Playback is released then it returns to its original Playback.

16.4.9 Page Holdover

From v1.8.2.0 MagicQ supports "Two Page Holdover" whereby it is possible for two Cue Stacks from different pages on a single
Playback to be active simultaneously. Previously it was not possible to access Cue Stacks from different pages on the same
playback - the playback was blocked until the active Cue Stack was released, or until the user transferred (SHIFT+SEL) the Cue
Stack to a different playback.
In Setup, View Settings, Playback set "Page Holdover" to "Two Page Holdover".
When an active Cue Stack holds over the Playback legend area is split with a small area at the bottom showing the page and
name of the Cue Stack holding over. Full access is then available to start another Cue Stack from a different page. The fader and
buttons control the new Cue Stack.
When two Cue Stacks are active on the same playback then when changing pages between their two respective pages, the legends
will swap around. The Cue Stack from the current page is always shown above, whilst the Cue Stack holding over is always
shown below.
MagicQ User Manual 168 / 579

To make changes to a Cue Stack that is holding over, first change back to the page it was activated on and then use the buttons
and faders.
Page Holdover is best used on the main playbacks where there is full legending of the playback state. On MagicQ Extra Wings,
MagicQ Playback Wings and MagicQ Execute Wings the top line of the display shows the name of the Cue Stack from the
current page and the bottom line flashes the name of the over Cue Stack holding over.
Page Holdover can be used with Playbacks set with Default Cue Stacks in the same was as with normal Cue Stacks. The Cue
Stack from Page 1 of the default Cue Stack can be released from Page 1 or any page where there is no other specific Cue Stack
recorded.
It is possible to release all playbacks that are holding over by pressing ALT + RELEASE. There is also an inbuilt macro for
RELEASE ALL HOLDOVER which can be assigned to a button. The Cue Stack Macro R1000 also releases all held over Cue
Stacks similar to ALT RELEASE. Releasing all playbacks does not affect Cue Stacks which are set with "Masters affect level"
to "No".
When Cue Stacks are holding over they use up free playbacks in a similar way to the Execute Window - there is an overall limit
of 202 active playbacks/executes.
In Two Page Holdover mode, Cue Stacks set to Activate on Page Change will now activate regardless of whether other Cue
Stacks are active on that Playback. If there are already two Cue Stacks active then the oldest running one will be automatically
released.
The Cue Stack Macro R999 can also be used to release held over Cue Stacks for this playback.

16.4.10 Playback Banking

MagicQ supports playback banking to access the different playbacks. On Compact consoles the main bank consists of 10 fader
playbacks PB1 to PB10. On MQ500 it consists of fader playbacks PB1 to PB15 and button playbacks PB16 to PB30. Additional
playbacks banks can be accessed through the Extra Wing and Stadium Wing respectively.
On MQ500M the motorised faders enable access to six different playback banks. The first playback bank consists of PB1 to
PB15 on fader playbacks and PB16 to PB30 on encoder playbacks. The second playback bank consists of PB31 to PB45 on fader
playbacks and PB46 to PB60 on encoder playbacks
Playback banks are distinct from Playback Pages. Playback pages are typically used for songs, whilst Playback banks enable
access to different playbacks within the page.
See MQ500M Playback banking.

16.4.11 Manual Control

To the right of the 10 playbacks is the manual control section, consisting of a Manual Fader, four buttons (GO, PAUSE, FWD,
BKWD) and an extra large GO button below the fader. This section controls the current playback – that is the playback whose
SELECT button is illuminated.
Pressing the SELECT button associated with a playback causes that playback to become the current playback and hence to be
controlled by the manual section.
When a playback is controlled by the manual section, the playbacks fader and buttons continue to function as normal so that
the HTP level can be set using the fader and the playback can be bumped using the FLASH button. The manual section simply
provides extra control features above those available on each of the playbacks.
The GO and PAUSE buttons in the manual section have the same function as the GO and PAUSE buttons on each playback. The
FWD and BKWD buttons move through the Cue stack without fading. The extra large GO button below the Manual Fader is
designed for theatre style playback and has the same function as the GO button on each playback.
If multiple SELECT buttons are held down then the Go, Pause, Fast Forward and Fast Back buttons in the manual control section
can be used to control multiple Playbacks simultaneously.
The Manual Fader is unlike all the other faders in that it controls the progress of the current CUE rather than the HTP level of
the Cue Stack. This enables a Cue to be manually faded, the level of the Manual Fader representing the % of the fade that is
complete - from 0% to 100%.
MagicQ User Manual 169 / 579

The Manual Fader enables you to fade in a Cue Stack. To start a manual crossfade, hold the SELECT button for the playback and
move the crossfader. The display window will show "pickup" until the crossfader level matches the current position in the fade -
it will then change to "manual". You can also start a manual crossfade on the currently selected playback by holding SHIFT and
moving the crossfader.
As the fader reaches the limits of the Cue Stack it moves to the next Cue.

16.4.12 Goto

The GO buttons in the manual section can also be used to jump to a different Cue id in a Cue Stack – enter the Cue ID in the Cue
Stack and press the Go button in the manual section.
It is also possible to perform a Goto and a Preload of the next step to got to in the Cue Stack Window.

16.4.13 Manual Split Crossfade

Two faders may be assigned as theatre style split crossfade masters.

When enabled from the Setup Window, playbacks faders 9 and 10 become Crossfade Masters for manual Fade In and Fade Out.
Pressing the Pause button on either playback 9 or 10 brings the current playback under manual control.
The two faders can then be used to fade in each new Cue with separate control for fade in and fade out.
Pressing the Go button on either Playback 9 or 10 returns the current playback to normal Cue execution.
When enabled, playbacks faders 9 and 10 can not be used as normal playbacks.

16.4.14 Rate Sub Master

It is possible in the Setup Window to set the function of manual crossfade fader to be a rate sub-master to control the execution
rate of the current playback, or the global execution rate of all playbacks. The rate is shown in the bottom right of the Status
Display from 0% to infinity. The fader should be set to 50% for normal execution rate.
The options are:

• Rate Master

• Global Rate Master

• Cue Stack Rate Master
• Cue Stack Global Rate Master
• Club Master

• Tested Stacks Rate Master

The Rate Master and Global Master affect both the Cue Stack times, FX times and Pixel FX times. The Cue Stack Rate Master
and Cue Stack Global Rate Master control just the rate of the Cue Stack (not the FX in it).
The Club Master affects both Cue Stack times, FX Times, Pixel FX Times and Cue Stack from the Execute window.
Tested Stacks Rate Master – only tested Cue Stacks from the Execute Window or externally triggered are affected by rate changes.
MagicQ User Manual 170 / 579

16.4.15 Tap to time

It is possible to change the chase speed or FX speed using Tap to Time. Holding the S button of the playback and then pressing
soft button Y (2nd soft button up on right side of touch screen).
If the current step in the Cue Stack is set to Chase Timing then the Chase speed will be modified. If the step is set to Cue Timing
then the FX speed of any FX in the current Cue will be modified.
If a Cue Stack is set to Chase Timing then the GO button can also be used to tap the time. Note that this only works on chases
when the option "Go Jumps Out of Loop" is set to "No".
It is also possible to configure the S buttons or the GO buttons to perform Tap to Time – Setup, View Settings, Playbacks, Tap to
time buttons.
Tap to Time can also be triggered from Autom events.
The remote input can also be set to always tap to time the currently selected playback.
It is possible to set the GO button in the Master Crossfade Section to a Selected Playback or Global Tap to Time button. In the
Setup Window, View Settings, Playback, set Crossfade button function to "Tap To Time Selected" or "Global Tap to Time". "Tap
to Time Selected" affects the absolute rate of the currently selected Playback. "Global Tap to Time" affects the absolute rate of
all active playbacks.

16.4.16 Global Tap to Time

When the Crossfade button function is set to "Global Tap to Time" then the absolute rate of all active playbacks can be controlled.
This is also possible through a Global Tap button in the Execute Window.
Cue Stacks can be set to use a divisor of the tapped time - in Cue Stack Options, Audio set the rate of the Rate Divisor - by
default it is set to "Normal" and takes the tapped time. Options include "Div by 2" to "Div by 8" and "Mult by 2". The divisor
affects setting of the rate by tap to time either as the selected playback, as part of global tap to time, or as part of audio BPM rate
setting.
Cue Stacks can also have the Rate Divisor can be set to "Inhibit" - in this case the rate of the Cue Stack is never affected by global
tap to time options. This allows Global Tap to Time to be used without affecting particular Cue Stacks.
Tap to time affects the absolute rate of the Cue Stack - if it is a Chase, then the Chase Speed, or if it is a Cue Stack Step with FX
then the FX rate - the programmed rate of the Cue Stack or Cue is changed. The programmed rate is then modified by the relative
speed controllers - it can be reduced by speed masters and fader controls FX speed options before being potentially increased or
decreased by the playback rate/global rate masters.

16.5 Playbacks Window

The Playbacks Window enables management of all 202 playbacks regardless of how many physical wings are attached. This
ensures that shows that will be run on consoles with wings can be programmed on a MagicQ system without wings. It also
provides an ideal way of expanding your show control by using virtual playbacks.
The Playbacks Window displays a button for each of the 202 playbacks. On Compact console this starts with the 10 main
playbacks and then with 8 wings each with 24 playbacks.
On MQ500 there are 15 main fader playbacks, with the 15 button playbacks below and then wings each with 24 playbacks.
On MQ500M there are 15 main fader playbacks, with the 15 encoder playbacks below, repeated six times for six playback banks
of 30 playbacks. Following this is a bank of 12 that is used for the 4x3 Execute buttons when they are set to Playbacks.
The top right encoder is used to select which Page of playbacks is displayed. This is completely separate from the Page used
for the physical playbacks - you can have the physical playbacks set to one page whilst you view and modify playbacks on a
different page.
Cues can be recorded onto any of the playbacks in the same way as they are recorded onto a real playback. After pressing
RECORD, instead of selecting a playback SELECT button, just press the appropriate button in the Playbacks Window.
MagicQ User Manual 171 / 579

16.5.1 Testing playbacks

Any playback can be tested, by pressing the button in the Playbacks Window. This has the same effect as raising the physical
fader from zero to full. Pressing the button again sets the fader back to zero. We will refer to this as a virtual playback.
You can use physical playbacks and virtual playbacks simultaneously - however if you activate a virtual playback for an active
physical playback then the result will depend on whether the physical playback and the virtual playback are on the same page.
If they are, then the effect will be that the playback will be activated and set to the highest level of the physical playback and the
virtual playback. If not, then the physical playback will not be affected and the virtual playback will be ignored. This is because
only one Cue Stack can be run on a playback.
Use the View Faders soft button to change the view in the Playbacks Window into faders rather than buttons. Faders can then
be moved up and down using the touch screen / mouse. This enables full control of virtual playbacks. The GO, PAUSE and
RELEASE soft buttons enable immediate control of virtual playbacks.
You can select a virtual playback as the currently selected playback by pressing the SELECT button and then pressing the required
virtual playback in the Playbacks Window. This enables the Cue Stack from the virtual playback to be controlled, including the
modification of Cues and Cue Stack parameters.
In the Playback Window there is a soft button to release all test Cues, Cue Stacks and Playbacks. This does not release Playbacks
that have been activated on real faders or buttons. This function is also available on the short cut CTRL + RELEASE.

16.5.2 Naming playbacks

Playbacks can be named in the Playbacks Window as per naming of any Windows item.

16.5.3 Copying and moving playbacks

Playbacks can be moved and copied in the Playbacks Window just like any Window item. You can also change the Playback
Window page between selecting the source and destination, so that you can copy or move between pages.
When a Playback is moved, any Cue Stacks from Playbacks on the same page that have Cue Stack macros that reference that
playback will be updated to reference the destination Playback. This only affects Playbacks on the same page - Cue Stack macros
from Cue Stacks on different pages or in the Execute window will not be updated.
When a Playback is copied to another Playback, the Cue Stack on the source playback is copied (i.e. a new Cue Stack is
generated) to the destination Playback. By default, the Cues that make up the Cue Stack are not copied - both Cue Stacks
reference the same Cues. This means, for example, that you can generate several copies of a chase, each with the same Cues but
with different chase speeds.
You can force an unlinked copy of Cue Stacks by holding SHIFT down when you press the COPY button and electing Unlinked.
This forces both the Cue Stack and its Cues to be copied.

16.5.4 Removing playbacks

Playbacks can be removed in the Playbacks Window as per removing of any Windows item.

16.5.5 Playback Rate

It is possible to set the playback rate of a Playback using Encoder X in the Playback Window. Press the S button of the required
playback to choose which playback to change.
By default the playback rate is locked to 100%. Press the X soft button to enable changes to playback rates. The playback rate
% is shown for each of the main playbacks when the % is other than 100%.
The playback rate is stored in the show file, so that the rate will persist over resets and power downs.
Global playback rate can be set using the Y soft button in a similar way.
If you have accidentally set playback rates then you can reset all playback rates to 100% using the top soft button RESET ALL
RATE.
MagicQ User Manual 172 / 579

16.5.6 Checking Active playbacks

Playbacks can only be active on one page at a time. To view which page a playback is active on press the VIEW ACTIVE soft
button.
In this view, the active playbacks are shown together with the page that they are active on. The top soft buttons, GO, PAUSE and
RELEASE can be used on the active playbacks. Playbacks that are not active show the Cues Stack that would be activated if that
playback was activated.

16.5.7 Moving Playbacks for all pages

It is possible to move playbacks on all pages to a new playback number. This is particularly useful when converting a show from
Compact console (10 main faders) to MQ500 (15 main faders).
Select the top soft button VIEW ALL. In previous version this was on soft button B.
It is possible to move multiple playbacks (and pages) at one time.
Moving will now move the Cue Stacks on all pages to the new playback. It is also possible to copy and remove - but use these
with care!

16.5.8 Speed Masters

Press VIEW SPD MASTERS to view and change Speed Masters. The following fields are supported:

ID The ID of the Speed Master

Status When set to enabled the Speed Master is active.
Running When a Speed Master is active this affects whether all the
controlled FX and chases are running or halted
Divisor The Divisor can be set to values between /32 to *32.
Previous BPM Shows the previous tapped BPM
Attributes Determines which attribute types are affected by the Speed
Master
Fader 200% When the Speed Master is on a fader then fader at full is
200%, fader at half is 100%.
Tap syncs beat When Tapping speed, MagicQ will phase sync FX to the
beat
Timing Timing type of Per Head or FX Timing
Link Link this Speed Master to the previous one
Source Enable the BPM to be sourced from audio input or DJ
system instead of the Tap’d BPM

When a Speed Master is set to timing type of Per Head this overides the Timing field in the FX. When timing is set to FX Timing,
the timing type will be taken from the FX timing field.
When a Speed Master is disabled it has no effect at all on FX or chases assigned to that Speed Master.
When Speed Masters are linked they take their BPM and BPM source from lowest numbered Speed Master linked. The divisor,
active state and running/halt continue to operate independently for each Speed Master.
Source can be Tap, Audio BPM, Audio Beat, DJM BPM and DJ Beat.
To remove a Speed Master use the REMOVE button.
There is more info on Speed Masters in the Busking section.
MagicQ User Manual 173 / 579

16.6 Bank Pages

Banks of playbacks can operate on different pages. This is a very powerful feature as it allows the playbacks to be split into
separate sections without forcing all the playbacks to be on the same page.
This provides significant flexibility to how shows are played back – for example one bank can be used to control traditional lamps
whilst another could be used to control intelligent heads. Changing the Page of the par lamps would not change the Page of the
heads.
By default the page buttons on the main section affect all playbacks whilst the buttons on all other banks only affect that bank. If
you plan to operate a bank section separately then you can avoid the main page buttons affecting that bank section. In the Setup
Window, select VIEW SYSTEM, VIEW WINGS.
Playback wings support 24 playbacks divided into two banks (rows) of 12 playbacks refered to as the upper and lower banks.
Each bank of playbacks has separate NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE buttons.
For each bank you can specify which page buttons the bank is tied to. To operate a section independently of any other page
buttons set the tie to be itself. For example, to operate the upper bank of Wing 1 independently set the upper bank tie to Wing 1
upper.
You can also tie multiple wing banks together to use one set of page buttons. Thus if you want both banks of a wing to operate
off 1 set of buttons, then you can configure the ties to do this.
When any NEXT PAGE or PREV PAGE buttons are pressed the LCD displays temporarily change to indicate the current page
number.
You can jump to a Wing Playback Page by entering a page number, then holding the Wing NEXT PAGE button and pressing the
Wing PREV PAGE button.

16.7 Default Cue Stacks

Cue Stacks can be made to appear on all pages of a Playback. To use this feature, record a Cue Stack on Page 1 and then in the
Playbacks Window set "Default Cue Stack" to "On" for the selected Playback.
The Cue Stack on Page 1 then appears on any Pages which do not have a Cue Stack assigned.

16.8 Synchronising Playbacks

It is possible to synchronise the Cue Stacks on two or more Playbacks. Set the "Sync next playback to this one" option. MagicQ
matches the Cue Ids in the Cue Stack so it is possible to have different numbers of Cues in the Stacks. If there is no Cue Id
matching in the next Cue Stack then it will remain at the current Cue.
It is possible to have several Playbacks synced to one master Playback by setting the option "Sync next playback to this one" on
the master and each adjacent Cue Stack, except for the last one in the chain. MagicQ tries to match the Cue Id within each Cue
Stack to the master Cue Stack.

16.9 Set lists

It is possible to save and load set lists in the Page Window. Set lists are simply text files with a list of page names. When the set
list is loaded, MagicQ rearranges the pages so that they are in the order specified in the set list. Pages that are not specified in the
set list (for example songs not being used today) are moved after all the pages specified in the set list file.
To use set lists, first name all the pages in the Page Window according to the song name or section name. You can then save this
as a set list by pressing the Save Set List soft button – the file is saved into the show folder with a .txt file extension. You can edit
this file with a text editor (e.g. Windows Notepad) to rearrange the songs. Load the set list back into MagicQ using the Load Set
List soft button.
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Chapter 17

Cue Stack Options

The Cue Stack Window has three Views – View Cue Stack, View Options and View Defaults.
The View Options view shows the settings for the Cue Stack on the current Playback. Changing these settings immediately
affects the currently selected Cue Stack.
The View Defaults view shows the settings that will be used when new Cues and Cue Stacks are recorded. Changing the settings
in View Defaults does not affect Cues and Cues Stacks that have already been recorded.
The View Defaults view contains two columns – one for single step Cue Stacks and one for multiple step Cue Stacks. When the
first Cue is first recorded on a Cue Stack the single step defaults are used. When a second Cue is recorded on the Cue Stack the
Cue Stack settings are modified to use the multiple step defaults.

17.1 Faders

17.1.1 Fader activates stack

When set to Yes raising the fader from 0 to above the activation threshold activates the Cue Stack. When set to No the fader does
not activate the Cue Stack.
The activation threshold defaults to 0. It is a global setting which is set in Setup, View Settings, Hardware.

17.1.2 Fader releases stack

When set to Yes lowering the fader to the activation threshold releases the Cue Stack. When set to No the fader does Not release
the Cue Stack.
The activation threshold defaults to 0. It is a global setting which is set in Setup, View Settings, Hardware.

17.1.3 Fader controls HTP chans

When set to Yes the fader will control the level of all channels from the Playback that are patched as HTP channels.
When set to No then all HTP channels will be activated at 100% of the their level within the Playback, ignoring the level of the
fader.
MagicQ personalities normally only have Intensity set as HTP channel - but it is sometimes useful to patch heads without
Intensity as HTP – e.g. the Red, Green, Blue channels of LED heads.
The fader controls the levels proportionately from 0% to 100% through the length of the fader.
If the Cue includes FX on HTP channels then the size of the FX is also reduced proportionately according to the fader level.
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When this setting is set to Yes then the other "Fader controls" settings should generally be set to No.
The overall intensity level of HTP channels is also affected by the Grand Master and the Sub Master and any active Group
Masters.

17.1.4 Fader controls LTP (IPCB) chans

When set to Yes the fader will crossfade all channels that are operating as LTP channels (generally this is everything apart from
Intensity).
When the fader is at 0% the LTP channels are not controlled by this Cue Stack. When the fader is raised above 0% then MagicQ
crossfades the LTP channels to the values stored in the Cue under control of the fader.
When the fader is at 100% then the LTP channels are exactly as stored in the Cue.
MagicQ crossfades the LTP channels from the values that they were at before the fader was raised above 0 – i.e. the current value
of these channels. This will either be the values from other Cue Stacks, or if no other Cue Stacks are controlling these channels
the LTP or default values.
When set to Yes then the other "Fader controls" settings should generally be set to No.
If the setting Advanced, All Channels Controlled LTP is set to Yes, and the setting Fader controls HTP is set to No, then MagicQ
will perfrom Soft LTP - crossfading HTP channels (such as Intensity).

17.1.5 Fader blocks FX on LTP chans

When set to Yes any LTP channels that are under control of the fader also block FX from other playbacks according to the level
of the fader - at 100% they completely block FX
When set to No any FX on the channels from other playbacks keep running without change.

17.1.6 Fader controls Absolute chans

When set to Yes the fader will control the value of all LTP chans in an absolute way - when the fader is at 0% then the channels
are at 0% - when at 100% the channels are at the programmed value. This allows direct control of the attributes from the fader.
This is similar to Fader Controls LTP (IPCB) chans except that the crossfade always starts from 0% rather than the value from
other Playbacks.

17.1.7 Fader controls FX size

When this setting is set to Yes the fader controls the size of any FX that are running in the Cue Stack – this includes FX from the
current Cue and also any FX that are tracking from previous Cues in the Cue Stack.
When the fader is at 100% then the FX is the size that was recorded in the Cue - lowering the fader reduces the size until there is
No size (No FX) at 0%.
Fader controls FX size affects FX on any attribute.
When set to Yes then the other "Fader controls" settings other than "Fader controls speed" settings should generally be set to No.

17.1.8 Fader controls FX speed

When this setting is set to Yes the fader controls the speed of any FX that are running in the Cue Stack – this includes FX from
the current Cue and also any FX that are tracking from previous Cues in the Cue Stack.
When the fader is at 100% then the FX runs at the speed that was recorded in the Cue - lowering the fader reduces the speed until
it stops at 0%.
Fader controls FX speed affects FX on any attribute.
When set to Yes then the other "Fader controls" settings other than "Fader controls size" settings should generally be set to No.
MagicQ User Manual 176 / 579

17.1.9 Fader controls manual crossfades

When set to Yes then the fader performs a manual crossfade on the Cue Stack in a similar way to the dedicated manual crossfader.
This enables multiple Cue Stacks to be manually crossfaded.
All other "Fader controls" settings, especially "Fader controls HTP" should be set to No, otherwise there will be unpredictable
results.

17.1.10 Fader controls timing

This setting controls timing of Cue Stack steps.

When the fader is at 0 the Cue Stack snaps with 0 time, when at full it fades with 10 seconds.
If the Cue has split timing then the split timing is respected within the overall fade time set by the fader.

17.1.11 Fader controls audio volume

When set to Yes, the level of the fader will affect the volume of any audio played from both the "Audio File" Cue Stack option
and "Audio" fields on the Cues within the given Cue Stack.

17.1.12 Fader jumps to Cue Step

When set to Yes and the Cue Stack has multiple steps then raising the fader will step through the Cue Stack - at 0% it will be on
step 1 and at 100% it will be on the last step.

17.1.13 Encoder mode

On Stadium consoles the playback encoders can be used for many different functions including:

• Intensity (HTP channel control)

• LTP channel control

• FX Size
• FX Speed
• FX Speed and FX Size

• Rate (not implemented yet)

• Time (not implemented yet)

When Cues are recorded to an Execute Playbacks (e.g. PB16 to PB30) by default the encoders will control the function of the
Cue Stack on that Playback. The user can choose the Encoder mode to determine which function the encoder has. The current
state of the encoder is shown in the playback legend.
When Cues are recorded to a Fader Playback, if there is no Cue Stack assigned to the Execute Playback above then the encoder
from the Execute Playback will automatically take any encoder function that is set on the Fader Playback. This means that it is
easy, for example, to record a FX Cue onto a fader playback and use the encoder above it to control the speed.
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17.1.14 Control type

On Stadium consoles it is possible to chose to control one or more different Playbacks or even a separate Cue Stack to control
in which case the encoder is not related to the specific Playback. The following options are available from Cue Stack options,
Fader tab, Encoder Mode:

• This Playback
• Other Playback
• All Playback on this Bank
• All Playback on this Page
• Other Cue Stack

When set to Other Payback the Playback ID is specified in the Control Item option.
When set to Other Cue Stack then the Cue Stack ID is specified in the Control Item option. If the Encoder Mode is LTP or HTP
and the Cue Stack is assigned to a Playback on the current Playback Page then it will activate from the Playback, otherwise it
will activate from the Stack Store. As per the usual Cue Stack options in will only activate if Fader Activates is set to yes. For
FX Size and FX Speed this will only take effect if the Cue Stack is already active on a Playback or within an Execute Grid or the
Stack Store.

17.1.15 Control item

On Stadium consoles specifies the Playback ID or Cue Stack ID when Control type is et to Other Playback or Other Cue Stack.

17.2 Buttons

17.2.1 Flash activates stack

When set to Yes pressing the Flash button activates the Cue Stack and sets the level of the Playback to 100%.
When set to No pressing the Flash button sets the level of the Playback to 100% but does not activate the Cue Stack.
The overall level of HTP channels is also affected by the Grand Master and Sub Master and any active Group Masters. The Sub
Master can be configured in Setup to be an Add Swap Master.

17.2.2 Flash releases stack

When set to Yes releasing the Flash button releases the Cue Stack and sets the level of the Playback to 0%.
When set to No pressing the Flash button sets the level of the Playback to 0% but does not release the Cue Stack.
Note that if the option Fader Activates Stack is set to Yes then releasing of the Playback is also dependent on the fader.
If the Playback was activated by raising the fader then pressing the Flash button will not release the Playback.
In this case the Playback will only be released by lowering the fader to 0% or by pressing the Rel button. This allows the Flash
button to be used both to bump in a Cue which was not activated by fader, and to also bump a Cue to 100% which was activated
by the fader at a lower level.

17.2.3 Flash always swaps

When set to Yes, pressing the Flash button will always act as a Swap rather than an Add, regardless of the state of the Add/Swap
button.
When the button is pressed the Intensity of all other active Playbacks will be set to 0%. When the button is released the other
Playbacks will be restored to their previous level.
When this option is set Yes then the LED in the Flash button will always be red.
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17.2.4 Flash acts as Go/Pause

When set to Yes, pressing the Flash button acts as if the Go button had been pressed and pressing Shift + the Flash button acts as
if the Pause button had been pressed. When set this way the button does not act as a bump button.
When set to No the Flash button acts as a bump button in the normal way.
Holding Shift and pressing Flash will perform Pause instead of Go.
When set to Yes the settings "Flash activates Stack", "Flash releases Stack" and "Flash toggles" are ignored.

17.2.5 Flash acts as Flash + Go

When set to Yes the Flash button acts as both a Flash button and a Go button.
Pressing the Flash button performs the Go function – this will active the Cue Stack, or if the Cue Stack is already active, it will
Go to the next step. At the same time the Flash button will operate in the Normal way, setting the Playback level to 100%.
Releasing the Flash button will set the Playback level back to 0% or if the fader is raised to the level of the fader.
Holding SHIFT and pressing the Flash button will perform Flash + Pause.
Normally when "Flash acts as Flash + Go" is set Yes then the setting "Flash Releases Stack" should be set to No. If the option
"Flash Releases Stack" is set to Yes then releasing the Flash button will also release the Playback unless the fader is raised.
When set to Yes, the setting "Flash acts as Go/Pause" is ignored.

17.2.6 Flash toggles

When set to Yes the Flash button acts as a toggle rather than a bump. Pressing the button the first time activates the Playback.
Pressing the button again releases the Playback.
When this option is set and the playback is active the LED in the Flash button flashes to indicate the toggle mode is latched.
When set to Yes, the settings "Flash activates Stack" and "Flash releases Stack" are ignored.

17.2.7 Flash acts like fader

When set to Yes the Flash button has the same effect as if the fader has temporarily been raised to 100%. This is useful for
enabling the Flash button to control attributes other than Intensity.
For example, if the fader is set to control FX size then pressing the Flash button would act like the fader being fully raised – so
100% FX size.

17.2.8 Go activates stack

When set to Yes the GO button activates the Cue Stack if it is not already active.
When set to No the Go and the Cue Stack is inactive, then the GO button steps the Cue Stack without activating it - as per the
FFWD button.
The default is Yes.

17.2.9 Go jumps out of loop

This setting affects Cues that are set to Chase Timing which are in a loop.
When set to Yes, pressing Go will exit the loop – jumping to the step after the Cue that loops back to an earlier Cue.
When set to No, pressing Go will step one step within the chase.
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17.2.10 Go stop/starts

When set to Yes then pressing GO stops a Cue that is already running or starts a Cue that is stopped.
When set to No then pressing GO starts the next Cue.

17.2.11 Go uses Exec Grid 1

This enables the GO button on Playbacks 1 to 10 to control the first ten items in Exec Grid 1.
When set to Yes then pressing the GO button toggles the Exec Grid item corresponding to this Playback - for example GO on
Playback 2 will toggle item 2 in Execute Grid 1.
When set to No the GO button acts normally.

17.2.12 Pause swaps

When set to Yes the Pause button acts as a Flash button in Swap mode.
Pressing the Pause button the Playback will be set to 100% and the Intensity of all other active Playbacks will be set to 0%. When
the button is released the other Playbacks will be restored to their previous level.
This setting enables a Playback to have both an Add button and a Swap button.

17.2.13 Pause releases

When set to Yes the Pause button releases the Cue Stack.

17.2.14 Pause uses Exec Grid 1

This enables the Pause button on Playbacks 1 to 10 to control items 11 to 20 in Exec Grid 1.
When set to Yes then pressing the Pause button toggles the Exec Grid item corresponding to this Playback - for example Pause
on Playback 2 will toggle item 12 in Execute Grid 1.
When set to No the Pause button acts normally.

17.3 Function

17.3.1 Cue Stack is an Intensity Master

When this setting is set to Yes then the Cue Stack behaves as an Intensity Master. The Cue Stack normal Cue execution behaviour
is disabled.
The Group Id settings specifies the group of channels that are under control of the Intensity Master. Updating the channels stored
within the specified group updates the channels under control of the FX Intensity Master.
If the Group ID is 0 or refers to an invalid group, then the channels stored in the first Cue are used to determine which channels
are under control of the Intensity Master. The levels of the channels in the first Cue are not important – only that the channels are
present at some level in the Cue.
In order for the Intensity Master to be activated the Go button must be pressed. To release the Intensity Master the Playback must
be selected and the REL button pressed. The Button settings "Flash activates Stack" and "Flash releases Stack" are ignored. In
order to avoid sudden changes in output level the fader should be raised to 100% before activating or releasing.
When the fader is at 100% then the Intensity Master has no effect. As the fader is lowered then all the channels under control
have their intensity reduced.
MagicQ User Manual 180 / 579

It is possible to have multiple Intensity Masters that control the same channel which work proportionately.
Normally when this setting is set to Yes, the settings Cue Stack is a FX Size Master and Cue Stack is a FX Speed Master should
be set to No.
When this setting is set to No then the Cue Stack behaves normally.

17.3.2 Cue Stack is a FX Size Master

When this setting is set to Yes then the Cue Stack behaves as an FX Size Master. The Cue Stack normal Cue execution behaviour
is disabled.
The Group Id settings specifies the group of channels that are under control of the FX Size Master. Updating the channels stored
within the specified group updates the channels under control of the FX Size Master.
If the Group ID is 0 or refers to an invalid group, then the channels stored in the first Cue are used to determine which channels
are under control of the FX Size Master. The levels of the channels in the first Cue are not important – only that the channels are
present at some level in the Cue.
In order for the FX Size Master to be activated the Go button must be pressed. To release the FX Size Master the Playback must
be selected and the REL button pressed. The Button settings "Flash activates Stack" and "Flash releases Stack" are ignored. In
order to avoid sudden changes in output level the fader should be raised to 100% before activating or releasing.
When the fader is at 100% then FX size is as programmed. As the fader is lowered then the FX size is reduced until it reaches
zero size at 0%.
A particular channel can only be controlled from one FX Size Master.
Normally when this setting is set to Yes, the setting Cue Stack is an Intensity Master should be set to No. It is possible to have a
Cue Stack set to both a FX Size Master and a FX Speed Master.
When this setting is set to No then the Cue Stack behaves normally.

17.3.3 Cue Stack is a FX Speed Master

When this setting is set to Yes then the Cue Stack behaves as an FX Speed Master. The Cue Stack normal Cue execution
behaviour is disabled.
The Group Id settings specifies the group of channels that are under control of the FX Speed Master. Updating the channels
stored within the specified group updates the channels under control of the FX Speed Master.
If the Group ID is 0 or refers to an invalid group, then the channels stored in the first Cue are used to determine which channels
are under control of the FX Speed Master. The levels of the channels in the first Cue are not important – only that the channels
are present at some level in the Cue.
In order for the FX Speed Master to be activated the Go button must be pressed. To release the FX Speed Master the Playback
must be selected and the REL button pressed. The Button settings "Flash activates Stack" and "Flash releases Stack" are ignored.
In order to avoid sudden changes in output level the fader should be raised to 100% before activating or releasing.
When the fader is at 100% then FX size is as programmed. As the fader is lowered then the FX speed is reduced until it stops at
0%.
A particular channel can only be controlled from one FX Speed Master.
Normally when this setting is set to Yes, the setting Cue Stack is an Intensity Master should be set to No. It is possible to have a
Cue Stack set to both a FX Size Master and a FX Speed Master.
When this setting is set to No then the Cue Stack behaves normally.

17.3.4 Group ID (0 is not used)

This setting is used when the Cue Stack is an Intensity Master, FX Size Master or FX Speed Master. It specifies the group to use
for the Master.
When set to zero the Master will use the data in the first Cue of the Cue Stack to determine which heads are controlled by the
master.
MagicQ User Manual 181 / 579

17.3.5 Group Attributes

This setting is used when the Cue Stack is an FX Size Master or FX Speed Master and the Group ID is non zero. It specifies
which attributes the FX Speed or FX Size master should control for the heads in the Group.
The Group Attributes defaults to all attributes. The options are All, Pos, Pan, Tilt, Col, Int, Zoom, Int+Pos, Int+Col, Int+Beam,
and Int+Pos+Col.
If the Group ID is zero or invalid then this setting is not used and MagicQ uses the data in the first Cue of the Cue Stack to
determine which heads and attributes are controlled by the master.

17.3.6 Intensity Master to 200%

When Cue Stack is an Intensity Master is set to yes, then the fader will operate from 0% to 200% intensity. Above 100% the
level recorded in the Cue will be boosted - although the maximum output level will always be 100%.

17.3.7 Cue Stack is a Prog Master

The Playback with this Cue Stack operates as a Programmer Master. The Programmer master enables level control of the contents
of the Programmer on the fader and stepping between different Programmer states.
See Programmer Master.
The Cue Stack normal Cue execution behaviour is disabled.

17.3.8 Cue Stack is a Speed Master

When this setting is set to a Speed Master SPx then the Cue Stack behaves as a Speed Master. The flash button is a tap to time,
the fader controls the speed relative to the tap to time. GO halts the speed master whilst PAUSE resumes.
The Cue Stack normal Cue execution behaviour is disabled.

17.3.9 Cue Stack is a Live Copy Master

When this setting is set to yes, the Cue Stack behaves as a Live Copy Master.
The Group Id settings specifies the group of channels that are copied to - i.e. that are controlled by this Master. Updating the
channels stored within the specified group updates the channels under control of the Live Copy Master.
If the Group ID is 0 or refers to an invalid group, then the channels stored in the first Cue are used to determine which channels
are under control of the Live Copy Master. The levels of the channels in the first Cue are not important – only that the channels
are present at some level in the Cue.
The Live Copy Group ID determines the channels that the Live Copy Master copies from.
The Cue Stack normal Cue execution behaviour is disabled.

17.3.10 Live Copy Group ID

This setting is used when the Cue Stack is an Live Copy Master. It specifies the group to use for copying channels from.

17.3.11 Col Tag

When a Col Tag is set for a Cue Stack then that Col Tag is shown in the Playback legend above the Playback faders and buttons.
The RGB LEDs on the MQ500 and Stadium Wing playbacks can be set to show the colour of the Col Tags in Setup, View Setting,
Windows, Playback Col Tags.
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17.4 Activate/Release

17.4.1 Halt at last step

When set to Yes the Cue Stack halts at the last step in the Cue Stack.
When set to No then the Cue Stack will return to the first step after the last step.

17.4.2 Release after last step

When set to Yes the Cue Stack automatically releases after the last step in the Cue Stack has completed fading.
When set to No the Cue Stack must be released manually.

17.4.3 Release resets to first step

When set to Yes the Cue Stack always starts from the first step when the Cue Stack is activated. The setting "Release steps 1
step" is ignored.
When set to No the Cue Stack activates at the step it was on when it was last released.

17.4.4 Release steps 1 step

When set to Yes the Cue Stack activates at the step following the step the Cue Stack was on when it was last released.
When the setting "Release resets to first step" is set to Yes, this setting has no effect.

17.4.5 Release time

This is the time for channels to release when the Cue Stack is released (using the REL button or via fader/flash button). The exact
behaviour depends upon whether channels are active on other Playbacks. Intensity channels not used by other channels will fade
out using the release time.
The release time also affects channels that are released from Cue steps within a Cue Stack step – i.e. when the Cue Stack step
Tracking option is not set to LTP ("Rel old chans" = yes)
This setting can also be set in the End field in View Cue in the Cue Stack Window.

17.4.6 Release attributes

This setting determines which attributes are released with time when a Cue Stack is released with time.
Individual attribute types - "Int", "Pos", "Col", "Beam" can be selected together with combinations.
The default is "All" which will fade out all attribute types except for attributes that are set to Instant.

17.4.7 Release uses last step times

When set to Yes the step times of the last step in the Cue Stack are used when releasing. This enables releasing using complex
fan times and different fade / delay times on different attributes and heads.
The last step times will apply when the whole Cue Stack is released and also when individual channels are released from the Cue
Stack (e.g. when Tracking is set without L or H).
The channels must be programmed in the last step for times to take effect. The values in the last step are ignored - only the times
are used. If channels are not in the last step then they use the general times from the last step.
When this option is set it is not required to set the overall Cue Stack release time - this is overridden by the chan and general
times in the last step.
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17.4.8 Release fades audio

By default, when the Cue Stack has audio playback enabled, if the Cue Stack has a release time configured, the audio will fade
out over the same time.
When set to No, the audio will snap to silent at the end of the release time. When set to Yes, the audio will fade in time with the
release time.
The default is "Yes"

17.4.9 Release executes last step

When the Playback is released then MagicQ executes the last step of the Cue Stack before releasing. Any macros in the last step
of the Cue Stack are also executed.
It affects all releases including releasing by flash button, fader to 0% or RELEASE button.
This can be used with a Release Time on the Cue Stack to perform a fade out of a different look when the Cue Stack is released.

17.4.10 Activate on page change

When set to Yes, then this Cue Stack is activated when the page is changed to the page that this Cue Stack is assigned to.
If there is an active Cue Stack on this Playback then the new Cue Stack will only be activated if the old Cue Stack is set to release
on page change.

17.4.11 Release on page change

When set to Yes, then this Cue Stack is released when the page is changed to any page other than the page that this Cue Stack is
assigned to.

17.4.12 HTP always active (Use HTP)

When set to Yes then the fader always controls the Intensity (HTP) channels from the Cue Stack regardless of whether the Cue
Stack is activated. Whenever the fader is raised above zero the Intensity channels will affect the Output. The highest level from
this Cue Stack and any other Playbacks will determine the Output level for each channel.
This setting overrides the Advanced Setting "All Channels controlled LTP".
This setting is similar to the Use HTP setting on some other consoles.

17.4.13 Activate and Release on DJ System

When set to Yes, this Cue Stack will automatically activate and release when a DJ deck is playing the corresponding track
configured in the "DJ Track" setting. If the Cue Stack is only in the Stack Store, then the stack will activate form the Stack Store
instead of from a Playback.

17.5 Advanced

17.5.1 All chans controlled LTP

When set to Yes all HTP channels under control of the Playback act as if they were LTP channels. When the Playback with
this Cue Stack is the latest activated and highest priority Playback then the Playback has complete control of all HTP channels
regardless of whether they are active on other faders.
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HTP channels that are active on higher priority Playbacks will be under control of the higher priority Playback and will ignore
this setting.
HTP channels that are active on other Playbacks with the same priority, but which were activated/reasserted more recently than
this Playback, will be under control of the other Playbacks.

17.5.2 Block FX from other playbacks

When set to Yes then any channels controlled by this Playback block FX on those channels from other Playbacks.
Channels controlled by this Playback that have levels but no FX are not affected by FX on other Playbacks. In effect an implicit
zero FX is added to these channels to block the other Playbacks.
When set to No then channels controlled by this Playback that have levels but no FX are affected by FX on those channels from
other Playbacks.

17.5.3 Ignore Masters

When set to Yes, then the levels of HTP channels ignore grand master and sub master faders. They also ignore DBO and SHIFT
RELEASE and will not be automatically activated and released by timecode.
FX from the Cue Stack are not affected by FX Speed Masters and FX Size Masters. (v1.9.4.1 and above)
When set to No then then levels and FX are affected by Masters, DBO,SHIFT RELEASE and timecode as normal.

17.5.4 Playback priority

The Playback priority can be set to Normal, Mid, High, Programmer and Above Programmer.
When all Playbacks are set to priority Normal then the latest Playback to be activated/reasserted will control the channels.
Playbacks set to Mid priority always have higher priority than Playbacks set to Normal priority.
Playbacks set to High priority always have higher priority than Playbacks set to Normal or Mid priority.
Playbacks set to Programmer priority have the same priority as the programmer but always have higher priority than Playbacks
set to Normal, Mid or High priority.
Playbacks set to Above Programmer have higher priority than the Programmer. Note that the Programmer overrides HTP setting
in Setup, View Settings, Prog must be set to "Playbacks except Above Programmer" for this setting to take effect. In order to edit
the Cues in the Programmer and see the changes on the Output it is best to release the Cue Stack. Above Programmer also takes
priority above any Preset or Parked channels.

17.5.5 Move when dark

When set to Yes, then MagicQ checks after each Cue is executed whether it should perform a move when dark.
Any heads that are used in the next Cue but which have 0% intensity in the current Cue are checked to see whether the Position,
Beam and Colour attributes should be preloaded before the next Cue is executed. If the Position, Beam or Colour values are
different from the current values then the new values are crossfaded with a time of 3 seconds.
This option is similar to putting a Mark Cue before every Cue in a Cue Stack.
The time taken for the Move when dark is specified in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage, Default mark/move when dark time.
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17.5.6 Recalculate state on jumps

This option specifies how MagicQ calculates the Cue State when playing back a Cue Stack.
When set to Yes, MagicQ recalculates the Cue State whenever a jump is made in the Cue Stack. The Output of a particular Cue
always appears the same regardless of which Cue was executed preciously. MagicQ recalculates the Output as if the Cue Stack
had been played back from the first Cue to this Cue by pressing the GO button.
When set to No, MagicQ calculates the Cue State based on the Cues that it has actually executed – when jumping to a new Cue
only the Cues that have been previously executed will make up the Output.
In tracking modes this setting defaults to Yes. In non-tracking modes this setting defaults to No.

17.5.7 Stomp other playbacks

Stomping enables Playbacks that have been completely overridden by other Playbacks to be automatically released.
This option only has an effect when the Setup, Playback setting "Stomp Playbacks" is set. When "Stomp Playbacks" is set to No
then this setting is ignored.
When this setting is set to Yes then this Playback is allowed to stomp other Playbacks.
When this setting is set to No then this Playback will not stomp other Playbacks - this can be useful when bumping in stabs and
temporary FX.

17.5.8 Sync next Playback to this one

This setting enables one or more playbacks to be synchronised together so that they step the same Cue Ids at the same time.
Setting this option to Yes forces the next Playback (higher number) to synchronise to this Playback.
If enabled for playback PB10 then Wing 1 PB1 will be synced to it.
If you Go on this playback to a Cue Id that is not implemented on the next playback then the next playback will not change step.
It will only sync to steps where the Cue Ids match.
It is possible to synchronise multiple playbacks by enabling this setting on several adjacent playbacks. In this case all the adjacent
playbacks are synced to the first playback in the adjacent playbacks.
It is not neccessary for each of the adjacent playbacks to have all the Cues - each adjacent playback syncs independently to the
first adjacent playback ignoring the Cues of any intermediate adjacent playbacks.

17.5.9 Send playback state to other consoles

When set to Yes then the state of this Playback is sent to other MagicQ consoles on the network.
If Net Sessions, Playback sync is set then the state of all Playbacks is sent to other consoles regardless of this Cue Stack setting,
so this setting should be set to No.
This setting requires Setup, Network, Ethernet Remote Protocol to be set to "ChamSys TX" or "ChamSys TX and RX".

17.5.10 Rate Divisor

Cue Stacks can be set to use a divisor of the tapped time - by default it is set to "Normal" and takes the tapped time. Options
include "Div by 2" to "Div by 8" and "Mult by 2".
The divisor affects setting of the rate by tap to time either as the selected playback, as part of global tap to time, or as part of
audio BPM rate setting.
If set to "Ignore" the rate of the Cue Stack is never affected by global tap to time or FX Speed Masters. This allows Global Tap
to Time and Speed Masters to be used without affecting particular Cue Stacks.
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17.5.11 Speed Master

Selects which Speed Master this Cue Stack uses to control Chase and FX Speed - from SP1 to SP100.
If set to "Ignore" it ignores Speed Masters.

17.5.12 External timecode

This setting affects any steps in this Cue Stack that have their Halt field set to "Timecode".
When set to Yes this Cue Stack is controlled by external timecode. When set to No then this Cue Stack is controlled by internal
timecode – activating the Playback starts the timecode from 0.
This setting can also be changed from an encoder soft button.

17.5.13 Timecode offset

This can be used to add a positive or negative timecode offset to all timecode values within a Cue Stack including all TC Tracks
associated with that Cue Stack.
For example if the Cues in the Cue Stack have been set to respond to timecode starting at 0/0/0 and the timecode received actually
starts at 2/0/0 then setting the timecode offset to 2/0/0 will make the Cue stack correctly respond to the received times.
Similarly if the CueStack has been set to respond to timecode starting at 5/0/0 and timecode is actually received starting at 0/0/0
then setting a timecode offset of -5/0/0 will have the desired effect.
Note that all the Cues will still show their programmed timecode values but an offset will be applied when playing back or
recording timecode. The titlebar of the Cue Stack Window shows the offset.
The timecode offset can be modified using an encoder in the Cue Stack window by holding SHIFT and turning encoder D.

17.5.14 Enable timecode loop

When set to Yes this will enable the internal timecode of the playback to loop between the "Timecode loop in" and "Timecode
loop out" points. This only works with the internal timecode function and cannot control external timecode sources. Manually
setting the timecode to a value greater than the "Timecode loop out" value will cause the timecode to be set to the value in
"Timecode loop in"

17.5.15 Timecode loop in

This is the start timecode of the section of timecode which will be looped when "Enable timecode loop" is set to Yes.

17.5.16 Timecode loop out

This is the end timecode of the section of timecode which will be looped when "Enable timecode loop" is set to Yes. When the
timecode reaches this value or higher, the internal timecode will be set to the value of the Timecode loop in setting.

17.5.17 DJ Track

This will show the title and artist of an associated DJ System track when configured. To set this, make sure the relevant track
you wish to associate is currently playing on a connected DJ system, then use the "Copy" function to copy the cue stack onto the
relevant deck in the Audio window.
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17.5.18 Track DJ Deck timecode

When set to yes, and when the DJ Track is configured above, the timecode for this cue stack will be taken from the relevant DJ
deck on which the configured track is playing. This is automatically set to Yes when associating a DJ Track above.

17.6 Chase Options

17.6.1 Skip first times

When this setting is set to Yes, then when the Cue Stack is activated the fade times for the first step are ignored and the levels
bumped straight in.
This only affects Cue steps set to "Chase Timing".

17.6.2 Speed

This controls the speed of any Cue Steps in the Cue Stack set to "Chase Timing". This setting can also be controlled via encoder
X in the Cue Stack view.

17.6.3 Xfade

This controls the crossfade of any Cue Steps in the Cue Stack set to "Chase Timing". This setting can also be controlled via the
Y encoder in the Cue Stack view.

17.6.4 Direction

This controls the direction (forward or backward) of any Cue Steps in the Cue Stack set to "Chase Timing". This setting can also
be controlled via encoder C in the Cue Stack view.

17.6.5 Repeat type

The options are Normal, Bounce and Random. Bounce executes the Chase alternating backward and forward direction. This
setting can also be controlled via encoder D in the Cue Stack view.

17.6.6 Number of repeats

This setting specifies how many repeats of the Chase should take place.
When set to 0 then the Chase will continue until the chase is exited manually.

17.6.7 Running

This setting specifies whether Chases start running or halted.

17.6.8 HTP in fade, HTP out fade, Position fade, Colour fade, Beam fade

The fade times for any Cue Steps in the Cue Stack set to "Chase Timing". These times generally match the Chase speed. These
times can also be controlled via encoder C in the Cue Stack view.
Setting one or more attribute group fade times to 0 causes that attribute group to snap rather than fade.
The overall Chase speed corresponds to attribute group with the biggest combined delay and fade time.
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17.6.9 HTP in delay, HTP out delay, Position delay, Colour delay, Beam delay

The delay times for any Cue Steps in the Cue Stack set to "Chase Timing".
These times can be used to make one or more attribute groups snap at end.
The overall Chase speed corresponds to attribute group with the biggest combined delay and fade time.

17.7 Audio

17.7.1 Audio controls fader level

When set to Yes, the level of the playback is controlled by the received audio level on the chosen. The level of the real fader is
ignored. The effect on the Playback is determined by the Cue Stack, Fader settings.
The Cue Stack must be active for the audio to take effect.
The setting can be used in conjunction with the setting "Audio jumps to Cue Step".
The audio level, audio parameter 1, and audio parameter 2 settings can be used to fine tune how the received audio affects the
fader level.

17.7.2 Audio level jumps to Cue Step

"Audio level jumps to Cue Step" enables the level of the specified audio channel to determine which step in the Cue Stack is
executed – for example if you have a Cue Stack with 10 steps, then a level of 0% will execute step 1, 10% will execute step 2
whilst a level of 100% will execute step 10. This is very useful if you wish to program different Cues onto LED or media servers.
The Cue Stack must be active for the audio to take effect.
When this setting is set to Yes, the settings "Audio bumps Go" and "Audio beat step" should be set to No.
If the setting "Audio controls fader level" is set to YES then audio level, audio parameter 1, and audio parameter 2 will affect the
level of the Playback and hence the Cue step chosen.

17.7.3 Audio bumps GO/FX

When set to Yes, the Cue Stack bumps to the next step every time a peak in the audio is detected on the specified channel. This
enables a Cue Stack to follow the beat of the music.
This is best used with the Cue Stack set to Cue Timing instead of Chase Timing.
The Cue Stack must be active for the audio to take effect.
When this setting is set to Yes, the settings "Audio controls fader level", "Audio sets BPM" and "Audio level jumps to Cue Step"
should be set to No.
Audio parameter 1 is used as a divider – set it between 2 and 16 to divide the received beat frequency by a value between 2 and
16 times.
Audio parameter 2 should be set to 0.

17.7.4 Audio beat step

When set to yes, the Cue Stack will use the currently detected beat number (whether from the Audio Input BPM beat tracker, or
from an external DJ system), to jump to the Cue with the corresponding Cue ID for the beat number.
When this setting is set to Yes, the settings "Audio sets BPM" and "Audio level jumps to Cue Step" should be set to No.
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17.7.5 Audio beat step length

In conjunction with the "Audio beat step" setting, this value specifies after how many beats the Cue Stack should loop. By default
this value is 4, but can be overridden to any value required. Cue IDs which are outside of this range will never be triggered. E.g.
with this setting set to 6, then only Cue IDs 1 through 6 will be checked.

17.7.6 Audio sets BPM

When set to Yes, then the chase speed of the Cue Stack is set to the timing of the peaks on the specified audio channel. The Cue
Stack should be set to Chase Timing.
The Cue Stack must be active for the audio to take effect.
When this setting is set to Yes, the settings "Audio controls fader level", "Audio bumps GO/FX" and "Audio level jumps to Cue
Step" should be set to No.
Audio level, audio parameter 1, and audio parameter 2 should be set to 0.

17.7.7 Audio channel

This setting specifies the audio channel that the Playback will respond to.
The ChamSys audio interface supports 7 different frequency bands on two audio inputs (left and right).
Selecting the option "Energy" uses all frequency bands mixed together.

17.7.8 Audio level

When "Audio controls fader level" is set to Yes then the settings Audio parameter 1 and Audio Parameter 2 can be set to control
the response:
Audio P1 = 0 Normal (direct trigger from level)
Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)
Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 4 Switch (triggers to on/off at Audio Level)
Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)
These parameters are ignored for the settings "Audio Bumps Go" and "Audio sets BPM", and "Audio jumps to Cue Step"
When the setting "Audio Bumps Go" is set to Yes, then Audio P1 acts as a divider - from 2 to 64 so that the Cue Stack is bumped
at a slower rate than the audio input.

17.7.9 Audio parameter 1

Audio P1 = 0 Normal (direct trigger from level)

Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)
Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 4 Switch (triggers to on/off at Audio Level)
Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)
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17.7.10 Audio parameter 2

Audio P2 is dependent on Audio P1

Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)
Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)

17.7.11 Audio file

This specifies an audio file to be associated with the Cue Stack.

17.7.12 Audio play mode

In "Normal" mode, the audio file specified will play upon the playback being activated, and stops when deactivated.
In "Stack Audio Muted" mode, the audio file will be shown in the Audio Timeline window to allow timecode based Cue Stacks
to be modified visually, but MagicQ won’t play back the audio itself. This mode is used when you are receiving timecode from
an external system which is playing the same audio file and providing a timecode source to MagicQ.

17.8 Step (View Defaults only)

17.8.1 Step controlled as a chase

When set to Yes, the step defaults to Chase timing. When set to No the step defaults to Cue timing.

17.8.2 Step follows last

When set to Yes, the step executes after the completion of the previous step. When set to No the step executes after the wait time
specified in the Cue step.

17.8.3 Step halts before executing

When set to Yes, the step halts and waits for the user to pres GO before executing the Cue step.
When set to No the step executes immediately after the previous step has completed – this is either after it has completed fading
(when "Step follows last" is set to YES) or immediately after the wait time has expired.
When "Step Controlled as Chase" is Yes then this setting is normally set to No so that the chase runs step to step without user
interaction.
When "Step Controlled as Chase" is No then this setting is normally set to Yes so that the Cue Stack is executed step by step
under user control.

17.8.4 Zero old HTP (from previous steps)

When set to Yes, any HTP channels from previous Cues that are not in this Cue step are faded out.
In tracking modes this setting defaults to No. In non-tracking mode this setting defaults to Yes.
The Tracking flag "H" corresponds to the inverse of this setting.
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17.8.5 Zero old FX (from previous steps)

When set to Yes, any FX on channels from previous Cues that are not controlled by a FX in this Cue step have the FX faded out.
In tracking modes this setting defaults to No. In non-tracking mode this setting defaults to Yes.
The Tracking flag "F" corresponds to the inverse of this setting.

17.8.6 Release old chans

When set to Yes, any channels used in previous Cues but not used in this Cue step are released.
This setting defaults to No in all modes.
The Tracking flag "L" corresponds to the inverse of this setting.

17.9 Step Times (View Defaults only)

17.9.1 HTP in fade

The default fade times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.2 HTP out fade

The default fade times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.3 Position fade

The default fade times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.4 Colour fade

The default fade times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.5 Beam fade

The default fade times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.6 HTP in delay

The default delay times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.
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17.9.7 HTP out delay

The default delay times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.8 Position delay

The default delay times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.9 Colour delay

The default delay times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.9.10 Beam delay

The default delay times used when new Cues are recorded in a Cue Stack. Used by Cues in the Cue Stack set to "Cue Timing".
Once Cues have been recorded then the times for Specific Cues are edited in the Cue Window, View Times.

17.10 FX (View Defaults Only)

Default speed
This is the default FX speed used when creating new Waveform FX in the FX Editor Window.

17.10.1 Default in fade

This is the default FX fade in used when setting a specific FX fade in time. Note that by default FX are faded in using the fade
times of the Cue step.

17.10.2 Default out fade

This is the default FX fade in used when setting a specific FX fade out time. Note that by default FX are faded out using the fade
times of the Cue step.
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Chapter 18

Advanced Playback / Cue Stack Options

18.1 Interaction of HTP and LTP channels between Playbacks

Channels are set as either HTP (Highest Takes Priority) or LTP (Latest Takes Priority) in their personality file – the property can
be edited in the Head Editor.
By default, Playbacks use the HTP / LTP property to determine how channels are controlled from multiple playbacks simultane-
ously. For HTP channels the highest level will be output, for LTP channels the highest priority or latest touched playback will
control the channel.
This operation can be modified on a per Cue Stack basis.

18.2 HTP handling

MagicQ handles HTP (Highest Takes Precedence) channels in a very simple way - the highest value from all the playbacks, the
programmer and the preset faders is the value that is output.
If the "Programmer overrides HTP chans" option is enabled then any HTP channels in the programmer will override channels on
the playbacks. Channels on preset faders still affect the output.
MagicQ supports a powerful swap mode selected through the ADD/SWAP button. In SWAP mode when a FLASH button for
a playback is pressed then the HTP channels from all other playbacks are disregarded. Only playbacks with a FLASH button
pressed affect the HTP output. Similarly, the programmer and preset faders have no effect on HTP output.
FX and channel values are handled independently enabling operators to program one playback with channel values and one with
FX. For example one playback could have an ambient level whilst another has a dimmer chase. The FX is added to the highest
channel value.

18.3 LTP handling

MagicQ provides powerful handling of LTP (Latest Takes Precedence) channels enabling new effects to be "bumped" onto
intelligent heads for a period of time before reverting to the previous effect.
Note that several other consoles handle LTP channels in a less intuitive way - when the last active playback is returned to zero
then the values on that playback still control the channel rather than reverting to the previous raised playback that is still active.
The programmer always over-rides playbacks. If a LTP channel is active in the programmer then playbacks will be disregarded
for this channel.
FX and channel values are handled independently enabling operators to program one playback with channel values and one with
FX. For example one playback could have MAC500 positions (channels) whilst another has MAC500 movements (FX).
MagicQ User Manual 194 / 579

18.4 All chans controlled LTP

If a Cue Stack on a Playback is set to "All chans controlled LTP" then when that Playback is activated as the last touched playback
then all channels controlled by that Playback are considered to be LTP.
The Playback will exclusively control the levels of all channels used by the Cue Stack including Intensity.
Where fade times are in use the HTP channels will fade between the values on the different playbacks. Where fade times are not
set, then the HTP channels will snap between the values in the different playbacks.
Soft LTP enables cross fading of HTP channels (including Intensities) between Cue Stacks set as All Chans Controlled LTP. On
other Cue Stacks it is not needed - the Cue Stacks will mix HTP channels as HTP.
To set Soft LTP set the following Cue Stack Settings:
Advanced, All Chans Controlled LTP = Yes Faders, Fader Controls HTP = No Faders, Fader Controls LTP = Yes

18.5 HTP always active (Use HTP) option

By default HTP channels programmed in a Playback only affect output when the Playback is active. It is possible to make a
Playback so that the activation of the Playback is separated from the operation of the HTP channels using the "HTP always active
(Use HTP)" in Cue Stack options, Activate/Release.
When this option is set, then HTP channels on the playback will be output whenever the fader is above the activation point
(defaults 0) regardless of the other activate options on the Cue Stack. They will only be released when the fader is taken back
down to 0. They are not affected by pressing the RELEASE or the SHIFT RELEASE buttons.
If a Playback is set to "HTP Always Active" then raising the fader or pressing the FLASH button will not use any specified
Intensity delay or fade times. If the Cue Stack has multiple steps then delay and fade times will still be used when changing steps
– i.e. pressing the GO or PAUSE buttons.
The "HTP always active (Use HTP)" has priority over the "All chans controlled LTP" option – therefore HTP channels on
playbacks will be output regardless of any other higher priority faders with "All chans controlled LTP".
LTP channels will be activated in the normal way – i.e. by pressing GO, or if the "Fader activates" option is set by moving the
fader upwards. If the "Flash activates" option is set then pressing the FLASH button will also activate the channels.
When one of the main faders has HTP levels active then it is coloured orange. Only once the playback is activated fully will it be
coloured red.
Note that this option affects all channels that are patched as HTP channels (normally only Intensity – but potentially other
attributes if desired).

18.6 Interaction of FX between Playbacks

By default, the FX and levels on MagicQ operate independently so it is possible to have a FX running on one Playback and the
level (base values that the FX is applying to) coming from a separate Playback.
Only one FX is ever active on a particular channel, so the FX from the last touched playback will over-ride any FX for that
channel from other playbacks.
If a Playback has a Cue with both a FX and a level for a channel then that Playback controls both the level plus the FX from that
Playback.
If a Playback has a Cue with only a level for a channel (i.e. no FX), then a FX may be added to that level from another active
Playback.
It is possible to set the Cue Stack option "Ignore FX from other Playbacks" so that when the Playback is the last touched Playback,
any FX from other Playbacks are ignored, regardless of whether this Playback has FX for these channels.
It is also possible to set the Cue Option "Block FX" to block other Playbacks with FX from affecting the levels in a particular
Cue. Note that when the option "Programmer overrides FX" is active (e.g. in Hog II Warp mode) then Cues are automatically
MagicQ User Manual 195 / 579

recorded with the "Block FX" option set. The Cue option "Block FX" can be viewed and changed in the Cue Stack Window
(page right).
An alternative way to block FX from other Playbacks is to use "Add FX Zero Size" in Cues where you wish to block other
Playbacks.

18.7 Playback Priority

By default all playbacks have the same priority. It is possible to set a playback to maximum priority using the Cue Stack option
"Highest Playback priority". The options are:

• Normal – same priority as other playbacks – last activated has control

• Mid – above Normal but lower than programmer
• High – highest priority of all playbacks but lower priority than the programmer
• Above Programmer – higher than playbacks and the programmer

When the Cue Stack has highest priority, LTP channels under control of the playback are not affected by other playbacks. HTP
channels continue to operate as normal.

18.8 Playbacks ignore masters levels

Sometimes it is necessary to program playbacks that are not affected by the Grand Master or Sub Master. Use the "Ignore
Masters" option to prevent the Cue Stack being affected by the master faders – this is useful for controlling channels that must
stay up – e.g. house lights, smoke machines etc. . . Cue Stacks set with this option are not affected by grand master, sub master,
DBO button.
Cue Stacks with this option set are not released by pressing SHIFT RELEASE to release all playbacks.
From 1.9.4.1 this option also causes Playbacks to ignore FX Speed Masters and FX Size Masters.

18.9 Playback Stomping

There is a Playback Stomping option in the Setup Window, View Settings, Playback. With this option enabled playbacks that
have been fully overridden by other playbacks will be automatically released (stomped).
This is useful in some environments such as night-clubs where the operator wishes to continually play back new functions without
having to turn off the older functions.
There is a choice of Stomping - LTP or both LTP and HTP.
When set to just LTP then playbacks that contain HTP channels are never released (stomped) as they may still be affecting the
output. When set to LTP and HTP then playbacks are stomped if all of the LTP channels have been overridden by another
playback and the HTP channels are at the same or higher level in another playback.
When using the Playback Stomping option it is possible to allow some playbacks to be marked as "non stomping". This enables
certain playbacks to be bumped in without stomping over the original playback.
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18.10 Group Masters (Inhibit Masters)

Playbacks can be used to control groups of channels – you can assign a playback to be a master for Intensities, FX size or FX
speed for a specified set of heads. Using Intensity Masters you can make an "Inhibit Master" to give overall control for the levels
of a group of channels.
Group masters can be based either on a particular group in the Group Window, or based on the channels recorded into a Cue.
Masters based on groups are updated whenever a group is changed.
Group Masters are activated and released in the same way as normal Cue Stacks. When you set Cue Stacks to be Intensity
Masters, FX Speed or FX Size Masters it is not necessary to set Fader Activates Stack to No and Fader Releases Stack to No.
MagicQ will ignore these settings and always activate only using the GO button and release using the RELEASE button.
When editing the channels in a Group Master you should ensure that the fader is released before you make the edit.
Note that the channel levels, times, and FX information in the Cue that is used as the Group Master are ignored and hence do not
affect the output in any way.

18.10.1 Intensity Masters

18.10.1.1 Group based Intensity Masters

To make an Intensity Master based on a Group simply clear the programmer, then select the Group and record to a Playback.
Make sure that there are no active channels in the programmer. MagicQ will automatically create a Group Master, setting the Cue
Stack Options, Function, Intensity Master = Yes and setting the Cue Stack Options, Function, Group Id to the selected Group.
The group associated with an Intensity Master can be changed in Cue Stack Options, Function. When a group number other than
0 is set in the Cue Stack Options, Function menu then MagicQ automatically edits and generates the Cue assigned to the first
step in that Cue Stack. Ensure you set the group id on the correct Cue Stack.
You can have multiple Group Masters that control one channel – they will work together.

18.10.1.2 Channel based Intensity Masters

It is possible ro record an Intensity Master without a link to a particular group.

Record a cue with the channels that you wish to control - the level of the channels can be any level as long as the channel is in
the programmer. Then set the Cue Stack option "Fader is an Intensity Master".
Activate the playback (press GO or raise the fader) and now it acts as an Intensity Master. Press RELEASE to stop the master
having any effect.

18.10.2 FX Size and FX Speed Master

FX Size and FX Speed masters allow control of the FX size and speed on multiple heads, either based on a group or based on the
channels recorded into a Cue.
You can set-up multiple FX Size and FX Speed Masters – however you should only have one Master of each type to control each
head – otherwise there is a conflict.
To make a FX Size or FX Speed Master you record a single Cue onto a Playback. Then in Cue Stack Settings, Function set the
FX Size Master or FX Speed Master to Yes.

18.10.2.1 Group based FX Size and FX Speed Masters

For group based FX Size and FX Speed masters simply set the Group ID in Cue Stack Settings, Function.
To choose which attributes to control set the Group Attribs.
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18.10.2.2 Channel based FX Size and FX Speed Masters

For channel based FX Size and FX Speed masters, record a Cue that contains the attributes that you wish to control.
To make a FX size master for pan movement, record a cue with only the pan attribute in the programmer for the heads you wish
to control. Then set the Cue Stack option "Fader is a Size Master". Activate the playback and now it acts as a FX Size Master
for pan movement.

18.11 Speed Masters

Playbacks can be set with Cue Stacks that have their function set as a Speed Master. These Cue Stacks do not execute normal
Cues - instead the control they global Speed Masters using the Playback buttons and fader.
For more details see the Busking) section.

18.12 Advanced activate and release options

The FLASH button can be set to release the Cue Stack using the "Flash releases stack" option. This option works in a slightly
different way depending on the "Fader releases stack".
When "Fader releases stack" = "no" (Theatre, Hog II Warp modes), pressing and then releasing the FLASH button will always
release the stack regardless of the fader level. When "Fader releases stack" = "yes" (Normal mode), pressing and releasing the
FLASH button will only release the Cue Stack if the fader is at 0.
The Cue Stack can be configured in different ways to affect whether the Cue Stack resets to the first step on release, whether it
stays at the current step, or whether it moves on one step.
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Chapter 19

Live Programming (Busking)

19.1 Adding individual channels using preset faders

Individual channels can be added into the show as required using the Intensities Windows. Channels can be added using the
faders in either the Programmer View or the Presets View.
Channels added in the Programmer View are added into the programmer in the usual way. If the programmer is cleared then
they are cleared. Channels added using the Presets View are not affected by operations on the programmer - they act like preset
faders.
Channels added in both views are affected by the Grand Master and by the pressing of SWAP buttons.

19.2 Over-ride / take-over

The MagicQ architecture supports the combined use of the programmer, playbacks and preset faders so that there is no need to
constantly swap between modes, losing your overridden effects. This makes the console ideal for busking shows.
ADD and SWAP buttons work regardless of whether you are programming or playing back. Similarly the programmer works as
an over-ride, regardless of what you are doing.
By default, the console makes no distinction between programming and run modes. Some operators may wish to restrict what
is allowed in run mode – this can be configured in the Setup Window. You can choose to disable programming or to disable
modification of programmed Cues / Cue Stacks.

19.3 Viewing Cues and Cue Stacks

The Cue and Cue Stack Windows are used to monitor and adjust the execution of Cues and Cue Stacks respectively. Both
windows monitor the currently selected playback.
For a Cue Stack with a single Cue recorded on it, then the Cue Stack window will not be of much interest. In this case the Cue
can be monitored and adjusted using the Cue Window.
For a Cue Stack with multiple Cues, the Cue Stack window can be used to watch the progress of the Cue Stack. The position
within the Cue Stack can be changed along with the timing information. You can make the Cue Stack window follow the Cue
currently executing on the selected playback - set the Display Current Cue option to YES in the Cue Stack Window.

19.4 Modifying chase speed / crossfade

To modify the speed or crossfade of a Cue Stack that is running with Chase Timing, press the SELECT button for the playback,
and then adjust the encoders in the Cue Stack Window. The chase direction and chase type (Normal, Bounce, Random) can
MagicQ User Manual 199 / 579

also be selected. Pressing and holding the SELECT button of a Playback with a chase on it automatically opens the Cue Stack
Window.
Use the top right encoder to modify individual attributes - Position, Beam, Colour, Intensity In and Intensity Out (soft button
selects the different attributes). Once the speed of an attribute is changed it is no longer controlled by the master chase speed.
Modifying the attribute so that it is the same as the master chase speed brings it back under control of the master chase speed.
Use soft button Y to Tap to Time the speed.
Modifications are retained even after the playback is released.

19.5 Modifying FX parameters

To modify the parameters of a FX that is programmed in a Cue, press the SELECT button for the playback, and then adjust the
encoders in the Cue Window.
FX size, shape, spread and speed are all adjustable.
Use soft button Y to Tap to Time the speed.
Modifications are retained even after the playback is released.

19.6 Stop / Starting Cue Stacks

Cue Stacks can be started and stopped using the GO and STOP buttons associated with the playback.
For wing playbacks, make the playback the current playback and then press the GO / STOP buttons in the manual control section.

19.7 Jumping to a Cue in a Cue Stack

There are several ways to jump to a specific Cue in a Cue Stack.

Press the S button of the Playback, enter a Cue Id on the keypad and press the manual GO button.
In the Cue Stack window, use the cursor keys or press the touch screen to move the cursor to the required Cue. Press the GOTO
CUE soft button to jump directly to the Cue. Alternatively key in the Cue ID within the Cue Stack of the Cue you wish to jump
to and press GOTO CUE.
Pressing the PRELOAD CUE button rather than the GOTO CUE button selects the Cue that will be executed when the GO button
for the Cue Stack is next pressed. This enables the next Cue to be selected in advance of the Cue being required.
Pressing ENTER in the first column of the Cue Stack also jumps to the specified Cue.

19.8 Over-riding using the programmer

When playing back a show, you can over-ride the programmed effect in the playbacks by using the programmer. For instance,
assume that you are running a yellow circle on your MAC500s. You wish to change the colour to Red.
Select the MAC500s from the Group Window.
In the Colour Window select the Red palette entry.
If you wish to remove the over-ride then you can either clear all off the programmer by pressing CLEAR. Alternatively you
can remove only certain attributes or certain heads by selecting the items with the cursor in the Prog Window and pressing the
REMOVE soft button.
When you press CLEAR or remove selected heads from the programmer, the programming will be immediately removed and the
heads will be controlled by the playbacks as if the programming had not been applied. This is different to some other consoles
where clearing the programmer has non deterministic effects.
MagicQ User Manual 200 / 579

Note that in order to over-ride individual attributes of an intelligent head you need to be in SELECT BY CHAN rather than
SELECT BY HEAD mode. If you are in SELECT BY HEAD mode then all of the head attributes will be set to what is in the
programmer.

19.9 Adding in new FX

MagicQ does not make a distinction between programming and run modes so it is always possible to busk new FX. For instance,
assume that you have an active playback which has the MAC500s statically focused on the centre vocals position. You now wish
to temporarily add in a tilt saw.
Select the MAC500s from the Group Window.
In the Prog Window, select the ADD FX soft button.
Select the TILT FX.
Adjust the encoder wheels as appropriate.
If you wish to set the speed / size of the FX before you make it live on stage, then go into BLIND mode before you ADD in the
FX. Then you can adjust the chase without affecting the stage output. Use the Move View in the Outputs Window to get a 2D
picture of how your FX will look. Then when you are happy, go out of BLIND mode and the FX will appear on stage.
Alternatively use the ADD FX ZERO SIZE soft button – this adds an FX into the programmer exactly as when using the ADD
FX soft button except that the Zero Size option is set. You can then select the size you want using the SIZE encoder before
pressing the ZERO SIZE soft button to clear the Zero Size option.
Use the CHANGE FX soft button to change the waveform of the FX live.
Pressing and releasing BLIND will enable you to busk the FX in and out – e.g. in the chorus / verse transitions.

19.10 Applying palettes with time

Palettes can be applied with a time by simple entering a time in seconds before selecting the palette entry to apply.
For example, to apply a 4.5 second movement from the current position to your programmed centre vocals position, simply type
4.5 and select the vocals position in the Position Window.
The fades are carried out in the programmer (you don’t need any playbacks free). All attributes in the palette are faded regardless
of whether they are marked as instant or fading in the personality file.
If you apply a palette with time whilst in FAN mode then the times will be fanned across the different heads in the order that the
heads have been selected. See Using Palettes with time.

19.11 Releasing / Clearing with time

Release times can be set on a per Cue Stack basis, in the Cue Stack Options. Default release times can be set up in the Cue Stack,
Defaults view including times for Cue Stacks with single Cues and Cue Stacks with multiple Cues.
It is also possible to release a Playback with time by typing a number and then pressing REL. For example, 3 REL releases the
currently selected playback over 3 seconds.
In addition it is possible to clear the programmer and to enter and exit blind mode with times. Press 5 CLEAR to clear the
programmer over 5 seconds. Press 10 BLIND to enter blind mode over 10 seconds.

19.12 Speed control

MagicQ provides multiple ways to control the speed of chases and FX.
MagicQ User Manual 201 / 579

19.12.1 Changing the Chase or FX data

The most direct approach is to change the chase speed directly in the Cue Stack window or the FX speed directly in the Cue
Window as described in the sections above.
This is a permanent change to the stored chase / FX on the selected playback.

19.12.2 Global Rate or Playback Rate

An increase or decrease in speed can be applied to a Cue Stack on a Playback or to active Cue Stacks using the Global Rate and
Playback Rate in the Playback window. This affects both Chase speed and FX Speed. The manual fader can also be set to control
the Global Rate or Playback Rate.
The Global Rate and Playback Rate are a percentage applied respectively to all and specified Cue Stacks when they are active.
The default (unchanged) rate is 100%. 0% is stopped whilst greater than 100% is faster than programmed. The change is
permanent, but does not change the actual speeds recorded in the Chase or FX - it purely applies a percentage change on those
speeds.
Both rates are permanently applied until changed back to 100%. All Playback rates can be reset to 100% via the RESET ALL
RATE soft button in the Playback Window.
The Global Rate applies to all playbacks and can not be inhibited.

19.12.3 FX Speed on Playback Fader

Individual control of speed of FX in a Cue Stack on a Playback can be put under the control of the playback fader using the Fader
controls FX Size option.
This is a temporary change that follows the fader level - the FX is stopped when the fader is at 0%, and runs the programmed
speed when the fader is at 100%.

19.12.4 FX Speed Masters

A dedicated FX Speed Master can be set up to control the speed of a number of channels or a group of channels. When activated
the FX Speed Master is always applied to those channels regardless on which Playback they are running and also affects those
channels if they are in a FX in the Programmer.
This is a temporary change that follows the fader level - the FX is stopped when the fader is at 0%, and runs the programmed
speed when the fader is at 100%.
FX Speed Masters can not be inhibited - they are a per channel setting that will always control the affected channels regardless
of the Cue Stack settings on the Cue Stack where they are applied.

19.12.5 Speed Masters

A Speed Master is a generic speed that when activated is applied to multiple Cue Stacks overriding the programmed speed. It
is an absolute speed which is normally set by Tap to Time. Each Cue Stack specifies which Speed Master it responds to - the
default being Speed Master 1 (SP1).
Speed Masters can also be configured to get their BPM from external DJ systems, from audio input sources and from other 3rd
party sources. It is possible to switch instantaneously between different sources.
MagicQ supports 100 Speed Masters which can be used to Tap to Time speed and apply the speeds to chosen Cue Stacks. Some
users may wish to use just one global Speed Master whilst others may wish to use a Speed Master per song page.
Each Speed Master can be set to either control all attribute types, or can be selected individually for Intensity, Position, Colour
and Beam.
Speed Masters can be enabled and disabled. When disabled the Speed Master no longer applies to the Cue Stacks and they run
at their programmed speeds. When a new show is started all Speed Masters are reset to a disabled state.
MagicQ User Manual 202 / 579

Speed Masters contain a speed and a rate divisor. The rate divisor applies to the programmed speed, enabling half, and further
fractions of the speed, or doubling of the speed or further multiplications. By default it has no effect on the programmed speed.
All Cue Stacks by default are controlled by Speed Master 1 (SP1). In the Cue Stack, Advanced options, the Speed Master option
can be set to choose any of the 100 Speed Masters, or to Ignore - in which case the Cue Stack ignores all Speed Masters.
Each FX in a Cue Stack can also be assigned to a different Speed Master - in this case it takes precedence over the the Speed
Master for the entire Cue Stack. If the FX is set to "Cue Stack" then the Speed Master setting for the entire Cue Stack is used.
Cue Stacks are affected regardless of whether they are executed from a Playback, from an Execute Window or from the Stack
Store.
By default FX that are in the Programmer are not affected by any enabled Speed Masters - this ensures that during programming
default speeds can be programmed into Cues. For playback (busking) the Programmer can be controlled by a Speed Master - in
Setup, View Settings, Prog set the Programmer Speed Master to the required Speed Master. Set it to Ignore to make it ignore all
Speed Masters.
When enabled, the Speed Master will control the speed of chases in the Cue Stack and all the FX in the Cue Stack, including
any Pixel Map FX. The programmed chase time and programmed FX time are ignored. When a Speed Master is deactivated all
chases and FX under control of that Speed Master revert to their programmed speeds.
When Tap to Time is used to set the speed of a Speed Master, all controlled chases and FX will be phase synced to the Taps as
well as setting the speed. This means that after a Tap to Time on a Speed Master all chases and FX will be in sync.
A "No Tap Sync" can be set for each Speed Master, so that Tap to Time on that Speed Master will only set the tempo, it will not
phase sync the FX and chases.
"Fader 200%" can be set for each Speed Master, so when the fader is at half the temp is the tapped tempo and when at full it is
200% of the tapped tempo.
Speed Masters can be accessed as options through the following features:

• The physical TAP button

• The DBO button
• The Master crossfade GO button
• From the remote trigger input

• From automations
• Through Cue Stacks set with the Cue Stack, Function option "Cue Stack is a Speed Master"
• Through a new Speed Master motorised bank Fader Mode on the Stadium consoles

• Through the Execute Windows using ASSIGN SPECIAL (see Execute Speed Masters)
• Through the Playbacks, VIEW SPD MASTER view (see Playback Speed Masters)

The current status of the Speed Masters can be viewed in the Playback Window, VIEW SPD MASTERS view. In this view it is
also possible to activate/deactivate the Speed Master, to set the Speed Master running or halted and to set the Speed Master BPM
and Rate Divisor.
Speed Masters are set to Per Head Timing by default. They can be set between Per Step and Per Head timing in the Playback
Window. If either the FX or the Speed Master is set to Per Head timing then Per Head timing is used.
Using Speed Masters it is now possible to resync FX back to the start of the FX. Press CTRL and any of the TAP shortcut buttons
above.
Speed Masters can be linked together so that adjacent Speed Masters are linked to the previous Speed Masters. This enables, for
example, a single Tap To Time button for multiple Speed Masters. In Playback, VIEW SPD MASTER, set the Linked field to
link to the previous Speed Master.
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19.12.5.1 Cue Stack is a Speed Master

In the Cue Stack window, View Options in the Function tab a Cue Stack can be set to be a Speed Master. This has a similar effect
to the other Master options in this tab - they completely override the normal operation of the Cue Stack.
The FLASH button is used to Tap to Time.
The GO button activates the Speed Master and sets it running so it takes speed control of all Cue Stacks set to use that Speed
Master.
The PAUSE button halts the Speed Master. The PAUSE button can then be used to manually bump the chases and FX controlled
by the Speed Master.
RELEASE disables the Speed Master so it no longer controls any Cue Stacks. SHIFT + FLASH also disables the Speed Master.
SHIFT + FLASH disables the Speed Master.
SHIFT + GO doubles the rate divisor.
SHIFT + PAUSE halves the rate divisor.
CTRL + FLASH resyncs all the FX controlled by the Speed Master.
Lowering the fader slows the speed from the tapped speed down to halted. Raising the fader to full returns to the last tapped
speed.
Normally only one Cue Stack per Speed Master is required, but it is permitted to have more than one Cue Stack set to the same
Speed Master - for example on different Pages - they will just duplicate each other.
When changing pages the Speed Master will never hold over - if you need the Speed Master on multiple pages then either make
it a Default Playback or program a Cue Stack on each page.
If the Cue Stack option Activate on Page Change is set then the Speed Master will enable when changing to that page. If the Cue
Stack option Release on Page Change is set then the Speed master will disable when changing from that page.

19.12.5.2 Speed Master Fader Mode

On Stadium motorised consoles there is a Speed Master fader mode. Select the fader mode in the normal way using SHIFT +
NEXT PAGE, and then select Speed Masters.
The FLASH button is used to Tap to Time.
The GO button enables the Speed Master and sets it running so it takes speed control of all Cue Stacks set to use that Speed
Master. If the Speed Master is already enabled then pressing GO returns to the previous time set by Tap to Time.
The PAUSE button halts the Speed Master. The PAUSE button can then be used to manually bump the chases and FX controlled
by the Speed Master.
SHIFT + FLASH disables the Speed Master so it no longer controls any Cue Stacks.
SHIFT + GO doubles the rate divisor.
SHIFT + PAUSE halves the rate divisor.
CTRL + FLASH resyncs all the FX controlled by the Speed Master.
Lowering the fader slows the speed from the tapped speed down to halted. Raising the fader to full returns to the last tapped
speed.

19.13 Busking Master

It is possible in the Setup Window to set the manual crossfade fader to be a "busking rate" sub-master from 0 seconds to 10
seconds. The rate is shown in the bottom right of the Status Display. The time is applied to selection of palettes and intensities.
When FAN mode is selected the change is applied in turn across each of the selected heads.
MagicQ User Manual 204 / 579

19.14 Programmer Master

It is possible to make a Playback into a Programmer Master. Record an empty Cue onto a Playback and then set the Cue Stack
option, Function, Programmer Master.
When the Playback is activated by pressing the GO button then the fader level becomes the Programmer level. Releasing the
fader level causes the Programmer level to go back to 100%.
When the fader is less set to less than 100%, the FLASH button can be used to bump in the Programmer at 100%.
The GO button and PAUSE buttons are used to swap Palette values in the Programmer when the Programmer has mixed palette
values.
For instance if some heads are set to use the RED palette in the programmer and others using the GREEN palette then pressing
GO will swap all the heads using RED palette to use GREEN and all the heads using GREEN palette to use RED.
If there are more than 2 colour Palettes in use in the Programmer, then the colours rotate around all the different Palettes.
Odd/Even can be used to easily set up an initial look of 2 or more colour palettes.
Currently only one Programmer Master can be active at a time.

19.15 Live Macro

From v1.9.2.3 MagicQ supports a feature to enable a "Live Macro" which can be used to preload playback changes before
excuting them all at once with the BIG GO button.
Press CTRL + BIG GO to start recording the Live Macro. The status bar will show light blue and indicate REC LIVE whilst
recording the Live Macro. When all the required buttons have been pressed and faders moved then press CTRL + BIG GO again
to stop recording the Live Macro.
When a Live Macro has been recorded then the status bar indicates LIVE MACRO and the BIG GO button flashes fast to indicate
it is armed, ready to go. When armed, pressing the BIG GO button will execute the Live Macro, regardless of any other button
function set for the BIG GO button.
The Live Macro is always replayed with immediate timing regardless of the timing used to record the macro - this enables
simultaneous playback of multiple items which would not be possible through manual operation.
A Live Macro can be re-recorded before it has been executed. Simply press CTRL + BIG GO to re-record the Live Macro and
follow the steps above.
When armed, pressing BACKSPACE will cancel the Live Macro and the BIG GO button returns to its normal function.
The BIG GO can be set to always be a LIVE MACRO button, avoiding the need to use CTRL when recording the Live Macro.
In Setup, View Settings, Playback, set Crossfade Button function to Live Macro. Note that even when this function is set, CTRL
+ BIG GO can be used to re-record the Live Macto.
The Live Macro is recorded into the Macro Window at the highest free macro and is named Live Macro. It can be viewed and
steps can be edited as for normal key macros. It is automatically deleted when the Live Macro has been executed. Since it is a
live fucntion, it is not saved to show files and hence is not preserved over a reset or shut down.
The Live Macro is primarily intended for recording playback buttons. It is possible to record programmer buttons and even
presses in Windows, but the scope is limited since the playback/programmer buttons are not executed as they are being recorded
(unlike normal key macros) and hence there is no feedback of the pressed items.

19.16 Prog Store

The MagicQ Programmer supports a Prog Store for live operation (busking). This is a store of 12 Programmer states that can be
quickly stored and recalled with single button presses. The levels, times and FX in the Programmer are all stored. The stores can
be included (without times) or activated (with times), enabling the operator to adjust between snapping and fading effects in real
time.
MagicQ User Manual 205 / 579

Hidden from the user, MagicQ uses the Cue Store to store the Prog States as Cues - starting from the last Cue in the Cue Store,
and naming them as Prog Store1 to Prog Store10. The Prog Store is saved into the show file, so the Prog Store survives a rest or
power down.
The Prog Store can be accessed through SPECIAL buttons in the Exec Window. In the Exec Window, press ASSIGN SPECIAL
and select PROG STORE. For each Prog Store item there are three possible actions - Record, Include and Activate. Each action
is available for each of the 10 Prog Stores.
Pressing a REC PS button (e.g. REC PS1) records the current programmer state to that Prog Store. The button is shown active
when programmed.
Pressing an INC PS button (e.g. INC PS1) includes the specified Prog Store back into the Programmer immediately without
times. The Programmer is automatically cleared before including - so the Programmer will contain only the contents of the
specified Prog Store. Pressing a Inc PS button on a Prog Store that has not been recorded has no effect.
Pressing a REC PS button on an already recorded Prog Store overwrites the existing Prog Store. To modify an existing Prog
Store, press the INC PS button, modify it, then press the REC PS button.
Pressing a REC PS button when the programmer is empty (cleared) causes the specified Prog Store to be removed.
Pressing an ACT PS button activates and releases that Prog Store as a Cue with any times that were originally used in the
programmer. If this Prog Store was the one active in the Programmer than the Programmer is cleared so that the Prog Store is
now running as a Cue without the Programmer. The Prog Store can be activated and releases as a Cue any time until the Prog
Store item is removed (by recording it again with the Programmer empty).
When pressing an ACT PS button, if there are any overlapping Prog Stores active then they are released. Overlapping means that
the two Prog Stores control one or more of the same channels.
Pressing an INC PS button for a Prog Store that is active as a Cue also release the Cue so that control of that Prog Store will now
be entirely from the Programmer. MagicQ will also release any other overlapping Prog Stores that are currently active.
A Prog Store mode is supported on the 4x3 Execute Buttons on Stadium consoles - this enables easy access to the Prog Store
function without needing to assign the Special buttons in the Exec window. The Prog Store mode shows 4 Prog Store items at a
time each with a REC, INC and ACT button. Paging can be used to access all 12 Prog Stores.
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Chapter 20

Group Cues

Group Cues enables shows to be built up based on group programming rather than individual head programming. FX, fans and
split times are programmed within the group rather than on an individual basis.
Group Cues provide a very powerful and simple way of changing a show to use new fixtures types without having to reprogram
Cues. If the group is changed to have different or additional heads then the programming is automatically recalculated over the
new Heads within the group.
It has the advantage over morphing that information is retained in the Group based Cues even if very different fixtures are used,
and even allows the entire Patch to be deleted and new different heads patched in their place. It can even be used mid show to
repurpose a head if one fails.
MagicQ has previously supported Group based FX since 2015. Group Cues extends Group based FX so that the entire Cue,
including the levels and times is now based on Groups attributes rather than on individual heads.
Group Cues is enabled via the Group Cues setting in Setup, View Settings, Cue Storage. The options are:

Disabled MagicQ activates levels, times and FX by Head. MagicQ

does not store levels or times as Group Cues. Group FX
can continue to be stored in Cues.
Prefer Group Cues MagicQ activates attributes and FX by Group. MagicQ
stores Cues with Groups and Heads.
Prefer Group Cues (Warn) MagicQ activate`s attributes and FX by Group. MagicQ
warns if Cues are recorded with individual head levels or
FX
Group Cues Only MagicQ activates attributes and FX by Group. Cues can
only be recorded if Programmer does not have individual
head levels or FX

MagicQ continues to support selection of heads using Groups or Heads. Groups are selected either directly from the Group
Window or using keypad shortcuts. When Groups are selected they show red in the Group Window. Heads can be selected
directly from Group, View Heads or from keypad shortcuts and automatically deselect any selected Groups.
When Group Cues is in operation then whenever Groups are selected then MagicQ will activate attributes and FX by Group rather
than by Head. For each selected Group the level and fade time of each attribute used by Heads in the Group can be specified.
Operation and programming occurs exactly the same as normal programming - Locating, using palettes, using attribute encoders,
and using keypad shortcuts.
If individual Heads are selected from the Group, View Heads Window or from the keypad then the Groups will not be selected
(no Groups coloured red in Group Window) and MagicQ activates by Head rather than by Group.
If Heads are sub selected - for example by pressing NEXT HEAD, SINGLE or ODD/EVEN then whilst the sub selection is in
operation then MagicQ activates by Head. If ALL is then pressed then MagicQ will revert to activating by Group.
MagicQ User Manual 207 / 579

At any time you can deselect the Groups by pressing the DESELECT GROUPS soft button in the Group Window. This button is
only shown when Group Cues is enabled - when Group Cues is disabled this is the ADD GROUP FX button.
When recording to Cues, the Cues can contain Group based attribute levels and Head based levels. The Head based levels take
priority over the Group based levels.
Heads can be in multiple Groups so it is possible to create Cues with multiple Groups referencing the same Head. The latest
Group added (lowest down the list in Prog and Cue windows) takes priority.

20.1 Group Levels

When a Group of heads is first activated they start from the current value of the first head in the Group.
If the Heads are Located then MagicQ marks those attributes as Located in the Group Cue. MagicQ will always use the current
Locate value for the Heads, not the value when the Group Cue was created - this enables Heads in the Group to be changed and
the Locate Value of the new Heads to be used. The Prog and Cue Windows show L when using a Located attribute.
When a Palette is selected then MagicQ stores the Palette. The Prog and Cue Windows will just show the Palette. Any changes
using the encoder wheels will be applied as an offset to the Palette - the Prog and Cue windows show as the Palette + or - the
offset.
When hard values are selected (using encoder wheels, soft buttons, or keypad) then MagicQ will store the range information
wherever possible, as well as the hard value. This helps when selecting Groups with heads of different types and when changing
the Heads within a Group.
Group levels are always stored as 16bit, regardless of the Heads that are currently in the Group - thus making enabling easy
change between Heads with 16bit and 8bit attributes.
If Heads in the Group have virtual dimmers then any Intensity in the Group Levels will be applied to the virtual dimmers.
Wherever possible it is recommended to use Palettes rather than hard values in Group levels. This is particularly important when
using Groups with mixed Head types, where hard values on some attributes (e.g. Strobe channel) may result in different operation
on the different Head Types. By using Palettes, the correct values are used for each Head Type.
Whenever Heads are added, removed or reordered from the Group the levels will be recalculated according to the new Head
types.

20.2 Fanning

Group Cues support fanning - simply select the Group and fan the heads as normal. The fan will be stored as part of the Cue
including the fan type, fan parts and fan segments. The fan will be recalculated over all the Heads in the Group whenever the
Group is changed.
The fan is shown in the Prog and Cue window with the start and end range of the fan separated by a > (Fan from End) or a <>
(Fan Symmetric) or a >> (Fan Asymmetric).
Whenever Heads are added, removed or reordered from the Group the fanning will be recalculated.
Group Cues can be fanned between two palettes - when in Fan mode choosing two Palettes in turn will fan between the two
Palettes. Note that the two Palettes must be chosen within 5 seconds of each other.

20.3 Group Elements

For Groups without Elements set, the levels will be set for all Elements of a Head.
For Groups with Elements set, the levels will be set for the Elements from that Group on each Head in the Group.
For Groups with Head Elements set, the levels will be set for the Head Elements from that Group.
Groups that are only Element Groups (i.e. have Type set to Elements) are not used in Group Cues.
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20.4 Fade Times

Group levels use the same fade times as Head levels by default - i.e. the Int, Pos, Col, Beam times from Prog, View Times,
Simple View and Cue, View Times, Simple View.
In addition a fade time, delay time and fade type can be set as required for each Group attribute, in the same way that individual
times can be set for individual Heads.
When set, the fade time, delay time and fade type apply to that attribute for all Heads within the Group.
The fade times can be fanned using the standard automatic fan times syntax - for example 3* will offset the fade times across the
Group over 3 seconds, whilst 3*+ will offset into centre of the Group.
Fanned fade times are shown in the Prog, View Times, Adv View and Cue, View Times, Adv View and can be entered directly
in the attribute field.
Fanned fade times can also be viewed and set in the Prog, View Times, Simple View and Cue, View Times, Simple View. Select
the required Group (s) in order to view/change just those Groups in the Individual Times rows.
Manual fanned delay and fade times can be set in the attribute fields using the standard individual head syntax and are shown
with a >> for asymmetrical, a <> for symmetrical and a > for from the end.
Whenever Heads are added, removed or reordered from the Group the times will be recalculated.

20.5 Recording

Cues are recorded in the normal way. It is possible to merge and to remove Group data from Cues just like for individual Head
data. Recording of selected heads and record masking is supported.
In the Prefer Group Cues (Warn) mode, then when recording to a Cue if the Programmer contains individual head data (levels or
FX) then MagicQ displays a warning box, to help prevent accidental recording of non Group based Cues.
In the Group Cues Only mode, when recording to a Cue if the Programmer contains individual head data (levels or FX) then the
record is totally blocked.
Palettes always get recorded by Head regardless of whether the information is in the Programmer as Group attributes or Head
levels and regardless of the Group Cues mode. This enables, for example, positions or gobo focus to be set up for each individual
Head.

20.6 Including / Update

Cues can be included in the normal way and both the Group and Head data from the Cue will be loaded into the programmer.
Including of selected heads and masking is supported. When using selected heads only the Groups that are selected will be
loaded into the programmer, along with any individual data for those selected heads.
Update works in the normal way and both the Group and Head data will be updated into the Cue.
The Update only method of updating is supported for Group Cues like with Head Cues.
Patch Offset can be applied using Group Cues just like for individual Head Cues.

20.7 Active / Snapshot

Attributes can be made active in the normal way. Attributes for the selected Groups that are active on Playbacks will be brought
into the programmer, along with any individual head data for those selected heads.
Snapshot will always snapshot Head values rather than Group values, so this is not recommended if you wish to keep your show
using Group Cues.
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20.8 Copying Head values

Attribute data can be copied between Groups of Heads using the normal copy head syntax. If a Group is specified then Group
attributes will be copied rather than individual Head attributes.
When copying heads Group FX can now copied from one Group to another. It is also possible to Split FX and Join FX for Group
FX in the Prog window.

20.9 File Saving / Exporting / Merging

Group Cues are saved in show files in the normal way. As with all new MagicQ features, shows saved with Group Cues will load
into previous versions of MagicQ, but any Group levels will be ignored by the old software. If you have a show file with Group
Cues which you wish to load into an earlier version of software, then first use MagicQ PC (or a console with Group Cue support)
to convert the show to use Head programming.
In the Cue Store window Cues can be converted between Head Cues and Group Cues using the SET GROUP CUE and SET
HEAD CUE soft buttons.
When converting to Group Cues, MagicQ attempts to match the Head values to Groups by analysing the values in the Cue. If
there is no matching Group with the required heads then those attributes will remain as individual Heads and not be converted
to Group levels. Note that fanned attributes and fanned times will not be converted as the Head Cues do not hold any of the fan
information. MagicQ also converts normal FX to Group FX.
Before converting an existing show to Group Cues it is recommended to create groups for all the heads that have been pro-
grammed together in the existing show - e.g. if many of the Cues contain 4 particular Spots then create a group with just those
particular spots.
When converting to Head Cues, MagicQ applies fanned attributes and times from the Group Cue - but the fan information is not
stored with the Head information, so the details of the fan are then lost. MagicQ does not convert Group FX back into normal
FX since MagicQ has supported Group FX since 2015 and therefore the Group FX will run on all recent MagicQ systems.
Press SHIFT + SET ALL GROUP CUE and SET ALL HEAD CUE to convert the entire show.
MagicQ shows can be exported in the normal way. All data for selected Heads will be exported. In addition all Group levels/FX
for Selected Groups will be exported.

20.10 Updating Groups

Groups can be updated at any time. Removing Heads from a Group will stop them from being part of Group Cues that use that
Group. Adding Heads to a Group will put them into any Group Cues that use that Group.
When using Group Cues we recommend to create your own groups with their own names before starting programming and to
use these for programming Group Cues. If the auto generated Groups are used then when adding Heads of the same type to a
show they will end up in the auto generated groups which may not be desired.

20.11 Updating Cues

Groups can be replaced, cloned or removed from one or more of the programmed Cues.
Replacing Groups in Cues, enables modifying the programmed Cues to use a different Group.
Cloning Groups in Cues enables expanding a show to use more Groups than originally programmmed.
Removing Groups in Cues enables Groups to be taken back out of the programming.
The advantage of cloning / removing Groups in Cues rather than simply adding removing from the Groups is that split times and
FX will be run separately for each Group rather than as a single Group.
MagicQ User Manual 210 / 579

Groups can be replaced, cloned or removed from individual Cues on a Cue Stack, from entire Cue Stacks, or from all Cues. The
Stack Store and Cue Store filtering can be used to apply the changes to a specified set of Cues.
In the Group window press SHIFT + REPLACE GROUP to replace a Group in Cues. Then select the Group to replace, then the
Group to replace with, then the item to clone in. Press ENTER to replace in all Cues - MagicQ prompts with a confirm box.
In the Group window press SHIFT + CLONE GROUP to clone a Group in Cues. Then select the Group to clone from, then the
Group to clone to, then the item to clone in. Press ENTER to clone in all Cues - MagicQ prompts with a confirm box.
In the Group window press SHIFT + REMOVE GROUP to remove a Group in Cues. Then select the Group to remove from,
then the item to remove from. Press ENTER to remove from all Cues - MagicQ prompts with a confirm box.
Cloning and removing of Cues is only supported when Group Cues is enabled.
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Chapter 21

Execute Window

The Execute Window is a special window designed to allow customisation of the look and feel of the MagicQ. This layout of the
window is configurable by the user and can contain Groups, Palettes, Macros, Cues and Cue Stacks and other special items.
The Execute Window is also automatically accessible on the MagicQ remote iOS and Android applications and items in the Exe-
cute Window can be trigger from Cue Stack Macros and from external systems using the ChamSys Remote Protocol Commands.
Press the Exec button to open the Execute Window. Press 2 and Exec or 3 and Exec to open additional Execute Windows. Each
Execute Window operates independently and can select different Execute Grid pages. Items can be copied between different
Execute Windows.
There are three views, View Design, View Execute and View Max. Use View Design to design the grid size and to place items in
the grid. Use View Execute for playback, or View Max for full screen playback.

21.1 Design View

Use the Set Grid Size soft button to specify a grid size and then copy the relevant items from other windows. For example,
to place a Group in the Execute Window; go to the Group Window, press Copy, select the Group, and then go to the Execute
Window and select the box to place the Group.
Cues and Cue Stacks can be recorded directly into the Execute Window using Record and selecting a free item.
Multiple items can be selected for copying into the Execute Window.
You can also assign Special Functions to items in the Execute grid. These include Execute Page Up, Execute Page Down, Change
to Exec Page, Close, Blind, Clear, Lamp On, Lamp Off, Reset, Key Lock. Press the ASSIGN SPECIAL soft button.

There are special functions for controlling universe zones – enabling, disabling and setting the hot takeover state. These enable
complete control of complex DMX routing from a simple interface.
To view the details of an item in the Execute Window use the View Item soft button. This makes it easy to change FX and Chase
speed quickly.
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21.2 Full Screen View

The Execute Window can be run in full-screen mode (View Max), allowing the whole of the screen to be customised. The size
of the full screen Execute Window can be set via GRID OPTIONS soft button and selecting Win Size – this defaults to 1024 by
768 for MagicQ PC/Mac and 800 by 600 for the console.
Selecting the "Run in Execute Window" option in the Setup Window ensures that the MagicQ will start up directly in the Execute
Window. Note that on MagicQ PC/Mac, the buttons on the full screen Execute Window will only work when a MagicQ PC Wing
is connected.
Use the close icon in the title bar to close the Execute Window. Use Assign Special to add a specific Close button into the Execute
Grid. On MagicQ consoles you can press the CLOSE button to return to normal MagicQ windows.
It is possible to have the legends for the 10 main playbacks displayed even when in full screen view - use soft button C, Playbacks
= On. The Playback legends take up the bottom part of the window, thus reducing the total size available for items.
Note that View Max is only supported on the first Execute Window.

21.3 Password Protection

It is possible to protect the Execute Window so that operators only see the Execute Window and can not use the main MagicQ
application windows. From the Execute Window set up a password using the Set Password soft button. If an operator tries to
close the window then they have the choice of shutting down or entering the password to re-enter the main MagicQ application
windows.
Password protection in the Execute Window is only supported when the run in execute option is enabled in Setup, view settings,
playback and MagicQ has started in full screen execute. Pressing view max in the execute window will not prompt for the
password.
For security reasons there is not a master password. To reset the password that is locked, please contact your local dealer.
Protection can be added so that users cannot operate any Execute buttons until they enter a password. A "Key Lock" Special
Function button can be placed in the Execute Window. When pressed the Execute Window is locked and can only be unlocked
by entering the password. If no password has been set, then entering a blank password will unlock the window.

21.4 Automated Start

MagicQ includes several options for automated start of Playbacks and Executes. These options are available on MagicQ consoles
and on MagicQ PC systems when connected to a MagicQ USB Wing or Interface. See Setup, View Settings, Playback, Activate
Playbacks On Start.

21.5 Sizing of items

Items in the Execute window so that different items can have different sizes. This is particularly useful for laying out buttons
around faders.
In View Design mode, use encoders and soft buttons X and Y to set the item width and height from 1 to 16 boxes wide . The
default is 1 box wide and 1 box high.
Items that overlay other items will block the other items so overlapping items should be avoided.
The overall grid size can be set to up to 40 by 40 items - which enables detailed grid layouts to be constructed.
MagicQ User Manual 213 / 579

21.6 Faders

The Execute Window supports faders as well as buttons. Cue Stacks and Cues can be represented as faders. To set a Cue Stack or
Cue as a fader, move the cursor to the item and press SOFT button E to toggle the Type between button and fader. A ‘F’ appears
in the corner of the item when it is set to be a fader. Faders are only shown in Execute View and Max View, not in Design View.

From version 1.8.8.0 MagicQ supports full sizing of all Execute items using the Item Width and Item Height soft buttons and
encoders. In previous versions, and in 1.8.8.0 if faders are set to width and height of 1 then the size faders then if there is an
unused box below the fader item then MagicQ automatically adjusts in the Execute View to fill the two boxes.
Use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to cursor select multiple items to set the type for multiple items in one go.

21.7 Buttons

By default buttons in the Execute Window are set to toggle their function on and off each time the button is pressed. It is possible
to set a button in the Execute Window that is controlling a Cue or a Cue Stack to momentary rather than toggling. Move the
cursor to the required item and use Soft button E to set the item type "Button Fl".

Buttons can also be set as solo buttons (also known as radio buttons) so that a group of buttons programmed as Cues or Cue
Stacks can be set so that only one of the group is active at a time. Use soft button E to select "Solo".
The group consists of all adjacent buttons in a horizontal row that have their "Item Type" set to "Solo". "Solo" buttons must be
immediately adjacent. Empty items or items that are not set to "Solo" will end the group.
Use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to cursor select multiple items to set the type for multiple items in one go.

21.8 Regions

Added Regions to the Execute Window to enable easier control of multiple items for attribute selection and soloing. Items in
the Execute Window can be made part of the Region by selecting them with the cursor keys and pressing the SET REGION soft
button.
If the Region includes a Group item then Palettes within that Region will only affect the heads within that Group. The Group
does not need to be selected first - those palettes will affect the heads regardless of head selection. This enables colours and other
MagicQ User Manual 214 / 579

attributes to be selected on different head types without changing the current selection. All Palettes are applied in the programmer
as normal.
A Region should only have one Group in it.
If a Region includes Cue Stacks that are set as Solo, then all those Cue Stacks will solo together - i.e. only one will be active at a
time. This enables the solo areas to be set out as a block whereas previous solo selections had to be in a horizontal line.
Use SHIFT and CLEAR REGION to clear a region. In Design View the region ID is shown in the top right corner of the item
in Design View. Note that Win Size, Background, and Password have now been moved from the top menu to under the SET
OPTIONS soft button.
If the CLEAR, LOCATE, LAMP ON, LAMP OFF, LAMP ON ALL, LAMP OFF ALL buttons are included in a Region then
they only affect the heads from the Group controlling that region.
If RELEASE is included in a region it only affects the Cues and Cues Stacks in that region.

21.9 Timing

It is possible to add Timing items to the Execute Window via the Assign Special, Timing button. The timings affect how Palettes
are played back in the Execute Window. The options include setting a time in seconds for Palette fades, setting a split fade, and
directions - normal, reverse, in to out, out to in and random.
The timing options include standard fades of 0, 1, 2, and 3 seconds and also allow custom times. A fade of 0 seconds ensures
that Palettes snap in regardless of other MagicQ console settings such as Busking Rate masters.
If the Timing items are within a Region then those times only affect the heads from the Group controlling that region. Using
multiple regions this enables different times to be used on different heads simultaneously.
Timing items also affect releasing of Cues and Cue Stacks within a region using the RELEASE special item.
A Region can be set up with palettes and timing items but without a Group. In this case the timing will be used with those Palettes
when applied to the currently selected heads. This is useful for example to have timings on Colour and Position Palettes, but not
on Beam Palettes.

21.10 Rate and parameters

It is possible to add Rate items to the Excecute Window via the Assign Special, Rate Params button. The rate items affect how
Cues, Cue Stacks and Programmer FX in the Execute Window are controlled. The Rate items include a Rate Tap to set the speed,
controls to select Fade or Snap and controls to set the Parts to 2, 3 or 4.
If the Rate items are within a Region then they only affect the Cues, Cue Stacks and Programmer FX that are within the Region.
If the Rate items are not within a Region then they affect all Cues and Cue Stacks and Programmer FX in the Execute Window
that do not have a Region set.
Rate items affect both FX and Chases. When a Cue Stack is set as Chase Timing then the Rate will affect the Cue Stack rate not
the FX rate within the chase steps. Chases are not affected by Width controls.
The rate items affect the Cues and Chases regardless of whether they are active - so it is possible to set the speed, snap and width
of a FX before activating a Cue or Cue Stack. Changes are stored with the Cue or Cue Stack so that when they are reactivated
they will use the same parameters.
When the "Use SPx" Rate Param is active the inbuilt FX in the Execute Window will use the respective Speed Master for timing
if it is active. If the Speed Master is not active, then timing will remain as per the above Rate Params in the Execute Grid.

21.11 Execute Window FX

It is possible to add simple FX items directly to the Execute Window via the Assign Special, FX button. The FX items generate
FX for Intensity chase, Zoom chase, Colour flick, 2 Colour chase, 3 Colour chase and White Flick. In addition it is possible to
add Colour 1, Colour 2 and Colour 3 buttons to select the Colours Palettes used within the FX.
MagicQ User Manual 215 / 579

If the FX items are within a Region then they use only the channels from the Group of that Region. If the FX items are not within
a Region then they will use currently selected heads.
All the Colour FX items are affected by a change in Colour Palette. Note that Colour Flick only uses Colour 1, 2 Colour only
uses Colour 1 and Colour 2. Intensity Chase, White Flick and Zoom Chase do not use any Colour Palettes. Colour Palettes can
be selected before the FX items are active.
When the item is activated the FX is added to the Programmer. When it is deactivated the FX is removed from the Programmer.
As the FX are in the Programmer they run at normal programmer priority overiding any FX from Playbacks. The BLIND button
affects these FX just like any other values/FX in the programmer.

21.12 Execute Window Soft Palettes

The Execute Window supports Soft Palettes. These are Palettes that can easily be updated from other Palettes so that Cues and
Chases can be immediately changed to have new values. This is useful for instance when running Cue Stacks with colour chases
and wanting to update the colours.
Set "Item Type" to "Link" (Encoder E) in the Execute Window to set the Palette to be a Soft Palette. Soft Palettes are marked
with a "S" in the top right corner.
To change the contents of the Palette press the item and then select another Palette (not a Soft Palette) from the Execute Window.
The Soft Palette will be updated with the values from the other Palette for all the currently selected heads.
If the Soft Palette is set as part of a Region which has a Group and Palettes in it then it is not needed to press the Soft Palette - the
individual Palettes can be selected directly to alter the Soft Palette. Note that in this case the Palettes in that Region only perform
this function - they can not be used in the normal way.

21.13 Execute Window sequencing

It is possible to set items within the Execute Window to automatically sequence through the items according to defined time.
Sequencing is possible for Positions, Colours, Beams, FX, Cue Stacks, Cues, Macros, and Groups. The sequence can be in
sequential order or random. One item of each type will be activated at a time with all other items of that type released.
In the Execute Window select ASSIGN SPECIAL and select Sequence. Then choose between Sequence and Random, followed
by Sequence. Then enter a sequence time - this is the time between execute items automatically being activated/deactivated.
If the Sequence item is within a Region then it will only affect items within that region. If it is not in a region then it will affect
all items within the Execute grid. All item types are affected and are sequenced independently - for example if you have both
Colour items and Cue Stacks items in the grid then MagicQ will sequence the colours at the same time as the Cue Stacks. Using
the random sequence would cause a different colour and different Cue Stack to be activated after each sequence time has expired.
MagicQ will apply any fade times from timing items within the Region/Grid that the sequence item is in.
To make the Sequence Random, add a Random button - ASSIGN SPECIAL, Sequence, Random. When the RANDOM button
is active the sequnce will run random instead of following one after another.
Only one sequence item can be active at any one time within a Region. Only one sequence items outside a Region can be active
at a time.

21.14 Execute Window Group

Each Execute Grid can have a Group assigned to it. This operates in a similar way to regions, except that the Group applies to
the whole window without the need to set regions.
Choose Grid Options, and select SET GROUP. To clear the Group select SET GROUP and choose NO GROUP.
The Group Mode Filter determines whether MagicQ filters or expands to the group. Set the Group Mode Filter in Grid Options.
For filtering the data in the Exec Grid must have the required channels in it. For expanding, the data in the Exec Grid can have
any channels (but must have required attributes).
By default no Group is assigned. When a Group is assigned then by default it expands to the Group.
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21.15 Button appearance

The appearance of the boxes can be set using Soft button B "Appearance". The options are "Boxes" or "Coloured" for the
appearance of the buttons, faders and encoders. "Coloured" colours the buttons according to function. When that function is
active the button appears brighter.
The Execute Window supports custom images for the buttons, faders and encoders. When set, these are displayed in "Coloured"
mode instead of the coloured control. The images should be stored in the bitmaps folder and named according to:

Button up image xxxxup.bmp

Button down image xxxxdn.bmp
Fader track image xxxxtrck.bmp
Fader knob image xxxxknob.bmp
Encoder back image xxxxbase.bmp
Encoder dial image xxxxdial.bmp

Where xxxx is any name. The images can be .bmp, .jpg or .png. The bitmaps can be selected for each item in the Execute
Window, View Design by pressing the BUTTON BITMAP soft button and selecting the required image file.
When selecting the file, choose the "up", "trck" or "base" file. MagicQ will automatically substitute the "dn" file when the button
is active.
Use SHIFT + CLEAR BITMAP to remove the bitmap.
The bitmap will be applied to all new buttons created on that Grid until the SHIFT + CLEAR BITMAP is pressed on an item.
Use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to cursor select multiple items to set the image for multiple items in one go.
Button images used withing MagicQ shows are stored in the .xhw show file.

21.16 Speed Encoders

The Execute Window supports encoders for speed control of Cue Stacks. Use Insert Special, and select Encoder to insert an
encoder below a recorded Cue Stack. The Encoder will only be active when the Cue Stack directly above is active.

21.17 Attribute Encoders

The attribute encoder acts like the encoders in the Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam windows, affecting the currently selected
heads.

21.18 Preload

The Preload function allows execute window items to be selected before the change is applied. Press the PRELOAD soft button
to start selecting/deselecting items. MagicQ will show the items selected/deselected but will not apply them until the PRELOAD
MagicQ User Manual 217 / 579

GO soft button is pressed. The Busking Rate Master can be used in conjunction with this feature to allow all the items to fade at
the same time.

21.19 Background

It is possible to set a background using the GRID OPTIONS soft button and selecting Set Background
The background should be a bmp or jpeg of the size set by the WIN SIZE button.
Use GRID OPTIONS soft button and and Clear Background to remove the background.
Background images used withing MagicQ shows are stored in the .xhw show file.

21.19.1 Assigning Execute Pages to Users

Execute Pages can be assigned to a specific user - enabling some pages to be hidden from some users.
Press the GRID OPTIONS soft button and select Set User. The User for the page is shown in the title bar of the Execute Window.
Once an Execute Page is assigned to a user then only that user can access the Execute Page - other users will just see a blank
page. MagicQ hides the Execute Page change select items for Execute pages that the user does not have access to.
Super Users can always access all Execute pages.
To remove the assignment press GRID OPTIONS, select Set User and select Default.

21.20 Special Options

There are a number of special options that can be assigned as buttons using the ASSIGN SPECIAL soft button. These include:

Exec Page, Exec Page Up, Exec Page Dn Buttons to change Execute Grid
Blind, Close, Clear, Locate, Release Useful buttons in Execute Grids
Timing Set timing including split direction for Palettes
Rate Params Set rate of Chase / FX
FX Add FX to selected heads
All Busking Adds all Timing, FX and Rate items
Simple Busking Adds basic Timing, FX and Rate items
TC + Clock + PB Timecode, clock items and Playback items
Enable Uni Zone, Disable Uni Zone, Set Hot Uni Zone, Management of multiple universe zones
Clear Hot Uni Zone
Global Tap Global Tap to Time button
Fader FN Record current fader mode
Powerdown Immediate shut down of the PC
Lamp On, Lamp Off, Reset Affects selected heads
Lamp On All, Lamp Of All Lamp On/Off whole lighting rig
Preload Enter/leave preload mode
Setup Option Change a Setup option
Multi Console Control Shortcuts for multi console control
Encoder Add a rate or attribute encoder
Keylock Lock the Execute Window so users cannot change / shut
down
User Change the user
Speed Master Controls the Speed including enabling/disabling, rate and
divisor
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21.20.1 Changing Execute Page

It is possible to build up multiple execute grids and to change between them using the Exec Page, Exec Page Up and Exec Page
Down special options.
For example you could use Grid 1 as an "Home" grid with only buttons to change to other pages. Then each of the other pages
could have a Exec Page button to change back to the "Home" grid.
Exec Page items for specific Execute Pages are hidden for users that do not have access those Execute Pages.

21.20.2 Automating Setup options

Setup options can be changed from the Execute Window without having to write keyboard macros. In the Execute Window –
press ASSIGN SPECIAL and select Setup Option in order to assign the changing of a Setup Option to a single button.
MagicQ will prompt for what the value for each option (e.g. Yes/No, Enabled/Disabled or other value) and this will be stored in
the shortcut. It is therefore possible to make two different shortcuts - one to enable an option and one to disable it.

21.20.3 Multi Console Control shortcuts

In Net Session (Multi Console) mode these shortcuts enable quick selection of which console controls the output to which
heads/channels on the lighting rig. These options are normally found in Setup, View DMX I/O, MULTIPROG SEL CHANS.
All of the normal options are available.
For the Group option, the Group selected when creating the Execute item is stored and is used for the shortcut. Therefore multiple
shortcuts can be created for different Groups.
For Uni Zones, One Universe, Universes the uni zone or universe is that chosen when the shortcut is recorded.
For the One Head, Selected, Programmer, Last Active and Active options reflect the ongoing head/channel selection / activation
state, not the selection or state when the shortcut was created.
The None, All, User options do not depend on selection state.

21.20.4 Timecode and Timings

It is possible to add the TC simulator and supporting buttons to the Execute Window. This enables, for example, a large display
of the current timecode value.
There is also a 12 hour and 24 hour clock - so the Execute Window can be used to show the current time.
There are also items to show the next Scheduled Event and the time remaining to the next Scheduled Event from the Scheduled
Events in the Autom Window. This could be used to list the running order of bands playing at a Festival.
The TC display and the Clock displays auto expand to take up to three times the normal item size if the surrounding items in the
grid are empty.
Select ASSIGN SPECIAL and then select Timecode + Clock + PB.

21.20.5 User

This allows the User to be changed from the Execute Window. If passwords are configured for the users then MagicQ prompts
for the password before changing user.
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21.20.6 Execute Window Playback / Cue Stack information

MagicQ supports special items in the Execute Window that indicate the current Cue name, Cue ID, Cue comment or Cue time
remaining of a Playback or Cue Stack. This could be used, for example, to display special comments from a Cue Stack in the
Execute Window.
In the Execute Window press ASSIGN SPECIAL and then select Timecode + Clock + PB. Then choose the required Playback-
/Cue Stack feature. MagicQ will prompt for the Playback number or Cue Stack ID.
The Playback Rem time is the remaining fade time whilst a Cue is fading. For a timecode Cue once the current Cue has completed
the fade, then the remaining timecode to the next Cue is shown.
The Playback Rem TC is the timecode remaining to the next step. If the next step is not a timecode step then the field will show
as blank.
The current Page and next Page can also be shown.
The Move When Dark indication shows active when a Move When Dark is active on any Playback and goes inactive when the
Move When Dark is complete.

21.20.7 Speed Masters

Speed Masters can be assigned to Exec Grids in the Exec Window using the ASSIGN SPECIAL soft button. This enables the
specific Speed Master to be controlled and updated.
Select the Speed Master option and then choose from the function to assign:

Tap Tap to Time button. Also shows the current BPM. Enter a
number before pressing TAP to set to a specific BPM.
Enable Enables/Disables the Speed Master
Halt Halts the Speed Master/Restarts the Speed Master
Resync Restarts any FX controlled by the Speed Master
Inc Increases the rate divisor
Dec Decreases the rate divisor
Div Sets rate divisor back to 1. Also shows the current rate
divisor.
Step Steps on to the next step in the FX
DJ BPM Uses the BPM from DJ system
Audio BPM Uses the BPM from Audio input
DJ Beat Steps on to the next step on beat from DJ system
Audio Beat Steps on to the next step on beat from Audio input
Resync Beat Resyncs FX contolled by the Speed Master to the beat
All Adds all the above functions

Then choose the Speed Master to use (SP1 to SP100).

Normally only one set of Execute buttons per Speed Master is required, but it is permitted to have more than set of buttons per
Speed Master - for example on different Exec Grids - they will just duplicate each other.
The Speed Master controls the chase rate and FX speed of all active Cue Stacks that have selected this Speed Master in the Cue
Stack Options. Cue Stacks are affected regardless of whether they are executed from a Playback, from an Execute Window or
from the Stack Store.
Note the Speed Master does not directly affect the inbuilt FX in the Execute Window, for control of these FX in Regions, assign
a Use Speed Master item as specified below.
There is more info on Speed Masters in the Busking section.
MagicQ User Manual 220 / 579

21.20.8 Execute Grid Use Speed Master

The inbuilt FX in the Execute Window are applied into the Programmer. Since the default for the Programmer Speed Master is
"Ignore", the speed for these FX will normally be directly controlled by the Rate Params items in the Exec Window - ie. the TAP
button, and the PARTS, SNAP, FADE.
When using the TAP for the inbuilt FX in the Execute Window it shows the BPM, and applies Per Head timing rather than per
Step timing.
It is possible to over ride this speed using a Speed Master. In the Exec Window press ASSIGN SPECIAL and select "Rate
Params". Then select "Use Speed Master" and choose the Speed Master to use. This will then show in the Execute Window as
"Use SPx" where x is the Speed Master SP1 to SP100.
When the "Use SPx" is active the inbuilt FX in the Execute Window will use the respective Speed Master for timing if it is active.
If the Speed Master is not active, then timing will remain as per the above Rate Params in the Execute Grid.
It is possible (and often very useful) to have more than one Regions using the same Speed Master for Speed control.
It is also possible to have more than one "Use SPx" in a Region so that different rates can be quickly selected - the first active
one will be used.
If the Programmer option, Programmer Speed Master is set to a Speed Master instead of "Ignore", then when active the respective
Speed Master will control the above inbuilt FX. The "Use SPx" will take priority over the Programmer Speed Master.

21.21 Execute Window on iOS/Android remote

Execute windows are automatically available on the iOS/Android remote apps.

Each iOS/Android device can access different Execute Pages on the MagicQ system. We recommend using the Execute Page
Up, Execute Page Down, Change to Exec Page special functions to enable page selection on remote devices.
The iOS/Android device downloads any custom images used in the Execute Window from the MagicQ system.

21.22 Execute Buttons on Go/Pause buttons

The GO and Pause buttons for Playbacks 1 to 10 can be set to be Execute buttons from either Execute Grid 1, 2 or 3.
When this function is in use then Execute Grid should be set to size 10/2 giving a total of 20 items.
In Setup, View Settings, Playbacks if the options "Playback Go/Pause use Execute Grid 1,2 or 3" is set to "yes", then this makes
all 20 Execute buttons follow the items the selected execute grid.
Setting this option will automatically set the Execute Grid to 10/2 if it was not previously used.
It is also possible to set individual items in Cue Stacks, Options, Buttons by setting the options Go uses Exec Grid 1 or Pause
uses Exec Grid 1.
Note that if a button is set to an Execute and there is no corresponding item in Exec Grid 1 then the button operates as the normal
Go/Pause for the Cue Stack.
When a button is set to Execute then the function of the button is shown in the display together with its activation state.
Exec Grid items can be set to Cue Stacks, Cues, Groups, Positions, Colours, Beams, Macros and other functions - all off these
functions are available through the 20 Execute buttons. By default items in the Execute Grid toggle on/off - the LED on the
Go/Pause button shows the state. Alternatively the Button function can be changed in the Exec Grid to be "Button Flash" or even
"Button Solo".
Note that this function is only supported on the main 10 MagicQ playbacks; this function is not supported on Extra wings,
Playback wings, Execute wings, Stadium Wings or MQ500M Wings.

21.23 Multiple Execute windows

It is possible to have up to three execute windows open at any one time on MagicQ systems. To open a second or third Execute
window, type either 2 or 3 before pressing the EXEC window button.
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Chapter 22

Automation

22.1 MagicQ Automation Window

MagicQ supports an automation system to enable it to automatically respond to both external, internal and timed events. MagicQ
can trigger on external events such as MIDI notes, DMX input, serial input, timecode, and the remote contact input. MagicQ can
also trigger on internal events such as system startup, system shutdown and system powerfail. In addition MagicQ can trigger on
timed (scheduled) events.

The Automation Window (Macro, View Autom) is used to manage all of the automated events. The Automation Window supports
multiple events with each event being subject to specified parameters.
Each event then triggers a particular MagicQ function – this can be a function on a Playback, a Cue Stack, a Cue, a Page, a Macro
or a Layout.
MagicQ can take a parameter from the event trigger and pass it to the function – for example, it could take the velocity from a
MIDI note event and trigger a Playback, Cue Stack, Cue or Execute level using that velocity.
Automation is only supported on MagicQ PC/Mac when connected to a MagicQ USB Wing, MagicQ USB Interface or SnakeSys
product.
Automations can be globally enabled or disabled from the Autom setting in Setup, Vierw Settings, Mode.
From MagicQ v1.9.0.0 onwards Automations were expanded, so that MagicQ now supports up to 1000 Automations.

22.1.1 Autom Events

Each event can have up to 3 parameters (P1,P2,P3) to filter the event further.

Event P1 P2 P3
Scheduled Time Date mask
MIDI note Mode - on, off or both Note Channel – 0 for all
MIDI sysex number of bytes to match P2 is byte string P3 is the byte to pass to the
function
MagicQ User Manual 222 / 579

Event P1 P2 P3
MIDI clock Divisor
Timecode Start timecode range End timecode range
Remote Mode - on, off or both
DMX Level Channel
Serial port number of characters to P2 is character string P3 is the character to pass
match to the function
Tracker Type - inside, outside, enter, Tracker ID MagicVis object
exit
Scene Setter Button Button number 1 to 16
OSC OSC Command maximum
15 characters
Startup
Shutdown
Power fail
Emergency

External Autom events can be simulated within MagicQ using the keyboard.
For MIDI note events type testmidi followed by the 3 MIDI bytes - e.g. to test note on for note 10 at velocity 127 enter testmidi
144,1,127
For MIDI system exclusive events type testsysex followed by the required MIDI bytes in hexadecimal representation, e.g. test-
sysex BABE to match 0xBA for the first byte and 0xBE for the second byte
For OSC events type testosc followed by the OSC string, e.g. to go PB1 enter testosc /pb/1/go
For serial events type testser followed by the serial bytes, e.g. to simulate the bytes 1,2,3 enter testser 1,2,3
For remote remote input event, type testinput followed by polarity and option input number, e.g. to simulate remote input closed
enter testinput 1
For emergency hot takeover, use SHIFT and SET EMERGENCY ON and SET EMERGENCY OFF suft buttons in Setup, View
DMX I/O.

22.1.2 Autom Functions

The following functions are supported with each function having up to 3 function parameters F1, F2, F3.

Function F1 F2 F3
PB a,r,level Playback num
PB level Playback num
PB activate Playback num
PB release Playback num
PB act full Playback num
PB go Playback num Cue ID
PB go cue ID = level Playback num
PB back Playback num
PB ffwd Playback num
PB fbck Playback num
PB jump Playback num
Stack toggle Cue Stack ID
Stack activate Cue Stack ID Cue ID
Stack release Cue Stack ID
Stack a,r,level Cue Stack ID Cue ID
Stack random Start Cue Stack ID End Cue Stack ID
Cue toggle QID in Cue Store
Cue activate QID in Cue Store
MagicQ User Manual 223 / 579

Cue release QID in Cue Store

Cue a,r,level QID in Cue Store
Exec toggle Exec Grid ID Item ID
Exec activate Exec Grid ID Item ID
Exec release Exec Grid ID Item ID
Exec level Exec Grid ID Item ID
Run macro Macro ID
Change layout Layout num
Display message
Change page Page num PB to activate
Change page release main Page num PB to activate
Change page release all Page num PB to activate
Speed Master Tap Speed Master ID
Speed Master Step Speed Master ID
Lyntec zone on Device ID Zone
Lyntec zone of Device ID Zone
Lyntec chan on Device ID Chan
Lyntec chan off Device ID Chan
Emergency On
Emergency Off
Emergency State
Reboot PC
Power Off

For Playback (PB) functions, F1 is the Playback number. MagicQ consoles support control of all 202 playbacks. MagicQ PC
supports control of the first 10 playbacks (PB1 to PB10).
For Stack functions, F1 is the Stack number. F2 is a Cue ID for Stack activate, and Stack a,r,level only.
For Cue functions, F1 is the Cue number (Qid) within the Cue Store.
Stack random enables the activation of one Cue Stack in the Cue Stack range F1 to F2. Each time the automation triggers all Cue
Stacks in the range are deactivated, and one Cue Stack in the range is selected by random and activated.
For Macros, F1 is the keyboard macro ID. 0 means stop all playing keyboard macros.
For Page functions, F1 is the Page Number and F2 specifies a Playback to be activated on the Page Change (0 = none) and a Cue
Id to jump to on PB go and PB jump.
For Display Message, the Description field is used to specify the message.
For Speed Master Tap and Speed Master Step the Speed Master ID is SP1 to SP100.
For Lyntec functions, F1 is the Lyntec Dev ID in Net Manager, VIEW LYNTEC. F2 is the Zone from 1 to 12 for Zone functions
and the Channel from 1 to 168 for Channel functions.
For Emergency State, if the incoming level from the Event is greater or equal to 128 then the Emergency will be set on.
The current state of the function is shown in the Status field.

22.1.3 MIDI events

If you add MIDI events then these override the miditable.txt file – the file is completely ignored.
The MIDI Clock enables triggering from the MIDI clock. The divisor can be specified to trigger on half note, full note or higher.

22.1.4 Serial Port events

If you add serial port events then these override the normal ChamSys serial remote protocol functions. The serial port settings in
Setup, View Settings, Ports must be set up with Serial Remote Protocol set to ChamSys RX.
MagicQ User Manual 224 / 579

MagicQ matches the serial data received to the string you specify in the P2 field using the same format as in the Cue Stack
Macros but without the X. So if you set the P2 field in the Autom to
1,2,3 it will match the serial data received 1,2,3
If there is a x preceding the number then all following numbers are considered as hexadecimal (e.g. xBABE will consist of the
byte 0xBA followed by 0xBE)
Note that the string entered in the P2 field must be encased with "". For example "1,2,3" MagicQ will display " as an ’. You must
use " when encasing the string.
P1 is the number of characters to match and P3 determines which character is passed onto the Autom function.
So if you want to set up MagicQ to respond to serial commands to set the level of Playback 1 using the serial commands "L1" to
"L100" you would set up the Autom as:
Type Serial Port
P1 1 // Match 1 character
P2 "L" // Character to match
P3 2 // 2nd character of received string
Function PB Level
F1 1

22.1.5 MIDI Sysex events

MagicQ matches MIDI Sysex messages in a similar way to serial messages above
MagicQ matches the MIDI Sysex messages to the string you specify in the P2 field using the same format as in the Cue Stack
Macros but without the X. So if you set the P2 field in the Autom to
1,2,3 it will match the serial data received 1,2,3
If there is a x preceding the number then all following numbers are considered as hexadecimal (e.g. xBABE will consist of the
byte 0xBA followed by 0xBE)
Note that the string entered in the P2 field must be encased with "". For example "1,2,3" MagicQ will display " as an ’. You must
use " when encasing the string.
P1 is the number of characters to match and P3 determines which character is passed onto the Autom function. As MIDI is 7 bit
data the character passed is doubled before it is passed onto the Autom function - enabling a MIDI Sysex value of 127 to set a
playback to full level.
Note that MIDI Show Control messages will always be handled internally by MagicQ to trigger Cues and Cue Stacks unless the
MIDI Show Control type is set to "None" - in which case MIDI Show Control messages can be handled by automs.

22.2 Scheduled Events

MagicQ supports timed events for trigger Cues at specific times of the day or days of the week. Any Cue in a Cue Stack can
be set to trigger based on a scheduled event rather than following on from the previous Cue. This enables time of day and date
based events to be run automatically.
Scheduled events are supported on MagicQ consoles and on MagicQ PC when connected to a MagicQ Wing.
19/30/5 for 19 hours 30 minutes and 5 seconds
or
*/10/0 to have the event occur every hour at 10 minutes past the hour
or
MagicQ User Manual 225 / 579

*/*/0 for every minute

From v1.9.2.1 software, when MagicQ starts up it checks for any scheduled Automs and sets the state according to the current
time and date. For example if there is an Automation that runs at 7.00am each day and the system restarts at 9.00am then it will
automatically trigger the 7.00am automation. The Automs are triggered in the order of oldest to newest as they would have been
done if the system had been running at that time.
Automations, including scheduled events can be disabled (for example when Programming) on an individual basis or from the
global Macro enable option in Setup.

22.2.1 Dates and days of the week

It is also possible to set dates in P2 using the following format:

day/month/year
Asterisks (*) can be used. Examples:
24/12/2005 - specific date (24 December 2005)
1/*/* - 1st day of every month
*/6/* - everyday in June
Alternatively you can specify days of the week using the characters A to G where A is Monday, B is Tuesday, C is Wednesday
etc.
So for an event every Monday and Tuesday enter:
AB

22.2.2 Sunrise + Sunset (astronomical)

MagicQ has the capability to trigger events based on the sunrise and sunset at the particular location.
In order for sunrise and sunset events to occur correctly MagicQ must be configured with the correct longitude, latitude and time
zones. These parameters are configured in Setup, View Settings, Mode. The sunrise and sunset times for the current location can
be checked in Setup, View System, View Status.
To set a scheduled event based on sunrise or sunset first set the time starting with R for sunrise or S for sunset.
It is possible to set offsets on the sunrise and sunset times so the event is triggered a certain time before or after the sunrise or
sunset.
For example to trigger 20 minutes after sunrise enter
R+0/20/0
To trigger 30 minutes before sunset enter
S-0/30/0

22.2.3 Tracker

MagicQ can trigger events based on a XYZ Tracker position related to a MagicVis object. This enables receive XYZ position
from an external system and using that position information to control other attributes - e.g. ramping up intensity of a fixed
luminaire when performer moves into an area on the stage. We tie it into areas of the stage that we can define in our MagicVis
visualisation so we can control attributes - intensity, colour, zoom etc. . . based on how close the performer is to a point or to a
line.
When the trigger type is set to Inside then as the XYZ tracker moves inside the MagicVis object the trigger event level goes from
0 at the edge to to 255 at the centre of the object.
When the trigger type is set to Outside then when the XYZ tracker is outside the MagicVis object the trigger event level is at 255.
When it moves inside it goes from 255 at the edge to 0 at the centre of the object.
When the trigger type is set to Enter then as the XYZ tracker moves inside the MagicVis object the event is triggered.
When the trigger type is set to Exit then as the XYZ tracker moves outside the MagicVis object the event is triggered.
MagicQ User Manual 226 / 579

22.3 Automated Start of Playbacks / Executes

MagicQ includes several options for automated start of Playbacks and Executes. These options are available on MagicQ consoles
and on MagicQ PC systems when connected to a MagicQ USB Wing or Interface. See Setup, View Settings, Playback, Activate
Playbacks On Start.

22.4 Keyboard macros

Keyboard macros enable you to record sequences of key presses and to replay the sequence at the press of a single button.
Keyboard macros can be assigned to any button on the console (including to a SHIFT+button and CTRL+button) or to buttons
on an external keyboard. The first 10 keyboard macros are available on the Quick Macro Tool Bar.
Macros can be inhibited from the Setup Window using the "Inhibit Macros" option.

22.4.1 Recording keyboard macros

To record a keyboard macro, go to the Macro Window, press RECORD and select a macro to record. Alternatively moe the
cursor to a free item in the window and press the START MACRO soft button.
The console then records all of the following key sequences until you press the Macro Window button and the END MACRO
soft button.
The title bar shows "Recording" whilst recording is in progress. MagicQ automatically removes the MACRO and END MACRO
soft button press from the end of the recording.
In software prior to v1.7.1.3 MagicQ stored raw key presses. From v1.7.1.3 MagicQ supports several different formats for storing
the keys - by default it now uses the internal MQ keys. The internal MQ keys have the advantage that they are the same across
all MagicQ consoles - therefore a keyboard macro that is recorded on a MQ80 will always run correctly on a Pro 2014 and vice
versa.
Choose the Record Options by pressing soft button A in the Macro window. The options are "Keys", "MQ Keys" and "Functions".

22.4.2 Playing keyboard macros

Macros can be played by simply pressing the item in the Macro Window.
To stop a macro that is playing open the Macro Window, View Macros, put the cursor on the macro and press the STOP MACRO
soft button. To stop all macros that are playing press SHIFT + STOP ALL MACROS.
Keyboard macros can be triggered from Cue Stacks using the Cue Stack Macro B, e.g. B1 plays macro B1. B0 stops all macros.

22.4.3 Keyboard macro timing

Playback of keyboard macros can use the times that the macro was recorded with or using external time code sources. By default
macros are played back using "Step per tick" timing. Use the SET TIMING soft button to change the timing. The options are:

Immediate All steps are executed immediately. The fastest play back,
but in some cases where windows are opened/closed the
macro may not play back as expected
Step per tick Executes the macro one step per tick. Ensures macro plays
back as expected
Ext Time Code Executes according to external time code
Int Time Code Executes with the internal timing it was recorded at
Old macros Executed with old system timing - do not use for new
macros
MagicQ User Manual 227 / 579

The timing type can be changed after the macro has been recorded – however if external time code timing is required then this
should be selected before the macro is recorded. This enables the console to record the key and button presses according to the
received time code signal.

22.4.4 Editing keyboard macros

Times can be modified in the View Data view of the Macro Window using the keypad and Encoder E. Multiple items in the
macro can be changed at one time using SHIFT and the cursor keys to select the items.
When using time code timing, the + and – operators can be used to offset the timing of a sequence of items.
Macro steps can be deleted using the REMOVE key. Note when a button is pressed there is a "press" and a "release" – both
should be removed – otherwise the button state will become confused.
It is possible to move steps in the Macro, View Data view – press MOVE and then select the source followed by the destination.
Multiple steps can be moved using SHIFT and the cursor keys.
The RETIME soft button can be used to change the times for steps that are out of sequence - any times that are not in order are
changed to a new time that is within order. The sequence that the keys are played back in is maintained.
The REORDER soft button changes the sequence of keys to match the timing. Note that this will affect the result of playing the
macro.

22.4.5 Assigning keyboard macros

To assign a macro to a button, press the ASSIGN MACRO soft button and press a key to assign it to (e.g. one of the 6 spare
keys). Keyboard macros can also be assigned to a combination of keys – for example if you hold one key and press another key.
Keyboard macros are saved into show files and also when you Save Settings, so it is possible to personalise your console.
If you accidentally assign a keyboard macro to the wrong button then you can easily change the assignment. Open the Macro
Window, move the cursor to the macro you want to change the assignment for and press the ASSIGN MACRO soft button. Now
press the button that you really wanted to assign it to.
A macro assignment can be removed using the DEASSIGN MACRO soft button.

22.4.6 Quick Macro Toolbar

The Quick Macro Tool Bar is accessed by pressing the screen in the Status Display (the area of the screen above Playbacks PB1
to PB5 with the Clock). The Macro Tool Bar can be closed by pressing in the Status Display again.
The Macro Tool Bar shows the Key Macros 1 to 10.

22.4.7 Recording Playback faders

Macros support fader moves and encoder changes as well as button presses. This enables complete recording and playback
of macro segments. Macro timing and playback uses a high resolution internal clock enabling accurate playback of recorded
sequences.
MagicQ optimises fader moves to remove redundant steps.

22.4.8 In built Macros

MagicQ supports a number of in-built macros which carry out common programming key sequences including quite a few that
would normally require multiple key presses or simultaneous pressing of more than one key. The In-built Macros can be useful
on touch systems where it is not possible to touch 2 keys at one time.
Press the In built Macro soft button and choose the macro to assign to the current item in the Macro Window.
MagicQ User Manual 228 / 579

22.4.9 Scheduled events in Cue Stacks

Cue Stacks can be used to program a list of scheduled events. To use this feature, set the Halt field of each of the Cues in the Cue
Stack Window to "Sched". Double click to change the field. Then enter the time in the Wait field. The times can have wildcards
and sunrise/sunset times as per Autom events.
If dates are required then they are entered into the macro field starting with Z and ending with Z. For example to have an event
on the
24 December 2005 enter:
Z24/12/2005Z
You can also specify particular days of the week using the characters A to G where A is Monday, B is Tuesday, C is Wednesday
etc. . .
So for an event every Monday and Tuesday enter:
ZABZ
For an event on the first day of every month enter
Z1Z
MagicQ User Manual 229 / 579

Chapter 23

Motorisation and Customisation

MagicQ Stadium Series products with motorised faders enable many different functions to be applied to the faders with MagicQ
changing the fader levels when the functions are changed.
In addition to the existing playback pages (sets of faders for different songs) the Stadium Series introduces the concept of
playback banks to enable access to more playbacks on a page.

23.1 Stadium Playback banking

The Stadium playback section is split into two with fader and encoder playbacks. The fader playback section consists of motorised
fader, FLASH, GO, PAUSE and S buttons. The execute playback section consists of encoders with inbuilt button and FLASH
buttons.
On the MQ500M/MQ250M and Stadium Connect the playback section is banked to provide access to up to six different playback
banks – the first bank is PB1 to PB30, the second bank is PB31 to PB60, the third is PB61 to PB90, and so on enabling fast
access to 180 playbacks in total. Typically the first bank would be used for the main song playbacks, whilst the second and third
could be used for specials or key lighting.
The original MQ500 does not have motorisation so in order to access more playbacks it is neccesary to add a Stadium Wing.
When used in multi console mode, the motorised Stadium consoles can access the same or different banks – enabling two or
more operators to playback the show with different playbacks.
When pages are changed the banks will either all change or will change only individual banks depending on the bank ties set up.
Page holdover and two page holdover works the same as on the MQ500.
The Stadium playback banking is designed to avoid the need to change page during songs - pages are used for new songs, rather
than for additional playbacks.
When Playbacks are released the faders by default remain at the level they were set at. It is possible to make faders return to 0%
when released. In Setup, View Settings, Playback set the "Motor Faders release to zero" option to yes. Any Cue Stacks that have
"Fader releases stack" set to "yes" will be automatically returned to 0% when released.

23.2 Fader modes

The current function of the faders is determined by the fader mode which can be selected by pressing and holding down the
NEXT PAGE or PREV PAGE buttons. This shows a dual height shortcut toolbar with the top row showing the different modes
and the bottom row showing the bank or offset within that mode.
On PC where hold functions are not available, as with other toolbars, it can be locked open by pressing SHIFT and NEXT PAGE
or PREV PAGE.
The fader modes are:
MagicQ User Manual 230 / 579

Playbacks The default mode as used by all other MagicQ consoles -

faders are normal playbacks
Int Intensity of heads - starting from lowest head number
Sel Int Intensity of selected heads - starts from first selected head
Groups Intensity of groups - starting from Group 1
Chans Value of channels - starting from Universe 1 Channel 1
Sel Chans Value of channels of selected heads - starting from first
selected head
Int Masters Intensity Master of heads - starting from lowest head
number
Group Masters Intensity Master of all heads in the groups - starting from
lowest programmed group
Sel Int Masters Intensity Master of selected heads - starting from first
selected head
Cue Intensity of heads in a Cue
Sel Cue Intensity of selected heads in a Cue
Presets Preset intensities - starting from lowest head number
Speed Masters Speed Masters - starting from Speed Master 1

The non playback modes can be split into programmer modes, master modes, cue modes and preset modes.
In all modes the fader legends the GO button show red to indicate when the fader is active. Pressing PAUSE deactivates the fader.
Pressing NEXT PAGE or PREV page pages up and down through pages of the faders.
Pressing CTRL and NEXT PAGE or PREV PAGE enables paging throught the faders in the mode one by one instead of page by
page. This enables choosing the exact starting point for the first fader.
The starting point can be directly set by entering a number on the keyboard, opening the fader shortcut bar (hold PAGE UP or
PAGE DOWN) and pressing the Head No N / Group No N / Chan No N button.
In all modes pressing SHIFT + BIG PAUSE deactivates all the faders for the mode across all pages.

23.2.1 Programmer modes

In the Programmer modes all changes affect the programmer just as if the heads had been selected from the keypad, encoders or
palette windows. Pressing CLEAR resets all faders.
In Intensity mode the faders are used to control intensity of any of the patched heads starting from the lowest head number.
Adjusting the fader sets the intensity for that head in the programmer. Pressing the GO button sets the intensity to 100% while
pressing the PAUSE button removes the intensity for that head from the programmer. The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN buttons
are used to page through all the patched heads.
Selected Intensity mode operates like Intensity mode, but uses only the selected heads – in order of selection, enabling quick
access to the intensities of selected heads by simple selecting those heads.
In Group mode the faders are used to control intensity of each group of heads starting from Group 1, one group per fader.
Adjusting the fader sets the intensity for all the heads in that group in the programmer. Pressing the GO button sets all heads in
the group to 100% whilst pressing the PAUSE button removes the intensity for all heads in that group from the programmer. The
PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN buttons are used to page through all groups.
In Chans mode the faders are used to control the channels on the console starting from the first universe. Adjusting the fader sets
the value of the channel in the programmer. Pressing the GO button sets the channel to 255. Pressing the PAUSE button removes
the value for the channel from the programmer. The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN buttons are used to page through all channels.
In all these modes pressing the FLASH button puts the level to 100% and then on release returns it to the level of the fader.
Selected Chans mode operates like Chans mode, but uses only the channels of the selected heads – in order of selection, enabling
quick access to the channels of selected heads by simple selecting those heads.
MagicQ User Manual 231 / 579

23.2.2 Master modes

In Intensity Master mode the faders are used to control the master intensity of any of the patched heads starting from the lowest
head number. Adjusting the fader sets the master intensity for that head. The master intensity operates at the output stage
modifying the level of the intensity coming from playbacks or the programmer.
Pressing the PAUSE button return the intensity master for that head to 100%. The fader is set to half way for 100% - therefore
it is possible to increase the intensity up to 200% in situations where the playback/programmer intensity is less than 100%. The
PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN buttons are used to page through all the patched heads. Master Intensities can also be controlled
from the Intensity Window, View Masters.
Selected Intensity Master mode operates like Intensity Master mode, but uses only the selected heads – in order of selection,
enabling quick access to the master intensities of selected heads by simple selecting those heads.
In Group Master mode the faders are used to control the master intensity of the group of heads starting from Group 1. Adjusting
the fader sets the master intensity for all the heads in the group. The master intensity operates at the output stage modifying the
level of the intensity coming from playbacks or the programmer.
Pressing the PAUSE button return the intensity master for all the heads in the group to 100%. The fader is set to half way for
100% - therefore it is possible to increase the intensity up to 200% in situations where the playback/programmer intensity is less
than 100%. The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN buttons are used to page through all groups.
In Master modes pressing the FLASH button puts the master level to 100% and then on release returns it to the level of the fader.
If both a Master Intensity for a head and one or more Group Masters for the same head are active then they multiply together -
e.g. if the programmed value is 100%, but then the head intensity master is 50% and a Group intensity master containing that
head is at 50% then the output will be 25%. This enables multiple levels of masters, just as with existing intensity master system
- the difference is that now it is not neccesary to explicitly program intensity masters - access is available to intensity masters and
group masters as soon as the heads are patched.
In Speed Master mode the faders and buttons control the global Speed Masters.

23.2.3 Cue modes

These modes operate in a similar way to the Intensities mode and the Sel Intensities mode - you can page through the different
heads - but they operate on the Cue data rather than programmer data.
In Cue mode the intensities of the heads in the current Cue (from the current playback, or selected from the Cue Window) are
placed on the motorised faders. Moving the faders immediately edits those intensities within the Cue.
In Selected Heads Cue mode the currently selected heads are shown. Any that are used in the currently selected Cue are shown
active. Heads that are not in the currently selected Cue are non active. Moving a fader of a non active Head automatically adds
that Head into the Cue at the level of the fader.
Pressing the GO button adds the intensity of that Head to the Cue at its current output level.
Pressing the Pause button in either mode removes the intensity for that Head from the Cue.
As with all changes to MagicQ show data, UNDO can be used to restore the Cue to its previous channel values if channels are
accidentally added/changed/removed.
There is a shortcut to enter the Cue Fader mode - press and hold CUE and press the S button of the Playback. This makes that
Playback the currently selected and also opens the CUE window showing the data.
Pressing PAUSE in the manual crossfade section returns to the normal Playback Fader mode, enabling quick return to playback.
The Cue Fader mode can also be entered/exited via the new UNFOLD CUE soft button in the Cue Window. The PREV CUE
and NEXT CUE can be used to bump through Cues in a Cue Stack.

23.2.4 Preset modes

In Preset mode the faders are used to control preset intensities - as per the View Preset in the Intensity window. Preset inten-
sities operate independently of the programmer and are used for setting fixed values - for example during changeovers or for
background lighting.
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Pressing GO puts the preset intensity to 100% - pressing PAUSE sets it to 0% (not active).
Presing FLASH puts the intensity to 100% and then on release returns it to the fader level.

23.2.5 Shortcuts to fader mode

The fader mode and bank can be selected from a pop up menu by pressing and holding the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN buttons.
The current fader mode and bank can be recorded as items in the Execute window which can then be operated from the 4x3
Execute section enabling single button changing of fader mode or banks.
Press and hold NEXT PAGE or PREV PAGE and press RECORD. MagicQ will prompt "Record shortcut - plase press item".
Select an item in the Execute Window or on the 4x3 Execute buttons (when in Execute Mode).
Alternatively in the Execute Window, select ASSIGN SPECIAL and choose Fader FN. The current fader bank mode and start
item will be assigned to an item.
In Playback mode, ALT and the NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE buttons can be used to change playback bank as an alternative
to holding NEXT PAGE / PREV PAGE and selecting the Bank from the toolbar.
There are also inbuilt macros for NEXT BANK and PREV BANK which can be assigned to Execute grids for use in Execute
windows or the 4x3 Execute section.

23.2.6 Fader Touch

MagicQ can tell when users touch the motorised fader knobs. As an option this can be used to change selected playback or to
pre-visualise that playback in MagicVis.

23.2.7 Disabling motorisation

Motorised faders have moving parts which can wear out with excessive use. Users should avoid creating macros or tracks that
cause motors to constantly move.
Individual motors can be disabled in Setup, View Settings, Hardware, Faulty Motor Mask and Faulty Wing Motor Mask. These
are hexadecimal bitmasks - fader 1 is 0001, fader 2 is 0002, fader 3 is 0004.
All motors can be disabled in Setup, View Settings, Hardware, Motorisation.

23.2.8 Illuminated Faders

In Playbacks mode the illuminated faders are used to indicate the function of the fader – blue for normal HTP level control, green
for LTP faders, red for Intensity Masters and orange for FX Speed and FX size masters.
The faders can be configured to use the custom colour tags in the Cue Stack (set Setup, Windows, Playback Col Tag option to
Cue Stack) thus enabling complete user control.
In Intensity and Selected Intensity mode the illuminated faders are set to white.
In Group mode the illuminated faders are set to yellow.
In Master modes (Int Master, Group Master, Sel Int Master) the illuminated faders are set to red.
In Channels and Selected Channels mode the illuminated faders are set to cyan.
In Presets mode the illuminated faders are set to green.
The overall brightness for the faders can be set by holding CTRL and using the encoders/soft buttons.
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23.3 Playback Encoders

The playback encoders can be used for many different functions including:

• Intensity (HTP channel control)

• LTP channel control
• FX Size

• FX Speed
• FX Speed and FX Size
• Rate (not implemented yet)
• Time (not implemented yet)

When Cues are recorded to an Execute Playbacks (e.g. PB16 to PB30) by default the encoders will control the function of the
Cue Stack on that Playback. The user can choose the Encoder mode to determine which function the encoder has. The current
state of the encoder is shown in the playback legend.
It is possible to chose to control one or more different Playbacks or even a separate Cue Stack to control in which case the encoder
is not related to the specific Playback. The following options are available from Cue Stack options, Fader tab, Encoder Mode:

• This Playback

• Other Playback
• All Playback on this Bank
• All Playback on this Page
• Other Cue Stack

When Cues are recorded to a Fader Playback, if there is no Cue Stack assigned to the Execute Playback above then the encoder
from the Execute Playback will automatically take any encoder function that is set on the Fader Playback. This means that it is
easy, for example, to record a FX Cue onto a fader playback and use the encoder above it to control the speed.
When set to Other Payback the Playback ID is specified in the Control Item option.
When set to Other Cue Stack then the Cue Stack ID is specified in the Control Item option. If the Encoder Mode is LTP or HTP
and the Cue Stack is assigned to a Playback on the current Playback Page then it will activate from the Playback, otherwise it
will activate from the Stack Store. As per the usual Cue Stack options in will only activate if Fader Activates is set to yes. For
FX Size and FX Speed this will only take effect if the Cue Stack is already active on a Playback or within an Execute Grid or the
Stack Store.

23.3.1 Illuminated Playback Encoders

In Playbacks mode the illuminated encoders are used to indicate the function of the encoder – blue for normal HTP level control,
green for LTP faders, red for Intensity Masters and orange for FX Speed and FX size masters. The encoders can be set to use the
custom colour tags in the Cue Stack thus enabling complete user control.
In other modes the illumination follows the same colour as the faders.
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Chapter 24

LED & Pixel Mapping

MagicQ utilises a powerful Cue engine, which enables it to easily handle large numbers of LED heads in the form of panels,
battens and moving lights. MagicQ’s ability to handle large numbers of heads independently ensures that Lighting Designers get
to make the most of their LED arrays without being limited by the console. With MagicQ you can generate complete rainbow
washes across all LED heads at the touch of a button with immediate live control during playback through encoders and buttons.

MagicQ includes a powerful Pixel Mapper designed for use with arrays of LED heads. You can design a grid structure based on
the layout of the heads on the stage and then play back movies, bitmaps and text messages on that grid. The grid can have spaces
in it allowing the heads to be spread over the grid as they appear on the stage.

MagicQ enables LED heads to be used in their "high resolution" mode enabling individual control of each LED pixel rather than
the restricted modes where Lighting Designers are reliant on the same old in built effects that everyone has seen many times.
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24.1 Patching LED on MagicQ

We recommend that you patch LED heads in their highest resolution mode (maximum number of controllable RGB elements)
and chose a mode without extra inbuilt FX channels if possible.
The generic led3chan and generic led4chan can be used with most LED heads. If MagicQ does not have the required personality
in its library then you can easily build your own personality using the in-built Head Editor.
For LED heads without dimmers we recommend you patch the RGB channels as HTP. For LED heads with an inbuilt dimmer
channel the RGB channels should be LTP.
After patching your LED heads you should set up the head numbers for each head in the Patch Window. By default MagicQ
numbers heads in the order they are patched starting at 0. Simply edit the head number field in the Patch Window to change the
head numbers. Use SHIFT and the cursors keys to set multiple head numbers.

24.2 Using the Grid view in the Outputs Window

To make the most of your LED head you can create a grid containing the LED head and then each head becomes a "pixel" in the
grid. The MagicQ Pixel Mapper can then be used to play back movies, bitmaps, text and FX on the grid.
In the example above, we patched a 20 by 20 matrix of RGB pixels (total 400 pixels) on Universes 4.5 and 6.
In the Outputs Window select View Plan.
The View Grid soft button is used to show and edit the grid.
The data shown in each grid cell can be changed by pressing View Type. Choose between Head Names, Head Nos, Head Nos +
Int, Cols and Cues. When Cues is selected the grid shows data from the currently selected playback rather than from the Output.
Set up the grid size, by pressing the GRID SIZE soft button. Enter the horizontal size followed by the vertical size separated by
a forward slash – e.g. 20/20.
Use Encoder E to zoom the grid.

24.2.1 Inserting heads into the grid using head numbers

You can enter the head numbers in the grid according to the layout of the LED heads within the matrix / stage. Put the cursor on
the desired item and enter a head number on the keypad. To insert multiple head numbers in one go use SHIFT or CTRL and the
cursor keys to set multiple head numbers in one go before entering the starting head number.
To set multiple items in a particular orientation then put the cursor on the starting item then move in the direction you wish them
to number - for example to number from bottom right to top left going horizontally first, then put the cursor on the bottom right,
press SHIFT and move left to the left corner and then up to the top left corner.
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Note that it is not necessary to allocate a head number to every position in the grid – so if your LED heads are placed at weird
angles you can make a grid with the LED placed as you would see it. Multiple grids can contain the same head numbers – so it
is possible to have one grid with the LED tightly packed and anther representing how they are really spaced out.

24.2.2 Inserting using INSERT HEADS

To insert the currently selected heads into the grid use the INSERT HEADS soft button. If no heads are currently selected then
all patched heads will be inserted.
The Insert Heads soft button has 5 options - Horiz, Vert, 3D, Dup Ele and Col Web.
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Horiz, Vert insert into the Grid in the horizontal or vertical direction. Multi element heads will be inserted into separate grid cells
according to the width and height specifiers in the personality. Duplicate element heads will be inserted as a single cell.
3D is used for inserting for 3D pixel mapping in the 3rd dimension - only multi element heads can be inserted in 3D.
Dup Ele is to insert all the elements of a Duplicated Element head into the grid as separate cells.
Col Web is for inserted Col Web only.

24.2.3 Inserting using the spare heads below the grid

From 1.7.6.4 the Output, View Grid view shows spare heads that have not yet been inserted in the grid in a space below the grid.
For group based grids the spare heads will include any heads from the Grid group that have not been inserted in the grid.
For normal grids it shows any currently selected heads that have not been inserted into the grid. This enables easy inserting of
heads into a grid - first select the group in the Group Window and then they will appear below the grid in the Grid View.
For grids that are set to Grid Type = Groups, then the space below the grid will show any programmed groups from the Group
Window that have not been inserted into the grid.
Move heads into the grid by moving in the normal way (press MOVE, source, destination). Alternatively press the DRAG MOVE
soft button to drag and drop.

24.2.4 Optimise Grid

To remove unused rows and columns in the grid press SHIFT + OPTIMISE GRID.

24.2.5 Using the Grid

Once the grid is configured you can then see the Output by pressing the View Colours soft button and the View Grid soft button.
For instance, below you can see the Output when all 400 heads were selected from the Group window (using the All LED3chan
group) and then a RGB FX was played back on them.
You can test the head selected in the grid using the test mode to the Grid selected via soft button C. In test mode the head under
the cursor is tested (located). This enables the grid layout to be easily checked.

24.3 Pixel Mapper

MagicQ software contains an in-built Pixel Mapper that appears as a media server just like an external media server. The Pixel
Mapper can be used to play back images, movies, text and FX on a grid of LED, dimmers or moving lights.
If the heads in the grid have colour mixing then the pixel mapping will operate on the RGB (or CMY). If they have no colour mix
then the pixel mapping will operate on the Colour Wheel or if there is no colour wheel, then on the intensity. The pixel mapping
can be set to always operate on the intensity regardless of head type.
When the Pixel Mapper is patched for a grid then MagicQ sets up the media settings automatically so that the Pixel Mapper
appears in the Media Window.
Once a grid has been designed in the Plan View of the Outputs Window, then pressing the PATCH PIXMAP soft button automat-
ically patches the internal pixel mapper (personality generic bitmapfx2).
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MagicQ asks the user to specify the number of layers required and will patch that number of layers (generic bitmapfx2 heads).
The layers will be named according to the grid that is selected in the Outputs Window. MagicQ uses head numbers above the
other patched heads.
When operating on a layer within the pixel mapper it will default to operating on the grid that was selected when it was patched.
MagicQ overrides the default value for Grid Number specified in the Head Editor for generic bitmapfx2.
MagicQ automatically adds the settings for the Pixel Mapper to the Media View of the Setup Window. This enables the Pixel
Mapper to be accessed immediately from the Media Window without further set up.
MagicQ supports a total of 20 pixel map layers per show. This could be a single pixel map of 20 layers, or any mix of multiple
pixel maps. For example 5 seperate pixel maps all with 4 layers each.

24.3.1 Using Bitmaps, Movies, Text and FX on Grids

The bitmaps and text are controlled using bitmap layers – each layer is controlled like a normal moving light – i.e. it is patched
as a virtual personality - generic bitmapfx2.hed. The personality has channels to select the bitmap or text, channels for X, Y
position and size, rotate and master levels for red, green and blue. Multiple layers can be used to mix between the layers using
add, subtract, min, max or invert colour mix modes.
Each bitmap layer uses 40 channels from the output channels. When you patch the Pixel Mapper from the Grid View, MagicQ
chooses free channels for the layers. These channels are then reserved for the pixel mapper layers and can not be used for
controlling real lights. It is best to patch generic bitmap layers to unused universes or to set them as unpatched.
The Bitmapfx2 is patched to the encoders as follows

• Intensity Page Intensity

• Position Page: Position, size, rotation of the Bitmap/Text/FX.
• Colour Page: Colour, mixing between layers of the Bitmap/Text/FX
• Media Page (Beam 1): Control of Movies, Bitmaps - internal, user and gobo icon library, Live Feeds
• Text Page (Beam 2): Control of Text – 2 separate text engines, real time editing of text string
• FX Page (Beam 3): Control of FX - lines, spots, snakes, rainbows, audio triggers, circles, squares
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24.3.2 Media Priority

FX, Text and Media interact according to the following priorities, with FX having the highest priority and Media the lowest.
FX Page If FX Type is greater than 0 then FX has highest Priority
Text Page If Text 1 is greater than 0 or Text 2 is greater than 0 then Text has priority over media
Media Page Media has the lowest priority
In the Media Window the Media Page (encoder Y) is used to select the media that is played on the grid. The Media pages are as
follows

• Inbuilt: Inbuilt patterns and colours

• Pics 1-4: User bitmaps (.bmp, .jpg, .png)

• Movies 1-4: User movies (cmv – use Tools > CMV convertor from the menu bar)
• Gifs 1-4: User gif animations
• Timers: Date, Time, Up counters, Down counters, end of year counters

• Live Feed: Live capture from a PC screen

• Gobos: Access to all the gobo, colours and image libraries

24.3.3 Inbuilt Bitmaps

The Pixel Mapper contains a library of standard bitmap patterns on Bitmap Page 0. These patterns are automatically sized to the
size of your grid.
Select the Pixel Mapper, Layer 1 and press LOCATE to set the layer to its defaults.

After a Locate the Media parameters will default to the white cross. Use the touch screen or encoders to select different Bitmaps.
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24.3.4 User Picture Support

MagicQ supports custom image files in .bmp, .jpg or .png format. These can be loaded using the LOAD PICTURE soft button
in the Media window.
Alternatively, images can be manually copied into the Pics 1-4 pages by copying the images into the bitmaps folder within the
show folder. The images should be named with the format bitmap001-001.bmp. The first 3 digits are the bitmap page and the
second 3 digits the bitmap within the page. bitmap003-025.png would appear on page 3, in the 25th slot.
Bitmap page 0 is reserved for standard, internally generated bitmap patterns.
It is best to make user bitmaps the same size as the output grid. By default User bitmaps and icons from the internal library are
applied to the grid using their normal size. It is possible to make MagicQ scale the user bitmaps and internal icons to the size of
the grid - use the Apply Type "Scale to Grid" to resize a bitmap to the full grid size.

24.3.5 Gobo / Colour Libraries

Media pages 128 to 255 select the icons from the gobo / colour library. The icons are all based on 32 by 32 pixels – but they can
be sized in the Position Window to fill the required grid size.

24.3.6 Movie support

MagicQ supports playback of movies as well as bitmaps. MagicQ supports up to 1024 different movie files.
Movies are accessed through the Media Page – there are 4 ranges on the "Media Page" encoder – Movie 1, Movie 2, Movie 3,
Movie 4. These ranges are after the Inbuilt Page and Pics Pages.
User pictures and movies can be loaded into the internal pixel mapper directly from the Media Window using the LOAD PIC /
LOAD MOVIE soft button available when the Pixel Mapper server is selected.
Movies are stored in the movies folder (show\movies) in a similar way that bitmaps are stored in the bitmaps folders. Movie files
are stored in a special ChamSys movie format which compresses the data to the required grid resolution. The files are named
movie001-001.cmv, movie001-002.cmv, etc. . .
ChamSys movie files can be created in MagicQ on PC/Mac using Tools, CMV Converter.
When converting movie files we recommend you choose the same movie resolution as your grid size on MagicQ. Click the auto
install feature to automatically install the converted media file into the movies folder naming it with the next free movie ID.
The speed of movie playback can be controlled by the movie speed encoder.
When converting media, by default, the media file will play back at the MagicQ lighting rate of 33.3fps irrespective of source
frame rate. So, for example, if your movie has a higher frame rate than 33.3 the playback of the converted file is slower than the
original.
If you use the "Preserve media duration" option it will convert your media file to 33.3fps to match MagicQ’s lighting engine and
thus play back the movie at its native source frame rate.

24.3.7 Movie Mode

From v1.9.1.4 support for playing movie files has been improved with the implemention of the Movie Mode attribute. Previously
this was marked as Movie Direction but was never implemented. The new modes are:

Whole movie 0 Plays movie from start to finish

looping, restarts when Movie is
changed
Frms 1 Plays clip from start to end point (in
frames) looping, restarts when Movie
is changed
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Secs 2 Plays clip from start to end point (in

secs) looping, restarts when Movie is
changed
Whole, Once 8 Plays movie from start to finish
looping, restarts when Movie is
changed
Frms, Once 9 Plays clip from start to end point (in
frames), restarts when Movie is
changed
Secs, Once 10 Plays clip from start to end point (in
secs), restarts when Movie is changed
Whole, Int Strt 16 Play from start Plays movie from start
to finish looping, restarts when
intensity off 0
Frms, Int Strt 17 Plays clip from start to end point (in
frames) looping, restarts when
intensity off 0
Secs, Int Strt 18 Plays clip from start to end point (in
secs) looping, restarts when intensity
off 0
Scan Frms 25 Scanning for start and end point (in
frames)
Scan Secs 26 Scanning for start and end point (in
secs)
Reset 255 Resets to start of Movie

The Start and End point reuses encoders A,B,E, and F in the Text Page (Text mode and Movies are never used together). For
backward compatibility, Start and End point are not supported in Whole Movie Mode.
When scanning MagicQ will show the frame at the start and end point depending on which encoder was changed last. To choose
a part of a movie the User can set Movie Mode to scan, set the start and end points and then revert to Clip mode to play the
movie.
The current frame and time of the selected layer are now shown to the left of the master preview in the Media Window.
When using with shows with Pixelmap personalities already patched prior to v1.9.1.4 the Movie Mode ranges will not show
unless the Head (generic_bitmap_fx3.hed) is reloaded using Edit Head, Reload Head.

24.3.8 Gif animations

The Pixel Mapper has been enhanced to support playback of gif files. There are four folders under Media Page, Gif 1, Gif 2, Gif
3 and Gif4.
You can load gifs either:
a) by manually copying them to the show/movies/ folder and naming them gif001-001.gif and so on
b) using MagicQ File Manager to select a gif.
c) in Media Window, pressing the LOAD GIF soft button.
Playback of the gif occurs when the intensity of the media layer is greater than 0. When the Media Page or Media Id is changed,
or when the intensity is dropped to 0 then the gif will reset to the beginning.
The movie speed encoder affects the speed including. It is possible to pause playback of the gif by taking the movie speed to 0.

24.3.9 Live feed support

The MagicQ Pixel Mapper includes a "Live feed" option for capturing live feed video signals from Media Servers and external
live feed sources. MagicQ supports live feeds from all 50 connected Media Servers (including the inbuilt MagicHD) or CITP
feed sources.
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To use the output of a Media Server in the Pixel Mapper set the Media Folder to Live Feed and choose the Media File Server 1 to
Server 50 to choose a feed from the appropriate media server as configured in Setup, View System, View Media. Feeds from the
inbuilt MagicHD are used directly, whilst feeds from external media servers use the live preview capabilities. Live feed is only
available from external Media Servers that support live preview over CITP MSEX.

24.3.9.1 MagicCap

The MagicCap application is bundled with the MagicQ installation. This enables capture of multiple windows on a PC/Mac and
output over CITP/MSEX on the network at a chosen resolution and refresh rate.
The application will start streaming as soon as it is run. Click on Add to add a new stream, and Remove. . . to delete the current
stream. To edit the parameters of a stream click on it in the top window then enter new values in the main edit window. If the
FPS value turns red then the PC is not able to capture the window fast enough. If the output Width or Height parameters turn red
then the output resolution is too big.
MagicCap should be run on a separate PC to the MagicQ application. Running MagicCap on a PC/Mac together with MagicQ
or MagicHD will not work.
To view the feed in MagicQ setup a media server with type CITP Live Feed. Set the IP Address to the IP address of the PC
running MagicCap and enable Thumb Con and Live Prev. To view more feeds create more media servers with the same IP
address and the same type.

24.3.10 Using text strings

Two text strings can be played back on each layer. The text strings can be positioned at the top, middle or bottom of the grid and
can be made to scroll in either horizontal or vertical directions. Text strings can be edited live for real time message applications.
Control text strings from the Text Page (Beam Page 2). Each of the two text strings has a Text Page, a Text, a Text speed and a
Text mode.
Using the Text Page and Text encoders select a string that has not been programmed – e.g. Text Page 1, Text 0. Type in new
text on the keyboard, press SET and press the soft button associated with the Text attribute. The Input Display will report "text
stored".
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The Text mode determines how the text is displayed; horizontally, vertically, top, bottom or middle. The Text speed determines
the speed that the text scrolls across the screen.
Note that Text mode values less than 128 cause the text to be scrolled across the screen with no gap between the start and end of
the text. Text mode values greater than 128 cause the text to be scrolled with a gap between the end of the text and the starting of
the text again. Two different fonts can be selected using the text mode values.
The two sets of text controls enable one text string to be scrolled in one direction and another text string to be scrolled in the
opposite direction.

24.3.11 Text display modes

It is also possible to use the single modes to display a single character, a single word or a single phrase from the text string at a
time on the screen.
By using the position and size parameters in the Position Window, the character can be placed anywhere in the grid or made to
fill the entire grid.
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When the mode is set to single words then MagicQ displays each word in turn. Each word must be separated by a single space
in the text string.
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When the mode is set to chunks single chunks then MagicQ displays each chunk in turn. Each chunk must be separated by a
single underscore (_) character in the text string. Space characters are displayed normally.

24.3.12 Manipulating bitmaps and text

Use the Position attributes of the bitmap layer to make changes to the position of the bitmap / text – set the X or Y position, the
X or Y size and the rotation.
You can play back standard FX on the bitmap layer attributes just like you would on a moving head. For example, to scroll a
bitmap form left to right, first set the X position to centre (X pos is 128) and then add a Ramp Up to the X pos.
Use the Colour attributes to determine the layers of red, green and blue in the bitmap / text. For LED matrix you may find it is
better to use only one colour at a time – for instance, set Red to 255 and Blue and Green to 0.
An iris and a strobe function are also included under the Beam attributes.
It is also possible to use playbacks set as LTP faders in order to control individual parameters of the bitmap from faders.

24.3.13 Pixel Map FX

The FX channels enable FX to be applied to the grid. The FX type selects the FX that is applied. Some of the FX are stand-alone,
e.g. lines and rainbows. Others like move and audio FX are applied on top of the selected bitmap or text.
The FX parameters depend upon the FX type selected – but generally FX parameter 1 is the speed, FX parameter 2 is the offset
between row or column items in the grid, and FX parameter 3 selects the mode – forward, reverse, bounce or twin.
The currently supported FX are:
Vert lines, Horiz lines – enables lines to be moved across the grid. Modify the mode to change thickness of the lines. Change
offset to make patterns rather than lines.
The first image below shows vertical lines with parameter 2 and parameter 3 set to 0. Adjusting parameter 2 gives an offset on
the line as shown in the second image. Adjusting parameter 3 changes the width of the line and changes the mode to bounce
instead of normal in the third image.
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Vert random, Horiz random – enable random movement of elements across the grid. Modify the mode to change thickness of the
elements and offset to change the frequency. With this FX it is possible to generate snow and rain type FX.
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Spot random – enable random spots on the grid. Modify mode to determine whether the defaults is white spots on black
background or black spots on white background.
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Vert Rainbow, Horiz Rainbow – enable rainbow patterns across the grid. Modify offset to multiply the rainbow across the grid.

Snakes – enable snaking patterns on the grid. Modify the mode to determine the number of snakes, the randomness of the
movement and whether they are white or coloured.
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Bat’n’Ball – enables simple bat and ball game on the grid. The bats are controlled by FX Parameters 2 and 3. The game starts
when one of the bats is moved. Other bitmap layers can be combined with this to make a background for the playing field.
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Vert Move, Horiz Move, Move – moves the selected bitmap or text around the grid. The bitmap will wrap around the edges, thus
allowing a texture to be moved across the entire surface of the grid.
Ramp Horiz and Ramp Vert – these perform a ramp across the entire grid in the horizontal or vertical directions. FX P1 parameter
controls the speed, FX P2 controls the crossfade and FX P3 controls the width.
Wipe Horiz and Wipe Vert – these perform a wipe of a colour across the entire grid in the horizontal or vertical directions. The
colour wiped across the grid is determined by the red, green, blue colour attributes of the Pixel Map layer. It is possible to wipe
multiple colours across a grid simultaneously by choosing different colours in sequence. When these FX are in use the red, green,
blue attributes do not affect the overall colour of the layer as they would normally.

24.3.14 Pixel Map Audio FX

The Pixel Mapper supports Audio FX – it uncovers part of the selected bitmap, text or movie dependent on the level of the audio
input.
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Parameter 2 select the channels to respond to. When set to 0, it uses all 14 audio input channels. From 1 to 14 it selects one
channel to respond to. Value 15 selects the left channels, value 16 the right channels.
The mode determines from which grid edge the audio takes effect. The image below shows an audio effect on the internal green,
yellow, red bitmap.
The possible modes are:

0 Graph top Graphic equalizer down FX P2 specifies channels

1 Level top Columns left to right FX P2 specifies channels
2 Level bottom Columns right to left FX P2 specifies channels
3 Level left Rows top to bottom FX P2 specifies channels
4 Level right Rows bottom to top FX P2 specifies channels
5 BMT1 Split into 3 -
Mid,Base,Treble
6 BMT2 Split into 3 -
Base,Mid,Treble
7 BMT3 Split into 3 -
Base,Treble,Mid
8 BMT4 Split into 3 -
Treble,Base,Mid
9 BMT5 Split into 3 -
Treble,Mid,Base
10 BMT6 Split into 3 -
Mid,Treble,Base
64 Graph bottom Graphic equalizer up FX P2 specifies channels
128 Graph bottom/top Graphic equalizer up/down FX P2 specifies channels
192 Graph top/bottom Graphic equalizer down/up FX P2 specifies channels

In Setup, View Settings, Ports, Audio Input select the audio interface. The Audio Max Level defaults to 0 which indicates a full
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audio range signal is expected. To boost the audio signal, set the Audio Max Level to the maximum value expected between 1
and 255. If there is a lot of noise then set the Audio Min Level to eliminate the noise.

24.3.15 Mixing between Pixel Mapping layers

The interaction of the different pixel mapping layers can be controlled using the Col Mix attribute in the colour page. The types
are

• Add
• Subtract
• Max
• Min
• Exclusive Or (EOR)
• Priority (higher layer numbers have priority)
• Priority > 0 (priority if level greater than 0)
• Masking
• Mask invert
• Blue key
• Green key
• Multiply
• No base
• Max with base

When a layer is set to "green key" then any green pixels in that layer pass through the media from the lower layers. Non-green
pixels play back the media on that layer. The mask must be pure green.
When a layer is set to "blue key" then any blue pixels in that layer pass through the media from the lower layers. Non-blue pixels
play back the media on that layer. The mask must be pure blue.
When any active Pixel Map layer is active (dimmer above 0%) then setting "no base" on that layer will make the Pixel Map effect
ignore any base level for the controlled channels instead of adding to the base level.
When any active Pixel Map layer is active (dimmer above 0%) then setting "max with base" on that layer will make MagicQ
perform a maximum of the Pixel Map effect and any base level for the controlled channels instead of adding to the base level.

24.3.16 Colour Mixing

The Colour Page of attributes allows the levels of the red, green and blue attributes to be set independently. The default values
are 128, 128, 128. Each colour can be boosted or cut.
The Colour Type attribute allows the overall colour to be adjusted including inverts, mapping of colours, black and white and
other colour effects.

24.3.17 Apply Type

Added new apply type to the Pixel Mapper of "use int" and "fit use int". When these apply types are used the Pixel Mapper
applies to the intensity channel of the heads in the grid instead of to the RGB channels. If the heads in the grid have no intensity
channel then no pixel mapping is applied to the head. This is useful for example to use the pixelmapper on the intensity channel
of moving lights or on strobes.
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24.4 3D Pixel Mapping

24.4.1 Configuration

MagicQ supports 3D Pixel Mapping, enabling easy control of LED ceilings, chandeliers and other 3D LED objects. MagicQ
supports 3D grids and multiple heads can be inserted into the 3D grid in one go making it easy to create the grid mapping.
In the Output Window, View Plan a grid can be made into a 3D grid by pressing SHIFT and SET GRID DEPTH. This makes the
current grid into the starting grid and allocates the following grids to make up the depth. The following grids must be empty (0/0
size) before they can be allocated to a 3D grid. For example, to make a 10x10x20 grid - go to grid 1, set the grid size to 10x10.
Then set the grid depth to 20. Grid 1 then becomes a 3D grid using grids 1 to 20. The Grid is shown on Encoder A as grid 1-1
(20) to 1-20 (20). MagicQ no longer shows grids 2 to 20.
Heads can be inserted into the grid in 3D direction as well as the normal way - horizontally or vertically. Pressing INSERT
HEADS gives a list of options. When inserting in 3D direction the starting position in 3D is determined by the Grid number. For
example if you have Grid 1 as a 10x10x20 grid then inserting a 5 element multi head into Grid 1-1 using 3D Direction will insert
it into grids 1-1 to 1-5. If you do the same operation into Grid 1-10 then it will insert into grids 1-10 to 1-15.
The MagicQ Pixel Mapper personality (Generic_Bitmap_With FX 2.hed) has been extended to add extra channels for controlling
3D FX (Generic_Bitmap_With FX 3.hed). In the Outputs Window, View Plan pressing PATCH PIXMAP will now patch the 3D
personality (FX3).

24.4.2 Effects

3D Pixel mapping effects are selected using the "3D FX Type" parameter under the "3D FX" page in the Media window. For
each 3D FX there are a number of parameters (X,A1,A2,A3,B1,B2,B3).
3d FX Types such as Slide, Particle and Particle Bounce generate a 3D effect on a single Pixel Map layer.
There are a number of 3D effects available in MagicQ which can be modulated using up to two other Pixel Map layers as
modulation layers - these extra layers modulate the 3D FX according to the intensity of each pixel in the 2D layer. 2D FX can be
played on the modulation layers which then affect the 3D layer.
The order of these layers is processed from left to right in the Media Window, with the modulate layers being a lower numbered
layer than the 3D effect layer. Typically for these modulate effects, layer 1 will be set to 3D FX Type = Mod Layer 1, layer 2
will be set to 3D FX Type = Mod Layer 2 and layer 3 will be used to select the specific 3D FX such as Height Map, Full Up, Fill
Down.

24.4.2.1 Slide

The slide effect slides the 2D frame and slides it either back or forward in the Z axis over time.
3D FX A1 determines the speed and direction of the movement. 0 to 127 being slide up from fast to slow, and 128 to 255 being
slide down from fast to slow

24.4.2.2 Particles

The particle FX applies a simple particle system to the 3D grid. The particles take their colour from the Hue/Sat/Brightness
colour values in the Col section of the Media window.
3D FX A1 determines the direction, axis and speed upon which the 3D particles travel.
3D FX X determines the spawn probability of a particle if one isn’t currently alive in the column
3D FX B1 applies a random hue to the particles
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3D FX A2 applies a "trail" to the particle as it moves.

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24.4.2.3 Col Offset

The col offset uses the colour of the pixels in the 2D frame to determine the offset in 3D.
3D FX A1 allows different colour types to be selected - e.g. using the offset based on red, green, blue or on combinations of
colours such as red and blue.
3D FX A2 allows the width to be modified - by default it is set to 50% of the grid depth.

24.4.2.4 Heightmap

This effect takes the input media from it’s own layer, and uses Modulate Layer 1 to offset the vertical position of the layer in 3D
space and the Modulate Layer 2 to change the amount of blur. The vertical position and blur are calculated per column, so wave
effects can be applied by using the "Organic" 2D FX on the Modulate 1 layer.
3D FX A1 applies a constant height offset to the entire grid on top of the Modulate Layer 1 amount. 3D FX B1 applies a constant
blur amount to the entire grid on top of the Modulate Layer 2 amount.
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24.4.3 Full Up and Fill Down

The "Fill up" and "Fill down" modes fill the rest of the 3D space either above or below the media layer with the same pixel value.
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24.4.3.1 Particle bounce

The particle bounce effect can be likened to a grid of balls, where changes to the Modulate Layer 1 values are used as a "kick" to
the ball upwards.
Using this method, you can use a flash button to flash on the Modulate Layer 1, and the particles will flick up, and then fall back
down again under a simulated gravity. Alternatively using the Audio Input to MagicQ, use a bass beat to bump the particles in
the grid.
Only when a particle is stationary will it receive a "kick". If the particle is still in mid air, it will continue to fall under the effects
of the simulated gravity.
A larger change in value to the input will result in a larger velocity.

24.5 Simple Pixel Map FX

MagicQ has the ability to run Pixel Map FX over a Group of heads, based on the grid associated with that group without the need
to patch a more advanced pixel map.

24.5.1 Setting up Group grids

Each group has a grid associated with it by default. To edit the layout of the heads within the group grid select the "View Grid"
soft button at the top of the group window.

Within the Output Plan window the heads for the previously selected group can be arranged to use with Simple Pixel Map FX.
Group grids can only contain heads that are within the Group.

24.5.2 Adding Simple Pixel Map FX

To apply a Pixel Map FX simply select a group, press the ADD FX soft button and select from the Pixel map category.
Pixel Map FX can be run over any attributes of the heads within the group.

Pixel Map FX honour the grid arrangement of the group and apply the FX across the grid the same way as the more advanced
pixel mapper would. Updates to the grid arrangement will in turn update any Cues using a Pixel Map FX.
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24.5.3 Palette based Simple Pixel Map FX

The PixMap FX in the standard FX generator have now been enhanced with new apply type options. In addition to the existing
RGB and individual attribute, it is now possible to select Pos Palette, Col Palette and Beam Palette.
When a Palette apply type is used then the pixelmap FX pattern is applied using the palettes rather than using hard values.
For example, if you choose a Vert Line FX then applied to Intensity then line would be applied to the Intensity. If, instead you
chose Colour Palette and then select Palettes Red and Green then the the FX would apply the Red and Green palettes - the first
Palette Red would be used for all cases where the FX level is 0, whilst the Palette Green would be applied where the level was
100% - i.e. the vertical line. Pixels where the FX is fading inbetween 0% and 100% would interpolate between the Red and
Green palette.
Any attributes can be put into the palettes, so a Position Palette could include Position and Zoom - enabling an effect with one
Palette up and tight zoom and another Palette down with wide zoom.
The Palettes can be changed in the Prog, FX and Cue FX window as for normal FX Palettes.
In versions prior to v1.9.3.0 MagicQ had one inbuilt PixelFX that used Palettes - Pix2Col. This performed a vertical line or
horizontal line on 2 Palettes depending on the size of the Group Grid. This is still supported - but a wider range of effects can be
used using this new Palette selection - for example, a PixCircle can be applied to two palettes.

24.5.4 Using Simple Pixel Map FX on User Grids

The PixMap FX in the standard FX generator can now be applied to any Grid, not just to the Grid for the selected Group.
This enables PixMap FX to be applied to multiple Groups. It also avoids the need to create multiple different Group Grids - a
single User grid can be configured for the whole lighting rig and then Pixel FX can be run over the required groups within that
Grid.
The Grid can be changed live in the Prog, View FX and Cue, View FX windows from the Grid ID field.

24.6 Multi Element Heads

It is possible to play back patterns specifically on multi element heads such as Chromlech Jarags (5x5 dimmers) or other LED
tile squares. If the Pos FX is set to "Mult head" then any media, text or FX on that layer will apply to the individual multi element
heads rather than across the entire grid. The same "image" will be placed on all the multi head elements. For best results the grid
should be made of same size heads with equal spacing.

24.7 Making Grids of Groups

Sometimes it is useful to make a grid of groups rather than a grid of individual heads – for example you may have a large amount
of LED broken down into panels which you have then programmed as groups.
Grids of groups enable multiple heads to be allocated to one box in the grid. When Bitmaps, Text or internal FX are played back
on the grid, then all heads in a group will take the colour/level associated with a particular box in the grid.
Use Soft Button B "Grid Type" to select "Groups" instead of "Heads".

24.7.1 Auto Groups

The auto groups function in the Outputs Window, Plan View has an option to generate groups for each of the multi element heads
in the chosen grid.
These groups can then be use in a grid of groups to perform intensity and colour chases across all the multi heads. By using
the first layer for the grid of heads, and the second layer for a grid of groups with colour mode set to multiply the FX on the
individual multi heads and the FX on the complete heads can be mixed together.
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24.8 Programming LED using standard FX

To program LED heads using standard FX rather then the bitmap layers, just select the heads and program them like moving
lights.
Select the group of LED heads, e.g. "All Pixeline", set the master intensities using the encoders or by pressing the DIM @ FULL
soft button in the group window.
You can select standard in-built FX for LED heads in the Beam window.
To program colour chases across all patched RGB pixels select all the RGB heads and then in the Colour Window select your
base colour, e.g. Red at 128, Green at 128, Blue at 128. Then play back an FX on the head such as rgb, cmy or pulse4steps.
Speed and size are controlled as normal.

24.8.1 Using groups auto generated from the grid

Press the Auto Group button to automatically generate groups based on the grid size. This generates groups using the entire grid
but with different orders of selection, e.g. from centre to outside, from the edges, and vice versa. This makes it easy to quickly
generate different FX.

Using the auto groups, it is then possible to use standard FX such as RGB, sine waves, pulses to generate FX on your grid.
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It is possible to make a group out of the currently selected items within the Grid. For example, use CTRL + select a few items
and then press SHIFT + MAKE GROUP to make a group i nthe Group Window for all those items.
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24.9 Making groups out of LED pixels

To get the best out of a large array of pixel heads it is best to make groups. Select all the RGB pixels for a particular head and
record it as a group. The order in which you select the heads determines the order that FX are played back on them. You can
reverse the selection of an entire group by pressing the top right soft button in the Group Window.
If you have set up a Grid in the Plan View then you can easily select the pixel heads from this View before recording the group
in the Group Window. Use Auto Groups to generate groups in different directions on the group and from the centre outwards.
In the Plan View use SHIFT + MAKE GROUP to make a group from the currently selected heads. If no text is entered before
pressing MAKE GROUP the group is automatically named based on the first and last head numbers in the group.
To get a colour rainbow to roll seamlessly across a line of led battens you may need to reverse the selection of the individual
groups - it depends which way you numbered your LED heads.

24.10 Making new LED personalities on MagicQ

MagicQ has an in-built personality editor, so it is easy to create new personalities. New personalities can be based on other
personalities or created from a blank personality.
For simple LED heads you may be able to use one of the generic LED personalities - either generic LED 3 chan or generic LED
4 chan.
When creating a personality allocate the red, green and blue channels to the cyan, magenta and yellow attributes.

24.10.1 Output Grid to external monitors

From v1.9.4.2 Output grids can be output to external monitors as pure pixels for driving LED walls directly via HDMI/Display
Port directly rather than via network protocols such as ArtNet and sACN. This provides an alternative to using MagicHD for
lower resolution installations.
In the Output Window, View Grid set the VIEW TYPE to Pixel. The Output window will then show as pure pixels - 1 pixel per
Grid cell.
Zooming is supported to increase the number of pixels covered by each Output Grid cell. Soft button F can be used to zoom the
Grid to fit to the window size.
When the Output Window is placed on an external monitor it will show without title bar and borders - i.e. pure pixels output
from the Pixel Mapper.
When using this feature it is recommended to use Output Windows 2 or 3 and to fix them to the external monitors, by setting
them as the Fixed Window for the required monitor in Setup, View System, View Monitors.
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Chapter 25

Colour Picker

From version 1.8.6.4 MagicQ includes an advanced colour picker system able to mix colour using all available emitters of any
colour-mixing fixtures, including those with extended emitter sets (amber, lime, UV, etc).
To perform this task accurately, the colour picker relies upon colourimetry data (see section below), provided by the fixture
manufacturer. If this is not available, an estimate is used which reduces the accuracy of colour matching.
Colourimetry data can also be provided by the user; to do this, refer to Adding colourimetry data to a head

25.1 Concepts

25.1.1 Colour Spaces

A number of different models exist to define individual colours; the most commonly used by colour-mixing fixtures are red-
green-blue (RGB), cyan-magenta-yellow (CMY), with some including a mode for hue-saturation-intensity (HSI) as well. These
are all examples of colour spaces, an abstract model for describing colours as a set of three (or more) values.

25.1.1.1 CIE 1931

One limitation of the above models is that they are defined based on a set of primary colours, which may vary between devices
(for example, how red is the "red" in RGB?). For this reason, colour scientists use a more general model to describe colours: CIE
1931. This measures the colour of a light source using two coordinates, x and y, and the brightness with a third, Y (capital).
These coordinates are independent of any device, and form a three-dimensional space of potential colours. Note that not all
combinations of x and y are real colours perceivable by the human eye. Points outside of the horseshoe shape of a CIE chart
correspond to colours that could be "seen" if specific signals were given to the brain, but these signals can never be given by
the human eye (under normal circumstances). These are "impossible" or "forbidden" colours, and they exist only theoretically.
Under HSI models, they can be thought of as colours with over 100% saturation.
One advantage of CIE 1931 is that mixing any two colours on a CIE chart will produce a colour along the straight line that joins
them (unfortunately, an equal mix is not guaranteed to be in the middle).

25.1.1.2 RGB

The RGB colourspace used in the colour picker is sRGB; this is the space of colours that can be displayed by most computer
screens. It should be noted that these channels do not directly control the red, green, and blue emitters of a fixture; they may be
able to display deeper colours than sRGB can produce.
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25.1.1.3 HSL

The HSL colourspace used is an extension of the sRGB HSL space. It will be referred to here as "AbsHSL". The definition of
"hue" is the same in both systems, as is the definition of "0% saturation" as being 6500K white. However, AbsHSL saturation
extends all the way to the edge of the space of possible colours. This is the same as the concept of "excitation purity" in colour
science (with a white point of D65).
For example, under sRGB, "Yellow" is usually defined as: hue 60°, saturation 100%. Under AbsHSL, this same colour is still
hue 60°, but has a saturation of only 79%. The image below shows the difference between the two in CIE 1931 space (with sRGB
overlaid). Note the straight line representing hue 60° in both systems.

25.1.1.4 CCT

The CCT colour space uses correlated colour temperatures. The two values are temperature (in Kelvin), and Delta-UV, (in UV
units).
As objects are heated, they begin to glow different colours. The temperature of a "white" colour is defined as what temperature
an object would need to be heated to start giving off that colour. For instance, heating an object to about 6500K will cause it to
glow a bright white; the colour of a clouded sky. The colours that can be achieved this way fall along a curved line in CIE 1931
space, called the "Plankian locus".
The delta-UV value is used to produce colours other than "whites". This measures the distance from the Plankian locus in a
different CIE colourspace (CIE UV), either upwards (positive values) or downwards (negative). The practical effect of this is
that a positive delta-UV is similar to "add green", and a negative is "subtract green", similar to colour gels made for the same
purpose. Using this channel allows for reds, oranges, yellows, pale greens, pinks, and purples to be achieved.
There is a rough correspondence between plus/minus green gels and delta-UV; a one-eighth gel is about 0.004 UV, a one-quarter
gel is about 0.008 UV, and so on.
This colourspace cannot produce deep blues or cyans. This is because no matter how hot an object is heated, it will never give
off saturated blue light; the temperature axis ends at "infinity kelvin", which is a deep sky blue colour.

25.1.2 Gamut & Colourimetry

You can measure a light source (such as a fixture) to determine the exact colours each emitter gives off; this process is called
colourimetry.
From these colours, one can determine the range of all possible colours that a light source can give; this is called that source’s
"gamut". Plotted in 3D CIE 1931 space, this forms a roughly polyhedral shape; all colours inside this shape can be made. The
bottom surface (Y=0) is all black; the very peak of this shape is the source’s "white" - which you get if you have all the emitters
set to 100%. The Y axis is scaled to the luminosity of this white, so it is always at Y=1.
To illustrate, below is a representation of all the colours that can be produced by a normal sRGB computer monitor. Note the
corners that can be seen for the red and blue emitters (green is at the back), and again for cyan, magenta and yellow. Green is the
brightest emitter by far, and so cyan and yellow have a very high luminosity compared to magenta.
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Michael Horvath (SharkD), Christoph Lipka / Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 4.0

25.1.3 Brightness, luminosity

The different meanings of "brightness" and "luminosity" should be noted carefully.

Luminosity is the scientific measure of the intensity of a light source, regardless of its colour; it can be measured with a light
meter, giving a value in lux.
"Brightness", on the other hand, has no strict definition. The definition used by the colour picker is dependent on a particular
fixture’s gamut. If one thinks of the three-dimensional gamut shape above, the "floor" (Y=0) represents both 0% brightness and
0 luminosity. The "ceiling" of that shape represents 100% brightness; these are the brightest versions of all the colours that the
fixture can make. If one sets the colour picker to a certain colour (e.g: x=0.625, y=0.314), and the brightness to 50%, this means
"50% as bright as the brightest colour that can be produced with (x=0.625, y=0.314)".
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One challenge to colour matching is that finding the shape of this "ceiling" is a difficult process. MagicQ approximates it’s shape
by modelling it as a set of flat planes; in reality, it is somewhat concave, meaning that MagicQ may overestimate what a fixture’s
brightest colours really are. This can lead to a slight loss of matching accuracy when the brightness is set very high; reducing the
brightness should help if this is an issue.

25.2 Views

The colour picker window is divided into two separate views; the colour wheel or graph on the left, and a separate set of controls
on the right. If the colour picker window is too small to display both, the wheel is hidden by default; the "SHOW WHEEL" soft
button is then enabled, and can be used to toggle between the wheel and the other view.

25.2.1 Wheel

The left-hand view is a 2D representation of the colour space. This can be switched between different modes using the E soft
button. This cycles through three modes: CIE 1931, a Hue-Saturation wheel, and a special chart for choosing colour-corrected
whites.

The gamut of the current fixture is displayed as a white polygon; if multiple fixtures are selected, their gamuts are displayed
overlaid on each other. The position of each emitter is shown as a white circle.
This gamut also shows another value, the "locate colour", which is signified with the Σ (sigma) symbol. This represents the result
of turning all emitters to 100%; this is the fixture’s white point. Note that on many fixtures, this may not be anywhere near a true
white.
If there is no colourimetry available for a fixture, then a white message at the bottom indicates this. In this case, a default set of
colourimetry data is used depending on the fixture type. Colour values shown will be an approximation only.
In all three modes, there is a portion of the chart that represents "forbidden colours", as mentioned above. This region is shown
with darkened colours to represent this. While it is possible to select colours within this region, it should be noted that no fixture
- even in principle - will be able to represent these.
Clicking on the colour wheel will select the colour under the cursor. If fanning is currently active (see below), the closest fan end
to the cursor will be moved to it.
The selected colour or colours are shown as black circles. If a colour fan is active, the fan ends are marked with S and E for
"start" and "end", and hovering over the other circles will show their position in the fan.
Also visible sometimes are small black X marks; these appear if, for a variety of reasons, the selected colour cannot be perfectly
achieved. The X shows the colour that the fixture is actually emitting.
The colour wheel mode also determines the function of the encoder wheels when the colour picker window is focused. Each
encoder corresponds to one colour channel.

25.2.2 Faders

The faders view shows one fader for each available colour channel. The colour channels available depends on the current wheel
mode; for instance, the RGB faders are not available in CIE 1931 mode, and most faders are not available in CCT mode.
The "hue" fader is not limited at it’s ends. Dragging the fader beyond it’s limits will cause it to wrap around from the other side.
The fader tracks show the colours that will be selected if the fader is moved along it’s range. If these colours are outside of the
fixture’s gamut, they are shown darkened. If the colour is completely impossible, the fader track is black.
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The faders can also be used to directly set a value; to do this, type in a number on the command line and click on the fader. For
instance, to set the colour temperature to 6500K, type "6500" and click on the temperature fader.
Since version 1.9.5.4, there is a Mix fader. This fader only takes affect when you are using LED fixtures with four or more
emitters and the brightness fader is not set to 100%. Moving this fader changes the output of emitters while maintaining the same
colour. You can see the effect of this in the outputs window.

25.2.3 Gels

In VIEW GELS the colour picker can be used to simulate the colours of popular lighting gels. By default, this shows generic
colours. Press the Gel Type button (soft button A), the library can be switched between: Lee, Rosco, Apollo, or GAM.

25.3 Selection modes

There are also three selection modes which determine how the colours influence the colour of the selected fixtures:

25.3.1 Select Single

The simplest mode, all fixtures and their fixture elements are set to the selected colour, if possible. If different types of fixtures
are selected, the DMX values of each one will be set so that the closest possible representation of the selected colour is achieved.

25.3.2 Select Fan

This mode is for creating colour fans. The currently chosen colour is interpreted as being the START of the fan. Selecting a new
colour (by any method) will choose the end of the fan. Once a fan is selected, you can use the SELECTED START / SELECTED
END soft button to choose which end is adjusted by the faders. Clicking on one of the ends in the colour wheel will also change
this.
The colours will fan across the channels that were adjusted. If you use a fader to create a fan, the colours will be distributed
across that fader’s colour channel; for instance, if the hue fader was used to fan 7 fixtures from 0° to 60°, their hues will be 0°,
10°, 20°. . . 50°, 60°.
If the colour wheel is used, then the fixtures will fan across the channels represented by the wheel: in CIE mode, this is CIE x
and y, and in HSL mode, this is hue and saturation.
By default, all fans are symmetrical; they go to the target colour, and back again. Pressing FAN TYPE SYMMETRIC / FAN
TYPE LINEAR will toggle between this and linear mode, where the first fixture has the start colour, and the last fixture has the
end colour. Note that changing this option once a fan is already in progress may cause strange results.

25.3.3 Select Relative

When in "SELECT RELATIVE" mode, the faders change function to adjust the colours already in the colour picker. For instance,
if one already has a colour fan set up, one can use the saturation fader to make this fan smoothly fade to white. This can also be
used to adjust the colour temperature of a set of colours (in an approximate way) by using the colour temperature fader.

25.4 Other functions

The colour picker supports timed colour fades, using the same syntax as the rest of MagicQ. To do this, type in a fade time, and
select a new colour; the output will fade over time. Note that for faders entering numbers sets their value instead of setting time.
MagicQ User Manual 269 / 579

Chapter 26

Controlling Media Servers

MagicQ is ideally suited to controlling media servers through its dedicated Media window - the eight encoder wheels enable
quick and easy access to a large numbers of control parameters.
MagicQ has extremely powerful support for media servers. It is possible to connect to up to 50 different media servers or
intelligent media yokes each with different media content. MagicQ downloads thumbnail previews for the media content from
each media server independently.
MagicQ supports a special window, solely for controlling media servers, the Media Window. This window makes it much easier
to control media servers. You can select media server, media layer, attributes and media content all from the same window. You
can also see what content is selected on each of the layers of the selected media server. Open the Media Window pressing the
Media button.
MagicQ User Manual 270 / 579

In addition, there is a Live Preview window, which shows the output of the media server, or the output of each of the layers. This
is transferred is real time from the media server – so that you can see exactly what the media server is playing. This is particularly
useful in situations with many media servers, or media servers that are remote from the control position.
Media Servers are normally connected via network rather than DMX - this enables MagicQ to communicate with the media
server to retrieve thumbnails and to show live previews. MagicQ uses a network protocol such as Art-Net, Pathport or ACN to
control the Media Server - this is set up in Setup, View DMX I/O. In addition MagicQ uses a network protocol such as CITP
MSEX or HMAP to communicate with the Media Server to retrieev thumbnails and live previews.
MagicQ supports many different types of Media Server including MagicHD - a free Media Player inbuilt into the MagicQ
software.

26.1 Patching Media Servers on MagicQ

Media servers generally consist of a number of layers of one or more types. Each type of layer has a different personality. Each
layer is treated as a different head on MagicQ with a different head number. To patch a media server each of the layers must be
patched in turn on asscending DMX addresses.
On MagicQ it is possible to patch the media server in one go by using the Choose DIM/MEDIA soft button. This gives a choice
of the media servers in their most common configurations. Patching using this method patches all the required layers of different
types and configures the media server settings for one media server all in one action.
If your media server is not in the list of media servers then you will need to patch the layers individually as you would for a
moving light. MagicQ includes demo show files for most common media servers – try loading these demo shows to see examples
of the patch required.
Each media server should have unique head numbers. The layers in the media server should have asscending head numbers.

26.2 Connecting via network

Connect the Media Server to MagicQ using a network cable.

Ensure that the Media server and the MagicQ system are using IP addresses in the same network range - for example if using
Art-Net then the media servers and MagicQ should all be on the 2.x.x.x or the 10.x.x.x network range.
To check the IP settings you can try and "ping" from MagicQ to the Media Server. On MagicQ keyboard type three dots followed
by the IP address to ping.
. . . a.b.c.d
where a.b.c.d is the IP address of the Media Server
The ping should show a "Reply from 2.x.x.x". If you do not get a reply then check the physical connection, check the configura-
tion of the network port on the media server and check there is no firewall software on the media server.

26.2.1 Setting up control of the Media Server

In Setup, View DMX I/O configure the MagicQ universe where the Media Server is patched. Set up the Output type to be the
appropriate protocol - e.g. Art-Net, Pathport or ACN.
Ensure that the Output Universe is set up to the same as the Media Server - e.g. if the Media Server is using Art-Net 0-4 then set
up the Output Universe on MagicQ to Art-Net and 4.
Enable the universe. The Media Server should now respond to commands from MagicQ.
MagicQ User Manual 271 / 579

26.3 Configuring the Media Window

26.3.1 Simple Media Setup

In the Media Window press the Media Server you wish to configure. If the Media Server has not been configured at all then
MagicQ will give a menu of options to choose from. If the Media Server has been previously configured then press the SERVER
SETUP soft button to open the menu of options.
If you select "Advanced" then MagicQ will take you to the Setup Window, Media View to configure the media server parameters.
Note that the Advanced view is not available on the MQ40 - only simple plug’n’play configuration of MagicHD or Pixel Mapping.

26.3.2 Advanced Media Setup

If you have patched using the Choose Media Server method above then the parameters should mostly be set up correctly for you.
It is only necessary to enter the IP address of the media server.

Set the IP address of the media server. This will be used to locate the media server on the network and to retrieve thumbnails and
live previews. Move to the IP address field and set the IP address. If you have only one media server active on the network then
pressing enter should detect its IP address automatically. Note that the media server will respond to commands over Art-Net,
Pathport or ACN regardless of whether the IP address of the Media Server is set up correctly in MagicQ.

To determine the IP address of media server on Windows XP machines, load the Control Panel, and open the Network Connec-
tions screen. Double click on the network connection, choose the support tab, and the IP Address is displayed.
MagicQ User Manual 272 / 579

Select the type of media server and the version:

Set the number of layers you have patched – this is the number of media layers, and does not include master layers, soft edge or
camera layers.
Set the head number of the first media layer. This tells MagicQ which patched layer is the first media layer on the media server.
MagicQ expects layers to be sequential head numbers, e.g. set you head numbers for your layers to 1 to 8.

26.3.3 MagicHD

MagicHD is fully integrated with MagicQ. Set the Media Server type to MagicHD. Set the version number to 0.
If MagicHD is being run from within MagicQ then set the Media Server IP address to 0 - this will appear as "Local". MagicHD
will use the thumbnails for the media from the PC/Mac that it is running on.
If you wish to connect to a MagicHD system on another PC, Mac or a MagicHD Box then set the Media Server IP address to the
IP address of the external MagicHD system.

26.3.4 Arkaos

For Arkaos 3.6 and above and Media Master choose MSEX (Arkaos). For Arkaos 3.5 select Arkaos. Set the version number to
0. Arkaos supports 8 layers.
Arkaos uses MSEX protocol for retrieval of thumbnails, part of CITP protocol stack.
MagicQ includes the mediamasterdemo.shw in the demos folder.

26.3.5 Catalyst

Select Catalyst and set the version number to 0. Thumbnails are retrieved from Catalyst using html to the inbuilt Mac web server.
Catalyst does not support live preivews.

26.3.6 Coolux

Select Coolux and set the version number to 0. The number of layers should be set to the total number of layers patched.
Arkaos uses MSEX protocol for retrieval of thumbnails, part of CITP protocol stack. In Setup, View Media, the Coolux option
is the same as the MSEX option.
MagicQ User Manual 273 / 579

26.3.7 Hippotizer

Hippotizers now support MSEX - this is the recommended protocol to use.

For older Hippotizer choose either Hippo Stage or Hippo Express depending on which type you are using. For Hippo HD use
Hippos Stage. Set the version field according to the version, 2 for Hippo v2, 3 for Hippo v3.

26.3.8 Maxedia

For Maxedia choose MSEX and set the version number to 0.

26.3.9 Mbox

For Mbox choose Mbox and set the version number to 0.

Note that the head numbers for the text and object layers are allocated lower numbers than the ancillary layers such as the
ambient, spots, camera, shutter and keystone. This ensures that the text and object layers appear before the ancillary layers in the
Media Window.
There is a pre-patched show mboxdemo.shw containing 5 layers and several cues to demonstrate the Mbox EXtreme in the demos
folder.

26.3.10 Megapixel VR Helios support

MagicQ has support for the Megapixel VR Helios LED processor. Within MagicQ the Megapixel VR Helios is treated like a
media server with control of multi layers (referred to as MP Groups) each with intensity, position and colour control.
Whereas media servers generally take multiple layers of video with different position and size and combine them into one media
output, the Megapixel VR Helios takes one media source and distributes it onto multiple LED outputs at different positions.
However, from a control perspective it is similar control of multiple items that have Intensity, Position and Colour and have live
previews.
Unlike other media servers the Megapixel VR Helios is not controlled over DMX - instead MagicQ connects directly to it over
the network using the public REST API provided in the Helios enabling greater control and flexibility. MagicQ converts its
internally calculated DMX values to suitable values for sending over the REST API.
The Megapixel VR Helios is patched in the Patch Window by selecting CHOOSE DIM/MEDIA, selecting "media server" and
then selecting "megapixel". This will automatically patch 30 Megapixel Group 20ch heads each named MP GrpX where X is 1
to 30. It will also create a Media Server in Setup, View System, View Media set to type of Megapixel VR and referencing the
patched Megapixel heads. Each head in MagicQ is automatically defaulted to control a Megapixel Group (1 to 30) - although
this can be overriden when programming.
The Magapixel Group 20ch personality has the following attributes:

Chan Function
1 Server No (Defaults to Server 1 - i.e. the first in Setup,
View System, View Media)
2 Group No - Megapixel Group number - automatically
defaulted to 1..30 for the 30 patched Heads
3+4 Intensity
5+6 Red
7+8 Green
9+10 Blue
11+12 X position across canvas
13+14 X position across canvas
15 Test pattern. 0 for none, 1-5 for patterns
16 Still store - 0 for none, 1-255 for images from still store
17-20 Reserved
MagicQ User Manual 274 / 579

Note that there is no correlation between the normal MagicQ groups and the MP Groups on the Megapixel VR Helios. When
the Megapixel VR Helios is patched fresh into an empty show on MagicQ then the MP Groups will be patched as Heads with
Head numbers 1 to 30 in MagicQ. There will only be one MagicQ Group generated - which has all 30 MP Group heads in it.
We recommend that the Megapixel VR Helios is configured with one Megapixel Group for each LED panel controlled starting
at Megapixel Group 1.
In order to connect to the Megapixel VR Helios set the IP address of the media server in Setup, View System, View Media to the
IP address that the Megapixel VR Helios is using (displayed on its front panel display) and then set Live Preview to Enabled.
The Media window has a View VR view which can be selected by toggling through the views on the top left soft button. In
VIEW VR the whole window is used to show a large preview from the media server. Note the Megapixel VR Helios limits the
preview refresh rate to every half a second. Unlike the View Servers View in the Media window, the Preview will continue to
be refreshed even when the Megapixel VR Server is not selected in MagicQ - thus enabling the Preview to be constantly viewed
regardless of selected heads.
The MP Groups are drawn on top of the preview. Pressing within a MP Group selects it within MagicQ. Selecting a MP Group
selects that MP Group (Head in MagicQ) enabling it to be controlled. The MP Group can be dragged around the preview to a
new position.

26.3.11 Other Media Servers

MagicQ supports the MSEX (Media Server Exchange) protocol which enables it to communicate with any media servers that
support this protocol. Select MSEX (Arkaos) and set the version number to 0.
MagicQ also supports a generic protocol based on accessing the media folder of a media server and a generic csv index file to
determine the mapping of thumbnails files to DMX values. Select "Generic" and set the version number to 0.

26.4 Thumbnail view

MagicQ retrieves thumbnails from the media server and shows them on the screen for easy selection of media banks and media
images. The media server must be enabled in the Setup Window, Media View for it to retrieve thumbnails. MagicQ can handle
different media on each media server thus making it easy to program larger configurations of media servers.
Thumbnail support is available when using Arkaos, Coolux Pandoras Box, Catalyst, Hippotizer, Mbox, Maxcedia and any other
media servers that support the MSEX or generic protocols.
To retrieve thumnails press the GET THUMBS soft button in Setup, View System, View Media. This grabs all the thumbnails
for the media server which the cursor is on.
To force a reload of all the media from the media server, move the cursor to the required media server in the Media View of the
Setup Window and press the ERASE CACHE soft button. Then press the GET THUMBS soft button to retrieve the new thumbs.
Individual pages of thumbs can be reloaded in the Media Window using the RELOAD THUMBS soft button. Press SHIFT and
RELOAD ALL THUMBS to reload all pages.

26.5 Live Previews

MagicQ can connect to a media server to retrieve a live preview of the master output or of the individual layers. This is very
useful where the media server is remote to the console, or in a multiple media server configuration.
Live Preview support is available when using MagicHD, Arkaos and Hippotizer and any other media server that supports the live
preview part of the MSEX protocol specification.
Enable the Live Preview option in the Media View of the Setup Window.
The live preview is shown in the large window on the left of the Media Window. Choose using the top soft buttons whether the
preview shows the output, or the currently selected layer.
When connected to media servers that do not yet support live previews, the preview window will show the image thumbnail from
the 1st layer that has its intensity channel above zero.
MagicQ User Manual 275 / 579

26.6 Media Window View

It is possible to configure the View in the Media Window – View Servers (defaults), View Groups, View Libraries and View
Outputs. View Groups is useful when using a large number of media servers and controlling using groups of media servers rather
than individual servers.
View Outputs shows a summary of the Output of all the configured Media Servers.
MagicQ automatically expands the Media Window to show the maximum number of layers that are in use by the configured
Media Servers.

26.7 Using MagicQ and Media Server software on the same PC

26.7.1 Using MagicHD

MagicQ supports the inbuilt Media Player MagicHD. This is fully integrated with MagicQ and can be used to play back media
to a 2nd monitor attached to your MagicQ PC/Mac.
From the toolbar select Media Player, View Media Output and a MagicHD window will be opened.

26.7.2 Using the loopback IP address

It is possible to use MagicQ and 3rd party Media Server software (e.g. ArKaos) on the same PC by altering some of the settings
given above. In the Media View of the Setup Window, set the IP address of the media server to 127.0.0.1. This is the local
loopback IP address and will allow the PC to talk to itself to retrieve thumbnails and live previews.
In the Settings View of the Setup Window, scroll down to Interface Settings. Set the option for Net host options to Normal +
Loopback IP.
With the loopback IP and Send to Applications set correctly, you should be able to control your media server and use the live
previews and thumbnails.

26.8 CITP (MSEX) live feeds and MagicCap

MagicQ supports live feeds over CITP (MSEX) for use in the MagicQ Pixel Mapper and for user display on MagicQ. Live feeds
do not have to come from a Media Server, they can come from any CITP (MSEX) source such as PixelBeetle or MSexLord.
Multiple different live feeds from multiple different source PC/Macs is supported. MagicCap can screen capture from any PC or
Mac and send the output to MagicQ using MSEX.
To patch an MSEX server, including MagicCap, go to SETUP - VIEW SYSTEM - VIEW MEDIA, find an unused server and
change the type to "CITP Live Feed". The Media Server IP address should be set to the IP address of the PC/Mac providing the
feed and "Thumbs" and "Live Previews" should be enabled.
To set up multiple live feeds from one PC/Mac then set up multiple identical Media Server entries - each with the IP of the live
feed source and "thumbs" and "Live Previews" enabled. The entries do not have to be adjacent media servers in the list. MagicQ
will only make one MSEX connection to the PC/Mac but will grab the previews for the multiple sources through this connection.
Live Feeds can be used in the Pixel Mapper by selecting Media Page as "Live Feed" (encoder Y) and selecting Media as the
"Serv 1" (encoder X) depending on the number of the MSEX server.
The received Live Feeds can be viewed in the Media Window by selecting View Outputs instead of View Servers on the left most
soft button.
Note that a 2nd Media Window can be opened by pressing CTRL and Media or by pressing 2 then Media. This enables the 2nd
Media Window to be used for displaying live feeds whilst the first is used for controlling media servers.
MagicQ User Manual 276 / 579

26.9 Troubleshooting

If you do not have control of the Media Server check:

• MagicQ is connected to Media server via network

• There are no firewalls on - this will restrict access between the Media Server and MagicQ
• MagicQ is enabled to output either Art-Net, Pathport or ACN (Setup, View DMX I/O)

• The media server is configured to the correct DMX universe and address
• MagicQ is patched with the correct personalities at the correct addresses
MagicQ User Manual 277 / 579

Chapter 27

Head Editor

The Head Editor is accessed from the Edit Head soft button in the Patch Window. Making changes modifies the head files stored
on the MaqicQ hard drive and used for all new shows.
The Head Editor consists of 5 views for modifying data:

• General

• Channels
• Ranges
• Palettes
• Others (includes Macros, Elements, Emitters, Functions)

In each of the views new values can be entered using the keypad or keyboard. New entries can be added to the lists by pressing
the Insert soft button. The top right encoder wheel can be used to modify the item where the cursor is placed.
The Head Editor will start up with the chosen head - i.e. the last head you chose for patching. If you have not yet chosen a head
then the Head Editor will be empty.
You can choose the head to edit from within the Head Editor by pressing the Choose Head button. This has the same effect as
the Choose Head button in the Patch Window - i.e. you are presented with a list of heads to choose from.
Once you have made modifications to the head you can save the changes to disc by pressing the SAVE HEAD soft button.
If you wish to create a new head from scratch you can press the New Head soft button, whilst if you wish to copy an existing
head you can use the Save As soft button.
At any time you can choose a new head - however if you have made changes, which you have not saved to disc, then you will
be prompted whether you really wish to continue. Continuing will mean that the changes will be lost unless you already have
patched heads of that type - in which case the patched heads in the show will keep the changes. In either case, the head file on
the disc will not keep the changes.
Press the Patch button to leave the Head Editor and return to the Patch Window.

27.1 How Heads are stored in MagicQ

MagicQ stores heads in the show/heads folder. When you choose a head to use in a show it loads the head and stores it in memory.
When you save your show, MagicQ writes a copy of the head into the show file, ensuring that your show will work even if it is
loaded onto a console which does not have the head files for your chosen heads installed.
MagicQ User Manual 278 / 579

If you load an old show into MagicQ then the heads in use on the show will be the ones recorded into the show file, not the heads
in the show/heads folder on the MagicQ console. From the Patch Window, if you choose the head again, edit the head, or patch
new heads of the same head type it will always use the head stored in the show file – this ensures consistency.
You can update a head stored in a show file with the one stored in show/heads using the "Reload Head" soft button. In the Head
Editor press the "Reload Head" soft button. The head will be reloaded from disc and all the patched heads in the show will use
the updated head. Note that it is not possible to reload a head where the number of channels in the head has been changed.

27.2 Expanding Library head files

From v1.9.3.3 MagicQ by default no longer expands the personality library head files from the heads.all file into the Heads folder,
instead it reads library Heads direct from the heads.all file. Only Heads created or edited by users are stored in the Heads folder.
Expanding of library head files is controlled by the option Setup, View Settings, Mode, Personality File Format. The options are
Original and Unexpanded.
When set to Original, MagicQ expands all the personalities from the heads.all file into the Heads folder, whenever the heads.all
file is changed or software is upgraded.
When set to Unexpanded, MagicQ does not expand the heads.all file into the Heads folder. Library Heads are accessed directly
from heads.all. MagicQ will remove any library Heads from the Heads folder if they were perviously expanded there.

27.3 Loading new heads into MagicQ

To update MagicQ with all the latest heads, download the latest heads files (heads.all) from the ChamSys web site www.chamsys.co.uk.
Copy the heads.all file into the show/heads folder. Then restart MagicQ (SHIFT + RESET in Setup Window).
To load a single head into MagicQ consoles, simply copy the head file (myhead.hed) onto a USB drive, connect to the MagicQ
console and select the file via the console file manager (Setup > View Settings > File Manager) MagicQ will then automatically
load the head file and recreate the head index.
To load a single head file into MagicQ PC systems use the tools menu at the top of the MagicQ window and select the Install
Head File(s)) option. Once you have selected your head file MagicQ will automatically load the head file(s) into MagicQ.
To force the index file to be regenerated, go to File Manager and press SHIFT + RECREATE INDEX. New heads should then
appear in Patch.

27.4 Copying head files created on PC/Macs to MagicQ consoles

• Copy the .hed file to a USB drive.

• If you made the file on a Windows PC the head file will be under: Documents, MagicQ PC, Show, Heads.
• If you made it on a Mac it will be under Documents, MagicQ, Show, Heads.

• Insert the USB drive into your console, then go to: Setup, File Manager, USB Drive.
• Click on the file on the USB drive, the console will ask if you want to load the head onto the console.
• Head should then be loaded onto the console ready for use.

Alternatively, you can patch the head into a show file, save the show to USB, Load the show on the console, then go to Patch, put
the cursor on the required head, hold SHIFT and press the EDIT CUR HEAD soft button and then press SAVE HEAD to save it
to the console.
MagicQ User Manual 279 / 579

27.5 Modifying existing heads

Existing heads can be modified by simply making changes and pressing SAVE. Note however that these changes may be overriden
if you change software version as this loads the latest head libraries. If there are genuine errors in the head then please let us
know so that we can update our libraries.
The heads in the ChamSys library are protected to avoid accidental changes to them – MagicQ prompts the user before allowing
changes to the heads. In the Head Editor, original ChamSys heads are indicated by an "LO" in the tile bar. If the head has been
edited it will only show "L".
If you wish to modify an existing head then you should save it as a new type or new mode.
The easiest way to make a new head is to use SAVE AS to save as a new name. The new name used will automatically update
the Manufacturer Name, Short Name and Mode fields.
So, for example to make a modification to the Martin Mac500 Mode 1 head choose the head then press SAVE AS and enter the
new name.
Martin_Mac500_mymode

27.6 Removing old heads

It is possible to remove all old heads (and all user created heads) by pressing SHIFT and REMOVE HEADS in the File Manager.
This removes all old heads and extracts the heads again from heads.all. Make sure all your user created heads are backed up to
USB or to another system before removing all old heads.

27.7 General View

The General View contains a fixed number of parameters. Note that as these parameters fundamentally affect the programming
of the head they cannot be modified once a head of the type has been patched.
MagicQ User Manual 280 / 579

27.7.1 Names

The Manufacturer Name, Short Name and Mode are used to identify the head to the system. These fields should be unique to the
moving light. If you make a new head based on one of the standard ones then you should make sure you change the mode to a
name of your choice.
The Short Name and Mode are used in display windows where there is not much space. You should ensure that these names are
as short as possible and do not contain any spaces - preferably less than 8 characters.
The Longer Name is used as an alias to the Short Name - the Short Name will always be used in naming of personality files,
but the Longer Name will be used to display the name in the Patch Window when choosing Head. The Longer Name should be
exactly as the fixture is named on the web site of the manufacturer.
The Head Description contains details of the type of head – and is used for informational purposes.
The ESTA manufacturer ID, RDM device model ID and RDM personality number are used to match the head file to RDM-
enabled fixtures. See the Remove Device Management chapter for more information.
The WYSIWYG and Capture patch information names indicate the names of this fixture in WYSIWYG and Capture to enable
patch transfer from these visualisers.

27.7.2 DMX

Num Of Chans sets the number of channels for the head.

DMX Min, DMX Max and DMX Offset specify constraints on where the Head can be patched within the 512 DMX channels.
Changing the Num of Chans will automatically change DMX Max.
MagicQ User Manual 281 / 579

27.7.3 Params

Pan Range and Tilt Range are used in visualisation and by the FLIP function.
Pan Invert and Tilt Invert. These are used by the visualiser to specify which direction the yoke/beam moves.
Pan Speed, Tilt Speed
Zoom Narrow and Zoom Wide are used by the visualiser to specify the angle of the beam. For heads without a zoom set both
Zoom Narrow and Zoom Wide to the angle of the beam.
Slowest Strobe, Fastest Strobe, Slowest Rot Speed, Fastest Rotate Speed are used by the visualiser.

27.7.4 Options

Moving Head can be Mirror or Yoke - press ENTER to swap.

Colour Mix identifies the colour mixing channels – the options are:

CMY For Heads with Cyan, Magenta and Yellow flags in front of
a typically white source or incandescent lamp
RGB For Heads with Red, Green and Blue LED emitters
RGBA For Heads with Red, Green, Blue and Amber LED
emitters, or Heads just with Amber emitter
RGBW For Heads with Red, Green, Blue and White LED emitters,
or Heads just with White emitter
RGBAW For Heads with Red, Green, Blue, Amber and White LED
emitters, or Heads just with Amber and White emitters
RGBAWV For Heads with Red, Green, Blue, Amber, White and
UVLime emitters
HSI For Heads that are controlled using Hue, Saturation,
Intensity channels.
CIE XY For Heads that are controlled using CIE XY channels

The default configuration is CMY colour mixing – i.e. when the Cyan channel is at 100% and the Magenta and Yellow channels
are at 0% you get Cyan. If your head uses RGB colour mixing – i.e. the above combination gives Red – then set the RGB option.
Virtual Chans. Some heads such as the Generic Scroller2chan are set up as a "Virtual" head – i.e. the channels in the head can
be patched to any location on MagicQ – unlike normal heads where the channels are sequential from the DMX start address. In
the View DMX view, the DMX address fields are used to specify the addresses for each channel in the virtual head – up to a
maximum of 5 channels. (For normal heads these fields are used to specify multiple heads patched to one head.) Virtual heads
could be used for other irregular fixtures such as water jet controls.
Virtual Dim. Used for heads with no Dimmer channel to force a virtual dimmer to be patched for each head.
Dimmer curve specifies the dimmer curve to be used for Intensity channels.
Framing type is used to specify the framing (shuttering) type.
MQTrack is specific to MagicQ tracking systems and is only used by MagicQ inbuilt head files.
Number of Emitters specifies the number of different colour LED emitters. When set to greater than zero, the emitter data is
configured in VIEW EMITTERS.

27.7.5 Multi

The Multiple Heads Type and subsequent fields refer to Heads with multiple elements – see the section Heads With Multiple
Elements below.
MagicQ User Manual 282 / 579

27.7.6 Media

This section is used to automatically set media server options when a media server layer is patched. When a heady with these
settings is patched, MagicQ adds a new entry in Setup, View System, View Media based on these parameters.

27.8 Channels View

This view allows the different channels of the head to be specified. Note that once a head of the type has been patched it is not
possible to change the number of channels of the head.

27.8.1 Name and Type

Channels can be added using the Insert soft button and deleted using the Remove Button (press twice to Remove).
The Name field is used to name the individual channel and distinguish it from other channels. If no name is specified then
MagicQ will use the name of the attribute that it is assigned to.
The Type field is used to indicate whether the channel is Highest Takes Precedence (HTP) or Latest Takes Precedence (LTP).
Generally only Intensity is set to HTP - all other channels are LTP. Note that if a head has combined Dimmer and Strobe channel
then this should be set as Dimmer attribute with type of HTP.

27.8.2 Attrib No

The Attrib No field is used to identify the function of the channel to MagicQ. This is the most important field in the channel list
- MagicQ uses it for determining how to control the Head, how to morph between different Heads, and to present information in
the user interface.
Where a Head has more than one instance of an attribute, that attribute can be used multiple times with different Element numbers.
An attribute of the same element number can not be used more than once except when specifying the high and low values of 16
bit or 24 bit attributes. See Element and Function Type below.

Table 27.1: Attrib No field

Function Attib No Default Encoder

Intensity 0 I1X
Intensity Mode 1 I1Y
Pan 4 P1X
Tilt 5 P1Y
Pos1 46 P1A
Pos2 47 P1B
Pos3 48 P1C
Pos4 49 P1D
Pos5 50 P1E
MagicQ User Manual 283 / 579

Table 27.1: (continued)

Function Attib No Default Encoder

Pos Speed 51 P1F
Col1 6 C1X
Col2 7 C1Y
Cyan/Red 16 C1A
Magenta/Green 17 C1B
Yellow/Blue 18 C1C
White 19 C1D
Amber 27 C1E
Lime UV 60 C1F
CTC 24 C2A
CTO 25 C2B
Col5 61 C2C
Col6 62 C2D
Col Speed 26 C2F
Shutter 2 B1A
Iris 3 B1B
Focus 12 B1C
Zoom 13 B1D
Frost1 32 B2A
Frost2 33 B2B
Gobo1 8 B1X
Gobo2 9 B1Y
Gobo3 28 B2X
Gobo4 29 B2Y
Rotate1 10 B1F
Rotate2 11 B1E
Rotate3 30 B2F
Prism Rot 31 B2E
FX1 Prism 14 B2C
FX2 15 B2D
FX3 34 B3C
FX4 35 B3D
FX5 36 B3X
FX6 37 B3Y
FX7 38 B3F
FX8 39 B3E
Macro 22 B3A
Macro2 33 B3B
Cont1 20 B4A
Cont2 21 B4B
Beam Speed 40 B4C
Beam Cont4 41
B4D Cont5 42
B4X Cont6 43
B4Y Cont7 44
B4F Cont8 45
B4E Frame 52
B5A Frame 53
B5B Frame 3 54
B5C Frame 4 55
B5D Frame 5 56
B5E Frame 6 57
B5F Frame 7 58
B5Y Frame 8 59
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Table 27.1: (continued)

Function Attib No Default Encoder

B5X Reserved 63

27.8.3 Enc

The Enc field specifies which encoder position in the Intensity, Colour, Position, Beam windows the attribute appears on. The
Enc field is defaulted based on the choice of Attrib No - this provides a common interface across all heads. In some circumstances
users may wish to modify the allocated encoder in order to bring similar attributes onto the same page.
On Compact console the encoders are positioned as follows:

Encoder A Encoder E
Encoder B Encoder F
Encoder C Encoder Y
Encoder D Encoder X

On stadium consoles. Encoder A to D are to the right of the main display and X, Y, E, F are horizontal above the programming
buttons.
There is one page each for Intensity and Position, two pages for Colour and five pages for Beam.

27.8.4 Size, Instant and Slow Encoder

The Size field is used to specify the size of the attribute. For channels that are only 8 bit the Size field is set to 8 Bit. For 16bit
channels the coarse channel is set to 16 bit Hi and the fine channel to 16 bit Lo. For channels with 24 bit resolution set the lower
two channels as for 16 bit and the highest channel to 24 Bit Hi.
The Instant field specifies whether a channel by default snaps immediately to new values rather than fading – this is useful for
colour wheels and gobo wheels where you want immediate changes.
The Slow Encoder field makes the encoder works more slowly than normal. This is good for attributes where every possible
DMX value represents a different function and therefore only very small turns of the encoder are required to change function.

27.8.5 Default and Locate

The Default field defines what value the channel is set to by default on start-up. When the Setup, Programming option "Unused
chans return to default" is set then channels also return to these values when they are no longer controlled by Playbacks or the
Programmer.
The Locate field defines what value the channel is set to when a Locate is performed on the head – it is also used as the default
value for a channel if no default values is specified.
The Default and Locate should specify the normal defaults for the head – the exact values used in a particular show can be
overridden by making a Default Cue or Locate Cue in the Cue Store.

27.8.6 Highlight / Lowlight

The Highlight and Lowlight values are used when the Setup, Programming option Highlight mode is set to Advanced. This
enables the user to configure custom highlight/lowlight settings for each type of head.
The Highlight and Lowlight fields can be set to "No level" by pressing ENTER to determine which attributes are affected by the
Highlight and Lowlight functions.
MagicQ User Manual 285 / 579

Note that setting the Highlight and Lowlight values for Intensity attributes to "No Level" may not have the desired effect. In
Highlight/Lowlight mode, MagicQ will always try to perform a highlight/lowlight so that the heads in the current selection which
are not sub selected appear differently to the sub selected heads. This ensures that a highlight/lowlight is performed correctly
even if the personality has not been written correctly.
If you do not wish to have any lowlighting then in Setup, View Settings, Programmer set the Highlight Mode to "Advanced -
highlight only (no lowlight)". In this mode only the sub selected heads will be highlighted. Heads that are selected but not sub
selected will remain at their playback state.

27.8.7 Element

The Element field is used for Duplicated personalities - these personalities have more than one instance of an attribute type within
the personality - for example a LED moving yoke with three LED rings.
Heads are set as Duplicated Heads in the Multiple Heads Type field in the Head Editor. Duplicated elements always start from
Element 1. All elements that are not duplicated are set to 0 (Main Element). For heads that have both a main element and a
repeated element - e.g. a master RGB and then repeated RGB for each element then the master RGB is element 0 and the repeated
RGBs start from 1.
For heads that have multiple functions, e.g. a central RGB beam and then a "eye candy" RGB element ring - the core RGB
beam should start from Element 1, with the "eye candy" ring elements starting after the core RGB beam. Element 0 should only
be used for Master channels, not for genuine individual control of elements - these should always be element 1 or higher. The
Function Type field can be used to distinguish the different functions - i.e. Function 1 is the core beam, then Function 2 is the
"eye candy" LED ring.
The Element field shows elements that are independent from Element 1 as Ind 2, Ind 3 etc. . . , whilst heads that are not marked
as Independent are shown as Dup 2, Dup 3, etc. . .

27.8.8 Independent

Elements 2 and above of Duplicated Heads can be set as Independent.

When set to "Ind" all elements act independently and are made active in the programmer and programmed into Cues.
When set to "Dup" elements 2 and above are duplicated from element 1 when they are not explicitly in the programmer or active
on a playback.
This field is hidden for element 0 and element 1 since they are automatically independent from each other.
When set to "Ind" then the "Select" field also becomes active and defaults to "yes".

27.8.9 Select

Some heads have multiple elements that operate completely separately to each other - for example centre RGB cells, and then
an outside eye candy RGB ring. For these heads it is possible to make it so that the additional, less important elements are not
selected by default and therefore are only programmed when explicitly requested.
The Select field for channels for these additional elements should be set to "no". The channels will not be selected (and hence
programmed) unless explicitly selected using the dot (.) syntax.
Note that this field only affects general selection of heads. Selection of specific elements, or selecting a Group with specific
elements will cause the specified elements to be selected and this field to be ignored,

27.8.10 Function Type

This field is used to distinguish between different element functions within the Head. When the Heads is patched if there is more
than one function type in the personality MagicQ automatically generates separate groups for each function using the appropriate
element mask. For example, if a Fixture has element 1 as core RGB beam, and elements 2 to 8 as "eye candy" ring - then set
MagicQ User Manual 286 / 579

Element one to Function Type 1 and elements 2 to 8 to Function Type 2. MagicQ will then make a group with element 1 mask
only for the Core Beam, and a separate Group with elements 2 to 7 mask for the "eye candy" LED ring.
This will also be used in strobes which have a Strobe function and a Plate function.
Each function must use different elements from the head - so if element 1 to 3 are used in Function 1, then elements 4 and above
must be used for Function 2, and so on.
The function can be named in the function tab under VIEW OTHERS.
When functions are in use then all elements should be set to Independent. Duplicated elements are not supported when Function
2 and above are in use.
When all channels are set to use Function 1 then functions are not used.

27.9 Ranges View

This view defines the ranges for channels that use specific values to access functions such as colour and gobo wheels, shutter
channels and control channels. Ranges can be set up at any time regardless of whether heads of the type have been patched. The
range data becomes immediately available. If the head has been patched then you can capture the minimum and maximum value
fields from the programmer.
Ranges can be added using the Insert soft button and deleted using the Remove Button (press twice to Remove).
For each range you specify the channel number (starting at 1), the range type, the range name and the minimum and maximum
DMX values for the range. The minimum and maximum values can be the same value if required.
The Range Type field is used to specify the function of this range so that MagicQ and MagicVis can recognise the features of the
head. MagicQ automatically generates palettes for gobos, strobes, zoom, iris based on the range types. The range types are also
used in visualisation.
The Auto Palette field was used to indicate Gobo channels for auto palettes prior to Range Types being added. This field can be
used to force auto palettes for Gobo 1 or Gobo 2 that do not have a range type set to Fixed, Index or Rotate. Where Range Types
are set this field can be set to 0.
Up to 20 Auto Palettes are supported per channel. Set this value to 1 for a specific channel function such as a Cone Gobo on a
gobo wheel or a larger value for a graded parameter such as the rotate speed on a Gobo Rotate channel. The sum of all the Auto
Palette fields for a particular channel should not exceed 20.
The Icon field is the icon displayed in the relevant Windows and soft buttons. Double click to select an icon from the large
MagicQ icon library. The icons selected in the ranges are used by MagicVis for visualising gobos. For prisms select from icon
category 50.
The Dep Chan and Dep Val fields enable ranges to depend on other ranges. This enables ranges to be defined for heads with
attributes that change their function depending on the value of another attribute – such as FX parameters that depend on the
particular FX chosen. The range is only valid when the dependent channel (Dep Chan) is set to the range specified in the
dependent value (Dep val).
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27.9.1 Importing Ranges

Ranges can be imported from a .csv format file using the Import Ranges button. The data should be organised in the .csv file
in the same column order as the fields in MagicQ.

<chan>,<name>,<min>,<max>,<auto pal>,<icon>,<dep chan>,<dep val>

27.9.2 Capturing Ranges

To capture the minimum and maximum values from the programmer you must first insert a new range and select the channel
number you are interested in. Then using the Group, Position, Colour, Beam, windows in the usual way set the minimum value
for the attribute. Back in the Ranges View, move the cursor to the minimum field and then press the Capture Range soft button.
In a similar way, set up the maximum value in the programmer, move to the maximum field in the Ranges View, and then press
the Capture Range soft button.

27.9.3 Attribute Test

The "Attr test" mode enables the range to be tested on any patched heads of this type. In this mode moving up/down outputs the
Range to all patched heads of this type. The value output is the middle point between the minimum and maximum – except when
the cursor is placed in the minimum or maximum fields – in which case the actual minimum or maximum value is output.

27.10 Palettes View

This view defines the default palettes that are loaded when the head is patched. Palettes can be set up at any time regardless of
whether heads of the type have been patched. The palette data is immediately available for patching new heads. When you have
changed Palettes in the Head Editor you can regenerate palettes for heads that are already patched by using the "Regen Palettes"
soft button.

For each Palettes you specify the type (press Enter to swap between the types), the name and the number of channels that make
up the Palette. Then for each channel you specify the channel number and the level for that channel.
Palettes can be added using the Insert soft button and deleted using the Remove Button (press twice to Remove).
The Icon field is the icon displayed in the relevant Windows and soft buttons.

27.10.1 Importing Palettes

Palettes can be imported from a .csv format file using the Import Ranges button. The data should be organised in the .csv file in
the same column order as the fields in MagicQ.
<palette type>,<name>,<num of chans>,<icon>,<chan 1>,<val 1>,<chan 2>,<val2>,. . .
The icon field is normally a decimal number but MagicQ will accept icons numbers in hexadecimal if they have0h or 0x at the
start of the number.
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27.10.2 Capturing Palettes

To capture the palette value fields from the programmer you must first insert a new palette and configure the channel numbers
you are interested in. Then using the Group, Focus, Colour, Beam windows in the usual way set up the palette values. Back in
the Palettes View press the Capture Palette soft button.

27.10.3 Attribute Test

The "Attr test" mode enables the palette to be tested on any patched heads of this type. In this mode moving up/down outputs the
Palette to all patched heads of this type.

27.11 Macros View

This view defines the macros that are available to control special features of the head such as turning the lamp on and off and
resetting motor channels. Every head should have a macro named "Lamp On", "Reset" and "Lamp Off". MagicQ uses these
macros in short cut keys for these functions.

Each macro has a name and a number of channels. Up to 10 channels can be controlled by each macro.
The macro data consists of fields to specify which channels are used (C1 to C10) and then the macro step data. The macro step
data consists of the number of steps followed by data fields.
The number of steps indicates how many steps are required in the macro – normally there are just two steps – the initial step to
set the correct levels and hold them for a time (e.g. 5 seconds) and then a step that returns the channels to their default values.
The step data is specified in the fields D1. . . Dx. For each step there is a time for the step, followed by the values for each of the
channels used for the step.

27.12 User Icons

It is possible to load user icons from bitmap and jpeg files. In File Manager click on the .png or.bmp files you wish to make into
icons. The icons will appear under the "User icons" icon class.
User icons are not stored in the show file, so when changing MagicQ systems it will be necessary to load the user icons onto each
MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system.
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27.13 Heads with multiple elements

MagicQ supports two methods for controlling heads with multiple elements - the original multi element heads which involved
multiple personality files and the newer single personality file Duplicated elements.
In order to simplify the personality libraries, in early 2018 ChamSys converted all multi element heads to Duplicated elements.
We recommend that all new personalities that have multiple elements use Duplicated elements.
In the Head Editor it is possible to convert between Multi elements and Duplicated elements.
For multi element heads, in Edit Head, View Chans press SHIFT and the soft button CONV TO DUP.
For duplicated heads, in Edit Head, View Chans press SHIFT and the soft button CONV TO MULTI.
Note that these conversion functions cannot be used if heads of the type are already patched in the show file - save as a different
mode before attempting the conversion. If you then wish to convert patched heads then perform a morph operation.

27.13.1 Creating Duplicated Heads

The personality should be created in the same way as a personality with only single elements.
Then in the Head Editor, View General, Multi set the option "Multiple Heads Type" to "Duplicate".
Set the width and height appropriately ignoring the main element - so for example if an LED bar has a main element and 5 multi
elements, set the Width to 5 and the Height to 1.
In Head Editor, View Chans set the element number for each channel. For attributes that are only used once in the head the
element should be left at "Main". Attributes that are used more than once should be set to element 1,2,3 etc. . .
Elements 2 and above can also have the Independent and Select fields set.
For moving heads normally the Independent field should be set to "No" - this allows the head to operate with a single RGB
control without having to program all the elements into all Cues.
For fixed LED bars the Independent field may be set to "Yes" - this means all the duplicated elements will operate independently.
For elements that should not be selected by default (e.g. eye candy LED rings) set Select field to "No".

27.13.2 Patching Heads with Duplicated attributes

From versions 1.6.6.2 MagicQ has improved support for Heads with more than one element of an attribute - for example a LED
Wash light with 5 RGB elements or a club light with 2 tilt channels. Heads set as "Duplicated" now allow access to the individual
elements and allow FX to be run over the individual elements.
By default the duplicated elements are treated as one element - so the 2nd, 3rd and 4th elements just copy the programming from
the 1st element. This ensures that the Head is simple to use and appears to act as if it only had a single element.
When locating, selecting palettes and using soft buttons or encoders on attribute parameters only the first element is made active
in the programmer and therefore only the first element is recorded into Cues. When the Cues are played back then MagicQ copies
the calculated values from the 1st element to the other elements.
Individual elements can be selected using the dot (.) operator. For example to select the 1st element only, enter .1 NEXT HEAD
or .1 @@. This sub selects only the 1st element. Pressing returns the selection to all elements. When a sub selection is active
on a Duplicated Head then the specific elements will be made active in the Programmer and subsequently recorded into Cues.
When the Cues are played back MagicQ uses the programming from the Cue for elements that have been recorded in to the Cue,
only copying for elements that have not been recorded.
All elements can be selected if you wish to apply split times across all elements or to include all elements in a FX. Select all
elements using the syntax .> @@
Palettes values are by default created for the first element. When a sub selection is in operation MagicQ will use the value in the
Palette for the first element if there is no specific palette entry for the element selected - this avoids the need for creating separate
palette information for each element. When a Palette is updated it will update Cues that use that Palette from the sub element if
it exists in the Palette - otherwise it will use the data from the 1st element - ensuring that the Cue gets updated as expected.
MagicQ User Manual 290 / 579

When selecting FX for channels on a Duplicated Head that have multiple elements MagicQ prompts three options for applying
the FX:

• Dup Elements
• Include Elements
• Use Elements

Dup Elements treats the elements as duplicated - i.e. all elements in the head do exactly the same thing. This is the default
operation which treats all the elements in a head as one. In software prior to v1.6.5.8 this was the only supported mode of FX for
Duplicated Heads.
Include Elements includes all the elements in the FX enabling separate control of each of the elements as if they were separate
heads. For example if you apply a FX to 4 heads each with 3 elements then the FX would be spread over the 12 elements.
Use Elements runs the FX within the Heads, with all Heads performing the same FX synchronously across their elements. This
is the same as Include Elements except that MagicQ automatically sets Parts to the number of elements within the heads causing
all Heads to have the same offset.
Heads are set as Duplicated Heads in the Multiple Heads Type field in the Head Editor. In the Head Editor, View Chans the
element field (cursor right) is used to indicate the different elements. Duplicated elements always start from Element 1. All
elements that are not duplicated are set to 0 (Main Element). For heads that have both a main element and a repeated element -
e.g. a master RGB and then repeated RGB for each element then the master RGB is element 0 and the repeated RGBs start from
1.

27.13.3 Custom Element layout

It is possible to specify a custom element layout for a Head, which is used when inserting multi element heads into Grids and for
Group based Grids. This is particularly useful for heads with multiple elements arranged in clusters or circles - each of which
has a completely different element ordering.
In View General, Multi, set the Order field to "Custom". This enables the "View Elements" view where it is possible to drag and
drop elements into the pattern then best represents them on the grid. By default the elements are placed in a square - by pressing
the "MOVE DRAG" soft button they can be easily dragged to the correct position.
Note that this grid organisation is designed for pixel mapping where heads fit onto a fixed grid - the "View Ele Data" has data
fields for X,Y,Z position to enable more accurate real life element positioning - in the future this will be used in MagicVis and in
Plot View.

27.13.4 Adding colourimetry data to a head

To edit a head’s colourimetry data, it is first necessary to check that the head has the correct number of emitters defined. On the
"Lamp" tab, find "Number of emitters"; this will be set automatically to the number of colour-mixing attribute types used, so
confirm it is correct. For example, an RGB fixture has 3 emitters; a RGBAL has 5; and an RGBAWLV has 7.
Then, select the "Options" tab and press the "VIEW EMITTERS" soft button to show the emitters editor. Each emitter has the
following parameters: - Attribute: this is the channel attribute associated with this emitter. This should be an attribute number
in use by the fixture. - Name: a short name for the emitter; e.g. "Ultraviolet". - Chromacity X and Y; these are CIE 1931
colourimetry values for the emitter’s colour, from 0.0 to 1.0. - Luminosity: the emitter’s brightness. The preferred unit is lumens;
however, for colour matching, only the relative brightness between the emitters matters. Therefore, you can also use luminance
(lux), or a percentage.
These data can normally be found from a fixture’s manufacturer; however, it may not be specified by the manual, and some
manufacturers may not measure their fixtures.
For more on colourimetry, see the Colour Picker chapter.
MagicQ User Manual 291 / 579

27.13.5 Old MagicQ multi elements

Older MagicQ supported multiple elements heads (e.g. RGB pixels), so that they can be patched in one action rather than
patching the individual elements separately. When these heads were patched they continued to be controlled as separate heads.

Heads that consist of a single general element in addition to a repeated element are also supported. In these cases two different
heads are required – one for the general element and one for the repeated element. The head for the general element is used for
patching, and it references the repeated element to enable it to be patched automatically. It is possible to set the Multiple Heads
Type field to specify whether the repeated elements are patched before or after the general element.
In the Patch Window, View Heads only the head general element is shown – however testing, moving, copying and setting the
head no, affects all the elements in the head. The View Chans view continues to show the individual channels.
Heads with multiple elements can be inserted into the grid in one go. The Width, Height and Order fields in the head specify
how the elements are arranged – for example the picture below shows Color Web 125 inserted into a grid. Color Web 125 has a
strange DMX order with individual elements having a "L" shape rather than a square or rectangular shape.
MagicQ User Manual 292 / 579

It is possible to swap the repeated elements of a multiple element head around using the Swap field in the View Heads view. This
is very useful, if for instance a LED batten has been rigged upside down.
When a head containing multiple elements is patched, a different head number will be allocated to each element. This enables
each individual element to be controlled from the keypad and from the grid views. For heads that consist of a general element
and repeated elements the general element will be allocated the base head number and the repeated elements will have increasing
head numbers from the base element.
The Head Editor shows the full channel list in View Chans including the repeated channels.

27.14 Custom gel libraries

MagicQ supports user custom gel libraries. User libraries are named usergels1.csv to usergels5.csv and must be
stored in the show/heads/ folder. The files consist of parameters separated by commas.

<short name>,<long name>,<gel number>,<gel BGR value in hexadecimal>,<CIE X>,<CIE ←-

Y>,<transparency>

The gel number is a number between 1 and 999.

The CIE X, Y, and transparency are optional fields used for colour matching; if absent, they will be approximated from the
hexadecimal colour. They range from 0.0 to 1.0. For more on colourimetry, see the Colour Picker chapter.
For example, Lee 106 is represented as

L106 Primary Red,Strong red effect cycloramas.,1106,3200F0,0.699,0.285,0.093

When MagicQ starts it loads the standard gel libraries and then looks for the five user gel libraries and if present loads them.
Changes to the library files will not take place until restarted. The gel libraries are not stored in the show file so will need to be
copied onto all MagicQ systems including remote PCs.
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27.15 Importing GDTF files

MagicQ supports the General Device Type Format (GDTF) for importing head files. To import a GDTF file, locate it in the file
manager and select it by clicking or tapping.
If the GDTF file contains multiple modes, a dialog appears to ask which mode to import.
Import should finish within a few seconds. Once it is completed, a new head file will be saved into the heads directory; to
distinguish it, the mode name of this file will begin with a "G-" prefix, for "GDTF". If problems are encountered when importing,
a dialog will appear for a few seconds indicating that warnings were issued; see "GDTF Troubleshooting" below for details.
The software will switch directly to the patch window and the new head file will be selected as the fixture to patch. From here,
press "PATCH IT" to patch the imported head, or "EDIT HEAD" to inspect the imported file.

27.15.1 GDTF Troubleshooting

Due to variance with the way that GDTF files are created, not all files may import correctly. MagicQ follows a "best-guess"
approach when dealing with noncompliant GDTF files; this may lead to incorrect results in some cases.
If warnings are issued during import, it is advised to check the import log; this is located in the "MagicQ/log" directory, in a file
called "gdtf.log". The most common types of warnings are the following: - GDTF attribute X is not recognised: this appears if
unofficial GDTF attributes have been used. MagicQ will have attempted to guess how to handle channels with this attribute based
on their names, which may fail. - ChannelFunction X has no ChannelSets: the GDTF file contains information about ranges,
but the actual DMX ranges are not defined. A single range will be created which covers the entire DMX channel. - text "X"
contradicts PhysicalFrom/PhysicalTo: the name of a range appears to contradict the direction that was encoded; "direction"
here means "slow to fast", "wide to narrow", "high to low", etc. Check that range directions are correct. - Missing media files:
the GDTF file references media files (likely for gobo images), but these were not found in the GDTF file. Gobo images will not
be available.
If a GDTF file is severely malformed, the import process may abort with an error. This will appear on the MagicQ command
line, and no head file will be created. If this occurs, contact the file creators to inform them of the problem.
MagicQ User Manual 294 / 579

Chapter 28

Curve Editor

MagicQ includes a curve editor to allow users to create their own dimmer fade curves and effects curves. Curves are not specific
to any head, they can be used on any head.
Note the Curve editor is not available on Compact consoles or Pro2010 consoles. User curves can be used on these consoles, but
not edited.

User Curves 1 to 10 correspond to the user dimmer curves that were supported in previous versions of MagicQ. These will still
be automatically loaded from the user dimmer csv files (e.g. show\heads\dimmercurveuser1.csv) if they exist.
User Curves 1 to 20 can also be used in the FX Editor (FX Window, Edit FX) as part of FX steps. Select View Chans and set the
Curve filed. This allows completely custom FX waveforms to be generated.
User Curves are saved within the show file and can be imported from other show files using Setup, Import Show, Advanced, and
by deselecting all options except for "Import Curves".

28.1 Creating a curve

In the Curve Editor Window (FX Window, Curve Editor) use wheel A to find an empty curve, then press ADD POINT to add
new points to the curve, at least 2 points will be required. The first 2 points are automatically placed at the start and the end of
the curve. Additional points will be placed in between.
MagicQ User Manual 295 / 579

Curves can be saved into the show by pressing SAVE CURVE. RESET CURVE will return the curve to how it was last saved.
Once the curve has been saved it will take effect.
Note the Curve editor is not available on Compact consoles or Pro2010 consoles. User curves can be used on these consoles, but
not edited.

28.2 Editing a curve

Points can be moved around by either clicking on them and dragging them, or by clicking on them then using encoder wheel X
and Y to move them around. By clicking and dragging it is possible to select more then one point at a time and move it around.
Pressing the Y encoder button will cycle the point between 100%, 0% and a position midway between the first and last points.
To specify an exact position type the required percentage then press Set and the X or Y encoder button.
To remove a point first select it by clicking on it then press REMOVE POINT. If more than one point is selected they will all be
removed.
Points can either be Linear or Spline. Spline points create a curved join between 2 lines while linear points create a sharp join
between 2 lines. Select a point then press encoder E to change the type of a point.

To name a curve first type type the required name then press Set, then encoder A.

28.3 Setting a dimmer curve

To use a curve as a dimmer curve got to the Patch Channels Window (Patch Window, View Chans). There is a column in the
table called Curve. Select the Curve column for the Head and press Set. The first user created curve will be called User 1 or the
name provided.
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Chapter 29

FX Editor

MagicQ includes a FX editor added to enable users to create their own waveform FX and to edit existing waveform FX. The FX
editor edits the core MagicQ waveform FX stored on the console – distinct from the combination FX stored in the FX Window.
Waveform FX are not specific to a particular personality type – they can be used on any Head with the required attributes.

Changes made in the FX editor have immediate effect on all Cues that use the FX – for example changing the standard circle FX
will affect all cues with circle. It also affects the FX stored on the console, so all changes will affect new shows made on the
console.
MagicQ will not allow you to directly edit the inbuilt FX – you must SAVE AS to create a new FX before you make any changes
in the FX Editor.
From v1.4.0.3 MagicQ FX supports any number of attributes in a Waveform FX –previous versions supported a maximum of 3
different attributes. Note that shows that use Waveform FX with more than 3 attributes will not run correctly on software prior to
v1.4.0.3.
A MagicQ FX can store data for more than 1 head – so that for instance, you can make a FX with some heads perform circles in
whilst others perform squares.
In the FX Editor Window (FX Window, Edit FX) it is now possible to extract the user FX from a show file to the console. Press
the EXTRACT USER FX soft button.
MagicQ User Manual 297 / 579

It is possible to remove all user Waveform FX from a console. Press SHIFT + REMOVE USER FX.

29.1 View General

In View General you can configure properties for the FX. For FX that only use 1 attribute setting the "Apply to any attribute"
enables the FX to be used on any attribute rather than being tied to a specific attribute such as dimmer.
Defaults can be set up for speed, size, spread and contrast. Setting contrast to snap forces the contrast for the FX to default to 0
– i.e. snap rather than fade. The contrast of a FX can be changed at any time during programming or playback.
The add mode determines the default for how the FX is added to the base values – the choices are NORMAL, PLUS, MINUS or
ABS. When set to ABS, playbacks will ignore any base values for the channels and treat the FX values as absolute values – this
is useful for generating FX based on absolute positions or on specific colours on a colour wheel.

29.2 View Chans

Each step in the FX consists of a value between 0 and 255 and a curve. The curve specifies how the level changes from one step
to the next. The valid curves are:
0 – proportional fade 1 – sine fade 2 – cosine fade 3 – snap
The waveform for the complete FX is shown at the top. Moving up and down with the cursor to a different attribute or head
shows the waveform for that attribute / head.

FX that have been recorded in a show, but that have not been stored onto the console can be extracted from the show by including
the Cue that uses the FX. This will bring the FX into the FX Editor, and it can then be saved on the console.

29.3 Palette FX

In the FX Editor in View General, set up "Use Palettes" to be either "Pos", "Col" or "Beam". Then in View Chans, the values
become Palette entries rather than absolute values.
Each step in the Waveform FX can use any of the first 256 Palettes.
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When applying a Palette FX if a Palette does not contain the specified attribute for a selected head then it will use the attribute
from the first head in the Palette with that attribute. If that attribute is not contained in the palette at all then the default value for
that attribute will be used.
It is possible to set a FX to ignore attributes that are not in any of the specified palettes by setting the "Ignore Unused Palettes" to
"yes". This, for example, enables a 2 Col FX which contains all colour attributes to be applied to a head without the FX affecting
the colour wheels. When running Palette based FX any attributes that are used by the FX but that do not have values in the Palette
will have a zero FX applied. When this option is not set then behaviour is as in previous software - the FX uses values from
similar heads within the FX, or if none uses the attribute default value.
MagicQ User Manual 299 / 579

Chapter 30

Network Manager

MagicQ supports a Network Manager (Setup, View DMX I/O, Net Manager) for monitoring and configuring network devices,
including Art-Net and sACN nodes, RDM devices, GeNetix and SnakeSys products using the ChamNet protocol.

30.1 VIEW CHAMNET

ChamNet devices include GeNetix Nodes (GW2I, GW2O, GN2, GN5 and GN10), legacy SnakeSys Nodes (B4, R4, R8 and T2
(T6), older ChamSys 5 port Ethernet Interfaces and 10Scene Gateways,
GeNetix Nodes can be configured in multiple different ways, via their front panel switches and buttons on the product (GN2,
GN5 and GN10), via their inbuilt webserver or via Network using Net Manager window on MagicQ consoles. GeNetix nodes
always operate in ChamNet mode.
When using a PC or Mac, ensure that the correct network host adaptor is chosen in Setup, View Settings, Network, IP address. If
an invalid network host adaptor is selected then INVALID NET will show in the title bar and MagicQ may not be able to discover
ChamNet devices.
The ChamNet view has four tabs - Devices, Ports, Scenes and Options.

30.1.1 Devices

The IP address and subnet mask of the device can be set from this tab.

30.1.1.1 Configuring entire devices

All GeNetix and SnakeSys nodes can be configured using the CONFIG DEVICE soft button and selecting an appropriate profile.
MagicQ User Manual 300 / 579

The profiles act as a starting point – once a starting profile has been chosen, the detailed configuration can all be set individually
for each port by changing to the VIEW PORTS view.
At any time you can revert back to a standard profile by pressing the CONFIG DEVICE soft button – this will show the list of
DMX profiles.

30.1.1.2 Identify

Identify mode can be turned on from soft button C.

When Identify mode is entered, all ChamNet devices are set to LEDs off except for one device which is set into Identify mode
with all LEDs on. Stepping through the devices in MagicQ will Identify each device in turn.
When Identify mode is exited, all ChamNet devices return to their normal LED states.
GeNetix nodes with front panels indicate Identify mode on the display as well as turning on all the LEDs. SnakeSys nodes turn
all LEDs on.

30.1.2 Ports

For GeNetix nodes ports can be configured as Disabled, Output, Input and Fallback. SnakeSys nodes do not support Fallback.
When configured as Outputs the ports can be configured to output the same or different Art-Net / sACN universes.
When configured as Inputs the ports should be configured to send different Art-Net / sACN universes.
The Cons Uni field shows the console universe on MagicQ that is outputting the data that the port is trying to read. If no console
universe is set to output on that port then the field is blank.
The rate, frame, MAB and Break timing can be set for each interface – the timings affect all ports on the interface.

30.1.2.1 DMX Fallback

DMX Fallback enables fixtures on a single universe to be connected in a loop to two ports on the GeNetix node for redundancy.
If a single cable is broken anywhere in the DMX loop, all fixtures can still receive DMX. Each port can be set to Output, Input
or Fallback.
When a Port is set to Fallback it us by default operating as Input.
The node periodically checks for DMX being received in on the Fallback port – if after a timeout of at least 2 seconds there is
no input detected then it changes into Output mode, outputting the Art-Net or sACN universe configured. When operating as an
output, it periodically briefly changes to an input to sense whether DMX data is now being received – and if detected stays as an
input. Periodic checking of the incoming DMX continues.
Different LED states are used to indicate Fallback configured, and in operation.
When using Fallback it is normal to set both the main output port and the fallback port to decode the same Art-Net / sACN
universe.
DMX Fallback is supported within a GeNetix node and also between multiple GeNetix node. For example an installation could
have a primary GN10 and a backup GN10 that provides both backup (in case node fails) and DMX Fallback (in case of cable
failure/fixture failure).
MagicQ User Manual 301 / 579

30.1.2.2 GeNetix Port LEDs

The following LED colours are used:

Port set as Output

LED Colour Description

Dark Blue Receiving good Art-Net/sACN data for this port (no Scene
Active)
Red Receiving good Art-Net/sACN data for this port from 2 or
more sources (no Scene Active)
Cyan Receiving good Art-Net/sACN data for this port (but Scene
Active)
Green No Art-Net/sACN being received for this port (but Scene
Active)
Flashing Red Test pattern being output
Off No Art-Net/sACN being received for this port

Port set to Fallback

LED Colour Description

Yellow DMX loop input being received
Purple No DMX input - fallback in operation
Off No Art-Net/sACN being received for this port

Port set to Input

LED Colour Description

White DMX input being received
Off No DMX input

Note that during Identify all LEDs will be blue.

30.1.3 Scenes

GeNetix nodes support storage of 10 Scenes that can be recorded from the incoming Art-Net or sACN data. Scenes contain
DMX data for one or more ports on the node.
Recording of scenes can be initiated from the front panel or from MagicQ / QuickQ consoles.
Each Scene can have a name and a fade time.
Scenes can be replayed from the front panel or from the MagicQ / QuickQ Console. When a Scene is active the front panel
display will show the Scene name and the DMX port LEDs will be Cyan or Green depending on whether incoming Art-Net /
sACN data is still present.
Crossfading of scenes is performed on all channels – the use of fade times is therefore best when changing intensity and colours
rather than on stepped attributes such as gobo wheels.
The complete set of Scenes can be managed from MagicQ, enabling easy control and modification of installations.

30.1.3.1 Configuring Scenes

Scenes can be recorded on the GeNetix node by pressing the STORE SCENE soft button and selecting the Scene to store to from
the choices in the dialog box. Alternatively press the RECORD button and select a Scene in the window. The GeNetix node
stores the current state of its network data for all ports that are set as Outputs.
MagicQ User Manual 302 / 579

Scenes can be removed by SHIFT and the REMOVE SCENE soft button and selecting the Scene to remove. Only programmed
Scenes will be shown in the dialog box. Alternatively press the REMOVE button and select a Scene in the window. The Scene
is removed for all ports on the GeNetix node.
The Scenes can be retrieved from the node to MagicQ by pressing the RETRIEVE SCENES soft button and choosing the option
of either the first 10 Playbacks or 10 items in an Execute Window. Playbacks and Execute Items will only be generated for the
Scenes that are present on the node. If no Scenes are programmed then no Playbacks / Execute Items will be created.
MagicQ will only retrieve values for patched channels on the console universes corresponding to the ports on the GeNetix node.
If MagicQ has no heads patched then MagicQ will patch generic dimmers on all the console universes corresponding to the ports
on the GeNetix node prior to retrieving the Scene. This enables retrieving of Scene data even when the patch has been lost.
The Scenes can be sent back to the node from MagicQ by pressing the SEND SCENES soft button and choosing from Playbacks
or Executes. If the Playback or Execute Item is not present then no Scene will be created. MagicQ will send value 0 for any
channels that are not patched.

30.1.3.2 Triggering Scenes

Scenes can be triggered from 10Scene Wall Plates when the 10Scene mode on the GeNetix is set to Scenes or Only Scenes.
When set to Only Scenes, then one of the Scenes is active at all times – this is useful for simple installations without consoles.
When set to Scenes, then Scenes are triggered from the 10Scene Wall Plate, but if all 10Scene buttons are off then no Scenes are
active and the node operates normally passing through network data to DMX.

30.1.4 Options

30.1.4.1 IP address and subnet mask

Set the IP address and subnet mask of the GeNetix node.

Note that in the GeNetix node must be on the same subnet as MagicQ in order to carry out firmware update and some other
actions.

30.1.4.2 Sync

GeNetix nodes support synchronised DMX output to reduce tearing.

Synchronisation via ChamNet is available when used with MagicQ consoles.
Art-Net + sACN synchronisation is also supported.

30.1.4.3 LEDs

The LEDs can be set to:

Normal = operate as normal

Off - all controllable LEDs are turned off
Locate - all controllable LEDs are turned on

30.1.4.4 Active Scene

This forces a Scene from the GeNetix to be output on its DMX Output ports.
When set to "None" no Scene is output and the GeNetix node operates normally outputting the data it receives from the network.
MagicQ User Manual 303 / 579

30.1.4.5 Lost Data

The behaviour when a node loses network data (Art-Net or sACN) can be configured:
• Hold – holds the last output DMX values • Zeroes – outputs DMX 0s on all channels • None – stops outputting DMX • Scene
– outputs the contents of the Scene. If the Scene is not programmed for one or more ports then those port hold the DMX
The network is only considered to be lost when data for all network ports configured as Outputs is lost.

30.1.4.6 RDM

GeNetix network nodes support ANSI E1.20 RDM which is enabled by default.
The GeNetix nodes only perform RDM operations when requested by the MagicQ or QuickQ console. They do not perform
discovery on start up, or at predefined intervals – they only perform RDM discovery when explicitly requested by the console.
This ensures that show critical DMX operation is not affected by RDM.
RDM on the node can be disabled on a menu option from the front panel and from the MagicQ console.
The node can also be set into a RDM Read Only mode. In this mode the GeNetix node will respond to RDM GET commands to
receive information but will block all RDM SET commands. This enables users to discover the lighting rig, but not to change it.

30.1.4.7 User Config

All GeNetix nodes support saving and recalling of configuration data as User Configs.
User Configs can be saved and loaded from this option.
Configs can be triggered from 10Scene Wall Plates when the 10Scene Wall Plate mode is set to Configs.

30.1.4.8 PIN lock

GeNetix nodes support a lock PIN to prevent the configuration being modified from the front panel of the GeNetix and also
optionally from all network interfaces. The PIN applies to each interface separately and each instance of MagicQ, QuickQ or
web server.
When the lock PIN is active the PIN must be entered to use the menu system. The system can be relocked from the menu. When
unlocked, after # seconds of inactivity the device automatically locks again.
When set to "All Interfaces" the PIN also restricts access from MagicQ and QuickQ consoles and from the web server.
Users that forget their passwords will need to contact ChamSys support to get a recovery code. Each device has a unique recovery
code.

30.1.4.9 Timecode

The GN5 and GN10 support timecode input and output.

Timecode can be input as LTC through the 3pin female XLR LTC In connector or via MIDI via the 5 pin DIN MIDI In connector.
The GeNetix node can be configured to forward the timecode as Art-Net timecode, as ChamNet timecode for MagicQ/QuickQ
and as GeNetix for other GeNetix nodes.
The GeNetix node can be set to broadcast the timecode or to send it to a specific IP address.
MagicQ consoles can be set to receive Art-Net or ChamNet timecode in Setup, View Settings, MIDI/timecode.
Timecode received on the LTC in or MIDI in port is automatically retransmitted on the LTC out and/or MIDI out ports depending
on the Timecode Out setting.
The GeNetix node can receive Art-Net timecode from a MagicQ console or GeNetix timecode from another GeNetix node and
output the timecode on the LTC out port and/or the MIDI out port.
To send timecode out of MagicQ set the Timecode Generation in Setup, View Settings, MIDI/Timecode to "LTC + Art-Net" or
"MIDI + Art-Net". MagicQ will output timecode to Art-Net and any direct LTC or MIDI port.
MagicQ User Manual 304 / 579

30.1.4.10 MIDI

The GN5 and GN10 support MIDI notes, MIDI change control, MIDI beat clock and MIDI system exclusive messages.
MIDI notes, beat clock and Sys Ex received on the 5 pin DIN MIDI In port can be forwarded over ChamNet to MagicQ and
QuickQ consoles or over GeNetix to other GeNetix nodes. There is no support for sending MIDI messages to 3rd party consoles
over network.
MIDI can be sent to a MagicQ or QuickQ console on a specific IP address via the MIDI In transmit host IP option. If it is set to
0, then the GeNetix broadcasts the MIDI messages.
MIDI notes, beat clock and Sys Ex received on the MIDI IN port are automatically forwarded out the MIDI out port as received.
MIDI notes, beat clock and Sys Ex received from a MagicQ or QuickQ console over ChamNet will be output from the MIDI Out
port.
To send MIDI notes and Sys Ex out of MagicQ set the MIDI Out type in Setup, View Settings, MIDI/Timecode to "ChamNet
Any Chan" or "ChamNet Req Chan". MagicQ then outputs any MIDI notes and Sys Ex messages from the Cue Stack N Macro
to ChamNet and any direct MIDI out port.

30.1.4.11 10Scene mode

The GN5 and GN10 have a 10Scene port. This can be configured to be used in different ways:
• None • Scenes (Default) • Only Scenes • User Configs • Gateway
When set to Scenes it control the Scenes within the GeNetix node. When no 10Scene buttons are active then no Scenes are active
and the GeNetix node operates normally with DMX control from a console.
When set to Only Scenes then one Scene must always be active and DMX control from a console is not supported. This is
designed for installs where there is no console.
When set to User Configs, pressing the 10Scene button loads the User Config.
When set to Gateway the 10Scene functions like it is 10Scene Gateway. From MagicQ/QuickQ it is interchangeable with a
10Scene Gateway.

30.1.5 Legacy SnakeSys nodes

SnakeSys Nodes can be configured in two different ways – in normal mode the product is configured from the front panel switches
and buttons on the product. In ChamNet mode the switches and buttons are ignored and the product is configured from MagicQ
only.
If the SnakeSys product is set in a mode other than ChamNet Mode (such as Art-Net, ACN or buffer) then it is not possible to
configure the interface from Net Manager. However, the device will still appear in Net Manager and it is possible to view its
configuration.

30.1.5.1 ChamNet Mode

In ChamNet mode each SnakeSys product on the network has a different ID in the range 0 to 99. All interfaces should have
different IDs.
The ID is set on the SnakeSys product using either the control panel or rotary switches. The 10Scene Gateway ID can only be
configured through Net Manager as it has no physical buttons on the device.

30.1.6 Older ChamSys 4 Port Ethernet interfaces

Older ChamSys 4 Port Ethernet Interfaces and the SnakeSys B4 interfaces manufactured prior to 2013 (serial numbers with last
4 digits less than 0268) have no storage for configuration data and so when in ChamNet mode they always get their configuration
from MagicQ every time they are powered up.
MagicQ User Manual 305 / 579

When the interface starts up it will recognise that it is in MQ Mode and then will search on the network to find a MagicQ system
that can give it a configuration. The interface will not output or input DMX data until it has received configuration from a MagicQ
system.
The MagicQ system stores the configuration information for all these older interfaces as console settings. In View Ports, press
the INSERT B4MK1 button to add a new interface. MagicQ will present a list of default profiles for configuring the interface.
An interface can be removed by putting the cursor on the line of the interface and pressing REMOVE.
If there are multiple MagicQ consoles on the network, then only the master one (as per Hot Takeover) will provide configuration
information to the interfaces.
Newer SnakeSys B4s and all other SnakeSys and all GeNetix products will appear automatically in the list and do not need to be
inserted or removed.

30.1.7 Upgrading GeNetix and SnakeSys firmware

GeNetix and SnakeSys nodes can be firmware upgraded from MagicQ software - the latest MagicQ software contains the latest
firmware for all GeNetix and SnakeSys products - this can be found in the firmware folder under on the installation.
ChamSys recommend not attempting a firmware update in a critical show environment.
Download the latest MagicQ software from the ChamSys download site. In order to upgrade GeNetix devices, MagicQ must be
running software version 1.9.5.0 or above.
http://chamsys.co.uk/download

• Connect the GeNetix or SnakeSys node to either a MagicQ Console or MagicQ PC/Mac System via a direct network cable. It
is advisable to remove all other equipment from the network.
• GeNetix devices ship with a default IP address in the 10.X.X.X range, in order to update the firmware on your device MagicQ
must also be set to an IP address within this range.
• SnakeSys devices ship with a default IP address in the 2.X.X.X range, in order to update the firmware on your device MagicQ
must also be set to an IP address within this range.
• For SnakeSys devices, set them into ChamNet/MagicQ mode. GeNetix devices upgrade in all modes, so no change is required.
• In Net Manager, put the cursor on the device to be upgraded and press UPGRADE DEVICE.
• Choose the required firmware version.
• Do not power off the interface whilst the firmware is being upgraded. When MagicQ reports "Device restarted successfully"
the upgrade is complete.

If you are sent a newer firmware file by ChamSys support then copy the file into the firmware folder in the MagicQ installation.
To install it onto a MagicQ console put the file onto a USB stick, then in MagicQ go to Setup, File Manager. Select USB DRIVE.
Press COPY and select the file as the source to copy. Then select the destination, by selecting HARD DRIVE, UP DIR, and
select the firmware folder. Press the "." item to copy to. Then follow the procedure above.
The firmware has the filename firmware_XXXX_YYYY or firmware_XXXX_XXXX_YYYY where the XXXX or XXXX_XXXX
is the product code and YYYY is the firmware version number. The product codes are:

• SnakeSys B4 334A
MagicQ User Manual 306 / 579

• SnakeSys R4 342A
• SnakeSys T2 419B
• SnakeSys R8 330A

• 10Scene 0310_0024
• GeNetix GW2I 5000
• GeNetix GW2O 5000

• GeNetix GN2 5000

• GeNetix GN5 5100
• GeNetix GN10 5100

GeNetix nodes start up in a boot firmware, indicated red on the front panel display before starting the main application firmware.
During firmware upgrade the nodes return to boot code. If for any reason the main application fails to program or run then the
GeNetix node will return to the boot firmware and can be upgraded again.

30.1.8 Output Setup

In order to use a GeNetix or SnakeSys node with a MagicQ system the MagicQ system must be set up in Setup, View DMX I/O
to output or input universes over the network
When outputting from the GeNetix node set up MagicQ universes with Output type of Art-Net or sACN with the Out Uni set to
the Art-Net or sACN universes that the GeNetix node is set to decode.
For inputting DMX from the GeNetix node set up MagicQ universes with Input type of Art-Net or sACN with the In Uni set to
the Art-Net or sACN universes that the GeNetix node is set to generate.

30.2 VIEW ART-NET

This view shows all Art-Net devices detected on the network. This includes all MagicQ consoles, QuickQ consoles and stand
alone MagicVis and MagicHD applications as they all have Art-Net capability.
Press REFRESH NODES to force MagicQ to clear its table of Art-Net nodes and re-detect all nodes.
For each node that it detects it shows the IP address, node name and port configuration.
For each port it shows the universe that the node is set to output or input. The universe is preceded by the following letters to
indicate status:

• O Port is configured as an Output

• OE Port is configured as an Output and is enabled

• sAO Port is configured as an Output for sACN
• sAOE Port is configured as an Output for SACN and is enabled
• I Port is configured as an Input

• IR Port is configured as an Input and is receiving data

MagicQ User Manual 307 / 579

For Art-Net ports the universe is the Art-Net universe (starting at 0) for sACN it is the sACN universe.
Note that whether these indicators are displayed is entirely dependent on the node and whether the manufacturer has implemented
these fields in their Art-Net implementation. Where the node supports it, it is possible to directly configure the ports of the node
by setting the Universe value in the Port Field.
GeNetix nodes fully support configuration over Art-Net.
Type S or s in the Port field to set the port to sACN. Type A or a in the port field to set the port to Art-Net.
Type I or i in the Port field to set the port to Input. Type O or o in the port field to set the port to Output.
Press RDM DISCOVERY to force an Art-Net node that supports RDMM to perform discovery and retrieve the RDM table of
devices. Any devices that are detected will be shown in the VIEW RDM menu. SHIFT + GET RDM TOD retrieves the table of
devices (TOD) without forcing the node to do a discovery of new devices.
Press VIEW STATUS to jump to the Output Window, Art-Net View to see the number of Art-Net packets being received on
Art-Net universe 0 to 255.

30.3 VIEW SACN

This view shows all sACN RDMNET devices detected on the network. In order to detect RDMNET devices the IP Address and
port of the RDMNET gateway must be first configured in Setup, View Settings, Network.
Once a RDMNET gateway has been detected, use GET ENDPOINTS to get the Endpoint data.

30.4 VIEW RDM

This view shows RDM devices.

MagicQ stores the list of RDM devices (to enable restoring of a lighting rig via RDM) in the show file, so the device list may
contain devices that are not currently accessible.
Devices that have been discovered in the current session are shown in white, whilst devices that have been discovered in previous
sessions and stored in the show file are shown in grey.
Press SHIFT and CLEAR RDM to clear all stored RDM devices out of the MagicQ show. Alternatively, use REMOVE to remove
one or more individual entries.

30.4.1 Discovering and configuring devices

Press DISCOVER ALL to discover RDM devices. MagicQ will attempt to discover RDM compliant devices on its direct console
ports (MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ250M and Stadium Connect) and via connected Art-Net nodes that support RDM.
When MagicQ detects the RDM devices it will automatically attempt to get information from each fixture in turn on all. Some
devices may not respond immediately - in this case it may be necessary to press GET INFO to force this information to be
retrieved.
If the RDM devices are connected to an Art-Net node and nothing is detected then check that your RDM-enabled Art-Net node
appears in VIEW ART-NET.

The fixture address, mode, dimmer curve and modulation frequency can be set directly for each RDM device shown in the
Window. It is also possible to factory reset devices that support it.
C OLUMNS
MagicQ User Manual 308 / 579

Uni
MagicQ universe number.
Type
Shows if this is running over Art-Net or ACN.
RDM Uni
If this is running over Art-Net, this shows the Art-Net universe.
Addr
DMX address (1 - 512). Set this field to change the DMX address of the fixture.
Chans
Number of DMX channels this fixture uses in its current mode.
Per
Mode/personality of the fixture (1+). Set this field to change the mode of the fixture - MagicQ will show a list of the modes
reported by the fixture.
Tot
Number of modes/personalities supported by this fixture.
Manufacturer
Manufacturer of the fixture.
Model
Model of the fixture.
Mode
Name of the currently selected mode/personality. Modes start from 1. This field can be set to change the mode of the
fixture.
UID
This is a 12 digit hexadecimal number that is unique to this device. It enables the RDM protocol to ensure messages can
be sent to specific devices. The first four digits of the UID is also known as the "ESTA Manufacturer ID" assigned to that
manufacturer.
Device Model ID
A four digit hexadecimal number which uniquely identifies the model of the fixture for that manufacturer.
Curve
The dimmer curve of the fixture. Dimmer curve is an optional RDM field.
Freq
The modulation frequency of the fixture. Frequency is an optional RDM field.
Reset
This field enables resetting the fixture. Press on the field and confirm yes to perform a cold (like power on) reset on the
fixture. This is an optional RDM field and is not supported by many fixtures.
Factory Reset
This field indicates if the fixture is in its factory reset state and enables setting to the factory reset state. Press on the field
and confirm yes to perform a factory reset. This is an optional RDM field and is not supported by many fixtures.
Cable Index
This field is reserved for indicating cable index in systems that support DMX cable index identification.
Sel PID
This field shows the value of the selected PID as selected on Soft Button X.

To further configure the manufacturer parameter PIDs of each connected RDM device, put the cursor on the required device and
press VIEW PIDS.
Note that The DISCOVER ALL command requests Art-Net nodes to perform a flush of their RDM table of devices (TOD) and
to then perform a discovery of all currently connected devices. In some cases it may be useful to just retrieve the table off devices
without forcing a new discovery - in this case press SHIFT + GET TOD ALL. .
MagicQ User Manual 309 / 579

30.4.2 Auto addressing

Press the AUTO ADDRESS soft button to automatically address all the fixtures in the list, starting at 1 and incrementing based
on the channel count of each fixture.

Where there are devices from more than one universe the devices on each universe will be addressed starting at 1.

30.4.3 Restore addressing

Once a DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO has been performed on a lighting rig, MagicQ stores the RDM address and mode for
each fixture with its unique UUID in the show file. This is maintained in the show file through subsequent loads and saves of that
show file.
At any time a lighting rig can be restored to a known state from a MagicQ show file.
First in Net Manager perform a DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO to get the addresses and mode of the RDM devices. Check
that all the expected devices have been detected.
Then press SHIFT + RESTORE ADDRESS and select a show file to load the RDM information from. MagicQ loads the RDM
data from that show file and readdresses the RDM fixtures to the mode and address from that show file. Note that MagicQ only
loads the RDM information from that show file, it does not load or change any other data in your show.
When setting up a new venue, or a new lighting rig that uses RDM when the configuration is complete it is recommended to
DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO for the complete rig and save the MagicQ show file with a name such as "VenueRDM.shw"
which can then be used in the future to restore the lighitn rig to the correct RDM state.

30.4.4 Identifying devices

The RDM identify command forces a fixture to identify itself. This is usually a flashing white light or continuous pan, tilt and
colour scroll. This allows you to match up the devices you are seeing in the VIEW RDM window with physical devices on the
lighting rig, similar to the Head Test feature in the Patch window.
In the VIEW RDM window, press soft button C, RDM Test, and use the cursor keys to scroll up and down the list of devices.
The device at the cursor will be sent the RDM identify message and highlighted red to show it is in test mode.

30.4.5 Sensors

Sensor information for the RDM device at the cursor is displayed at the top of the window and is continually refreshed. If the
device is able to report multiple sensors then they are all shown.

30.4.6 Auto patching

Pressing the PATCH RDM HEAD soft button will patch the RDM device at the cursor into the show, using its current DMX
address and mode.
Press SHIFT and PATCH ALL RDM soft button to patch everything in the list.
MagicQ User Manual 310 / 579

This tries to find a matching head file using the ESTA Manufacturer ID, Device Model ID and mode. If this fails it tries to match
the manufacturer and model descriptions and channel count.
To improve the accuracy of the auto patching feature, you can add in the RDM information into the head file using the head
editor. In the General View there is

ESTA manufacturer ID (hex)

This is a four digit hexadecimal number which uniquely identifies the manufacturer of the fixture. This can be found by
taking the first four digits of the UID (e.g. in the VIEW RDM window image above, the UID of the first fixture is 21A4-
A30810F6 so the ESTA ID is 21A4, which will be the same for all Chauvet fixtures). A complete list can be found on the
ESTA website.
RDM device model ID (hex)
This is a four digit hexadecimal number which uniquely identifies the model for this manufacturer. It can be found in the
Device Model ID column or in the manual. In this example, device model ID 00AE will be the same for all Chauvet Rogue
R1 FX-B fixtures.

RDM personality number

This is a decimal number which represents the mode/personality reported by RDM. This can be found in the Per column
and must be 1 or higher.

The ESTA Manufacturer ID, Device Model ID and Personality number are all reported by the fixture over RDM and together can
be used to match a specific head file. You should not have more than one head file with all three of these fields the same.

30.4.7 Creating Heads from RDM data

MagicQ has an extensive personality library which covers nearly all fixtures. MagicQ personality library has very detailed
modelling of fixtures including gobo icons and physical dimensions.
MagicQ User Manual 311 / 579

RDM optionally allows fixtures to provide basic reporting of attribute allocation enabling MagicQ to create a basic new person-
ality which can be then used to patch the head.
Put the cursor on the required device and press CREATE HEAD to create a new personality. The name of the personality will be
based on the Manufacturer, Model and Mode fields reported by the RDM device.
Note that creating heads is only possible if the RDM device supports the RDM SLOT_INFO PID.

30.4.8 Manual Repatch

MagicQ provides shortcuts for repatching a lighting rig RDM compliant fixtures in it.
There are two options - Readdress physical fixtures and Repatch show to fixtures.

30.4.8.1 Readdress physical fixtures

This is used when you want to change the addresses on the physical fixtures in the venue to match your show file - for example,
when setting up a lighting rig for the first time where the fixtures have not yet been addressed.
Readdressing physical fixtures does not change the Patch information or any of your programming in your show - instead it uses
RDM commands to change the address and mode of the physical fixtures, just as if you were changing them on the fixture control
panel.
First press DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO to get the RDM information for the RDM compliant fixtures in the lighting rig.
Then press MANUAL REPATCH and select Readdress physical fixtures. "RDM Readdr" will flash in the status window under
the clock whilst RDM Readdr mode is in operation.
In RDM Readdr mode the fixture at the cursor in Net Manager is automatically tested (identified) to identify the fixture in the
physical lighting rig.
Use the NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD buttons to move to different fixtures in the lighting rig. Note that the NEXT HEAD and
PREV HEAD buttons are not used to select heads whilst in RDM Readdr mode.
To readdress a RDM fixture to match a head in your show use one of the normal MagicQ head selection operations - either:

• Enter the head number - e.g. for head 10 type 10 @ @

• Select the head in Group, View Heads

• Select the head in the Plot Window
• Select the head in the Output Window, View Grid

• In the Patch Window, move cursor to a Head and press ENTER.

The RDM device will be readdressed and set to the mode of the selected head in the MagicQ show.
Use NEXT HEAD or PREV HEAD to change to another RDM fixture, and then select the head in the MagicQ show to readdress
this fixture to.
When all readdressing has been done press the END READDRESS button in the Net Manager.

30.4.8.2 Repatch show to fixtures

This is used when you want to change your show data to match the DMX addresses and modes of the physical fixtures in the
venue - for example, when touring and visiting a venue with a fixed lighting rig.
Repatch show to fixtures does not change the address, mode or any other parameters of the physical fixtures - instead it morphs
your show file to the physical fixtures and repatches the addresses to match the physical rig.
First press DISCOVER ALL and GET INFO to get the RDM information for the RDM compliant fixtures in the lighting rig.
MagicQ User Manual 312 / 579

Then press MANUAL REPATCH and select Repatch show to fixtures. "RDM Repatch" will flash in the status window under the
clock whilst RDM Repatch mode is in operation.
In RDM Repatch mode the fixture at the cursor in Net Manager is automatically tested (identified) to identify the fixture in the
physical lighting rig.
Use the NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD buttons to move to different fixtures in the lighting rig. Note that the NEXT HEAD and
PREV HEAD buttons are not used to select heads whilst in RDM Repatch mode.
To repatch a head in your show to use the physical fixture select that head using one of the normal MagicQ head selection
operations - either:

• Enter the head number - e.g. for head 10 type 10 @ @

• Select the head in Group, View Heads
• Select the head in the Plot Window
• Select the head in the Output Window, View Grid
• In the Patch Window, move cursor to a Head and press ENTER.

The head in the MagicQ Patch will be morphed to the RDM fixture, and it will be moved to the DMX address that the RDM
device reported.
Use NEXT HEAD or PREV HEAD to change to another RDM fixture, and then select the head in the MagicQ show to repatch
for this fixture.
When all repatching has been done press the END REPATCH button in the Net Manager.

30.4.9 Background Check

Use soft button F to enable background RDM checking. When Background Check is on, MagicQ performs a RDM discovery
every 60 seconds to detect RDM devices and get their info.
When Background Check is off, MagicQ only performs RDM discovery when requested by pressing the DISCOVER ALL
button.
Note that Background RDM checking requires a lot of RDM traffic, particularly on larger lighting rigs or with complex fixtures,
which may slow down DMX refresh rates.

30.4.10 Auto Patch

Auto Patch enables a lighting rig to be detected and patched automatically. It also enables the show to be updated if any devices
have had their address or mode changed.
Use soft button Y to enable RDM auto patching. When Auto Patch is on, then Background Check is automatically turned on.
When Auto Patch is on, MagicQ performs a background discovery and patches any new devices that it had not previously
encountered in the show using the current device mode . If MagicQ determines that devices that it had previously auto patched
have changed DMX address or mode then MagicQ will change the DMX address or mode of the patched Head in the show.
Note that MagicQ does not remove Heads from the Patch if devices are not detected - this ensures that the show programming is
maintained. If devices are permanently removed from the lighting rig then they must be manually unpatched from the show.

30.4.11 Rig Lock

Rig Lock enables a lighting rig to be locked so that users cannot change the DMX address or modes of fixtures.
Use soft button X to enable RDM Rig Lock. When Rig Lock is on, then Background Check is automatically turned on.
When Rig Lock is on, MagicQ performes a background discovery and checks any devices found. If the device address or mode
has been changed then MagicQ sends a RDM command to return the device to the address and mode from its show file.
Rig Lock takes priority over Auto Patch. Generally Auto Patch should be set to off when Rig Lock is in use.
MagicQ User Manual 313 / 579

30.4.12 VIEW PIDS

RDM fixtures support parameters referred to as PIDs. Parameters can be "Get" - i.e read only, "Set", i.e. set only, or "Get and
Set".
All RDM fixtures must support the parameters used for discovering the device, identifying the device and setting the DMX start
address.
In the VIEW PIDS all the PIDs that the device reports that it supports are shown. For each parameter there is an ID (as defined
by the RDM specification), a description and the current value.
Standard PIDs have IDs in the range 0x0001 to 0x7FFF. Manufacturer specific PIDs are in the range 0x8000 to 0xFFDF.
The Size, Data Type, Min, Max, Type, Default, Unit and Prefix fields give more information about the particular parameter.
For parameters that are "Set" or "Get and Set" the Value field can be set. Enter a new value on the keyboard to change the value.
Press REFRESH PIDS to reload the PIDs from the device.
The GET SLOTS and LOG RDM soft buttons are used for testing RDM fixtures. Press GET SLOTS to force MagicQ to get
the DMX Slot information (fixture attribute information) from the RDM device. LOG RDM writes all the details that have been
retrieved from the RDM device including the general info, modes, slot info and PIDs to the file "rdm.csv" in the log folder.
Press COPY PID to copy the PID that the cursor is on to all devices of the same type. Press SHIFT + COPY ALL PIDs to copy
all PIDs to all devices of the same type.

30.5 VIEW LYNTEC

MagicQ supports remote control and monitoring of up to 10 separate Lyntec relay or motorised break control devices.
MagicQ supports individual zone control on the 12 Lyntec zones, or individual circuit control on up to 168 breakers / relays per
Lyntec device.
In Net Manger the VIEW LYNTEC enables configuration of connections to Lyntec devices and monitoring and changing of
status of Zones on the Lyntec devices.
Connection to each Lyntec device is via TCP/IP. MagicQ stores an IP address, user name and password to connect to for up to
10 Lyntec devices.
When connected, the Zone information shows the Zone name and status for each Zone. The status is On, Off or Processing.
Pressing ENTER when the status in On changes the status to Off. Pressing ENTER when the status is Off changes the status to
On.
In Net Manger the VIEW LYNTEC CHANS enables monitoring and changing of individual breaker or relay channels on the
Lyntec devices.
When connected, the channel name and status is shown for each channel. The status is On, Off, Tripped, Faulty or Empty.
Pressing ENTER when the status in On changes the status to Off. Pressing ENTER for status of Off or Tripped status will
attempt to change the status to On.
Lyntec devices can be controlled automatically from MagicQ uses Automs in the Automation window and Cue Stack Macros.
MagicQ User Manual 314 / 579

Chapter 31

Remote Device Management (RDM)

31.1 Introduction

Remote Device Management (RDM) is an extension to the DMX512 protocol that allows a lighting console to detect all the
RDM-enabled lighting fixtures plugged into a DMX line, and remotely change their settings (e.g. DMX address and mode).
RDM-enabled fixtures can co-exist with older non-RDM fixtures. RDM uses the same pair of wires in the DMX cable as regular
DMX, avoiding the need to replace any cabling. If you are using DMX splitters this will stop RDM from working unless the
splitters are RDM aware.
Currently MagicQ MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ250M consoles and Mini Connect, Compact Connect, Stadium Connect along with
MagicDMX Full support RDM via direct DMX ports.
All MagicQ consoles support RDM over Art-Net with network nodes that support this function.
In MagicQ RDM Fixtures are viewed, configured, and patched in the Net Manager - go to Setup, View DMX I/O, Net Manager.
MagicQ User Manual 315 / 579

Chapter 32

Networking of MagicQ systems

Multiple MagicQ consoles can be used together on a single network – either to allow control of many different heads, remote
control or to provide master/slave configurations.
MagicQ supports synchronisation (tracking) of Playback & Programmer between consoles to enable one or more consoles to
follow the playback state of the master console.
MagicQ supports synchronising of show file data between consoles so that one console on the network acts as a master console
with the master show file whilst slave consoles synchronise to that show data. Programming changes can be made on any of the
consoles with the show file on the master being updated and then all other systems synchronised to the master.
MagicQ enables multiple consoles to be used on a network and shows on the separate consoles to be merged together and split up
again. Zoning of universes enables consoles to be working on different universes all within the same network. MagicQ supports
programming of a single show file from multiple consoles. MagicQ does not currently support programming by multiple users
on a single console.
MagicQ supports automated copying of shows between consoles – for example to automatically keep a slave console updated
with the same show that is running on the master console. This function can also be used as an "archiving system" to enable a
PC to automatically grab the shows from the consoles on the network for back-up purposes.
MagicQ PC/Mac systems have reduced multi console support. Shows files can be synchronised, but syncing of playbacks is
restricted to the main playbacks only. Other playback banks are not synced. For full show backup we recommend the use of two
full consoles.

32.1 Network addresses and host names

All devices on the network, including MagicQ consoles and PCs, must have a unique IP address and host name. On MagicQ
consoles the IP address and host name are configured in Setup, View Settings, Network. On PCs, a static IP address must be
created in the control panel of the operating system you are using (Windows, Mac or Linux), then the same IP address set in
MagicQ SETUP, VIEW SETTINGS, Network.
MagicQ MQ50,MQ70 & MQ250M consoles ship from ChamSys with a randomised 10.X.X.X IP address, MagicQ MQ80 and
MQ500(M) ship with a fixed 2.9.200.176 IP Address. On all consoles the default IP address can be user configured.
For example, a typical network with two MQ70 consoles and a SnakeSys B4 node might look like this:
MagicQ User Manual 316 / 579

32.1.1 Setting IP addresses on a PC

The exact method will depend on the version of Windows.

On Windows 10, open the start menu, search for "View network connections".

This will open a window with a list of network interfaces, including any wired, wireless and virtual interfaces.
Identify the ethernet interface you are using for lighting, right click on it and select Properties. Choose Internet Protocol
Verision 4 (TCP/IP) and click on Properties.
MagicQ User Manual 317 / 579

A dialog box will appear with the title Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) properties.

Choose "Use the following IP address". Enter the IP address (e.g. 2.0.0.10) and the Subnet mask (e.g. 255.0.0.0). The default
gateway can usually be left blank. Click Ok then Ok.

32.1.2 Setting IP addresses on a Mac

Click on the network/wifi symbol in the top right taskbar, and select Network Preferences. . . .
Click on the the wired ethernet interfaces you are using for lighting. Change Configure IPv4 to Manually. Set the IP Address
and Subnet Mask, the Router can be left blank.
MagicQ User Manual 318 / 579

32.2 Checking IP addresses - Ping Test

MagicQ includes a ping test for resolving network problems. At the command line type ping followed by the IP address, e.g. to
test network connection to IP address 2.0.0.3
ping 2.0.0.3
There is a short cut for use on the console keypad - enter three dots and then the IP address (no space)
. . . 2.0.0.3
Entering just . . . will ping the last tried IP address.

32.3 Checking consoles on the network

To check which MagicQ consoles are on the network go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the Network tab.

32.4 Grabbing shows from other consoles

It is possible to grab a show that is running on another console onto the current console. Press the Grab Show soft button in the
View DMX I/O view of the Setup Window. Choose which console you wish to grab a show from. The show is copied from the
other console to the show folder on this console, and the show is loaded into memory.
Grabbing shows from other consoles requires "Enable remote access" in the Setup, View Settings, Network Settings to be enabled
on the consoles you are grabbing the show from.

32.5 Setting up Network Sessions

Network Sessions allows easy configuration of multiple MagicQ consoles in a network:

• A MagicQ console is made part of a network session by simply setting the Net Session Mode and choosing a Net Session ID
(0 is the default session).
• Within a network session only one MagicQ console is the Master, all others are Slaves to the Master console. Only the Master
console outputs universes (Art-Net/sACN/Pathport) on the network. All universes that have patched heads and are set to an
Output type of Art-Net, sACN or Pathport are controlled.
• It is possible at any time to change which console is the Master console by using the Take Control feature from the Slave
console.
• The Net Session Mode can be set to "Sync Auto Takeover" or "Sync Manual Takeover" – when set to "Sync Auto Takeover"
if the Master console fails then a Slave will automatically take over. In "Sync Manual Takeover" the user must manually use
Take Control - this it the recommended option.

Within a network session

MagicQ User Manual 319 / 579

• All Slaves are automatically synchronised to the show file from the Master console.
• All Slaves can take control of part of the output via the selective channel control feature.
• All Slaves can edit show data including Palettes, Cues and Cue Stacks on the Master console.

• All Slaves are automatically synchronised to the playback state of the Master console. Each Slave can choose to Inhibit PB
Sync, for example whilst programming.

It is possible to inhibit all network output from the consoles in the network session using the Inhibit All feature. All consoles
outputs within the network session are disabled. It is still possible to change Master but the outputs remain disabled.
When the Network Session Mode is enabled (set to Manual Takeover or Automatic Takeover) then it is not necessary to set up
any other settings relating to Hot Takeover, Playback Sync Type, Playback Sync IP, Playback Sync Port, Show Data Sync Type
or Show Data Sync – MagicQ sets this automatically within the network session.
In Net Sessions when a Slave syncs to the Master it configures its universes in DMX I/O to the same as the Master console. Only
universes that have one or more Heads patched on them will be modified - other universes will remain unchanged. These changes
only occur when the Slaves resync the whole show file from the Master. If users change Universe settings on a Master console
once in Net Settings then they must manually resync the Slaves.
Up to 10 MagicQ consoles can be in the same Net Session. Just set Net Session Mode and Net Session ID for all the consoles
you wish to be part of the session.

32.5.1 Manual Takeover

This is the recommended mode for Net Sessions.

The first console to start becomes the Master. In Setup, View DMX I/O, Take Control and Release Control can be used to swap
which console is the Master at any time. If you use Release Control, then you will need to also press Take Control on the other
console.
Once one console is Master on the network then any other consoles starting that were previously the Master will be demoted to
"Disabled". This protects in case a console has been accidentally connected to the network. To make them part of the network
session press "Release Control".

32.5.2 Auto Takeover

Auto Takeover is useful in unmanaged systems where there are no operators. Where there are operators then we recommend
using Manual Takeover to give the operators more control.
MagicQ User Manual 320 / 579

The first console to start becomes the Master. In Setup, View DMX I/O, Take Control and Release Control can be used to swap
which console is the Master at any time.
If the Master console stops for any reason then one of the Slave consoles will take over.
The Hot Takeover Fade Type can be set to Manual or Automatic. When set to Manual the operator has output is frozen until the
operator decides what new look to change to.
When set to Automatic, a gradual fade is made to the look set on the Playbacks – in this mode an operator will often put up a
"safe" state on the standby console which can be used if the main console has a problem.
With manual fade type when MagicQ determines that it should take over a universe it will load a snapshot of the last data from
that universe into its Programmer. The universe will be completely controlled from within the Programmer and not from the
Playbacks. The operator can then set up the playbacks as they wish and then clear the programmer to change to this new look.
Clearing the programmer with time enables the operator to specify a fade time to the new look.
With automatic fade type, MagicQ loads the snapshot of the last data from that universe into the Programmer and then automati-
cally clears the programmer using the hot-takeover fade time.
Since both options use the programmer, it is recommended that the programmer is kept clear on the standby console.

32.5.3 Net Sessions Master clash

If there is a Master clash on the network then MagicQ keeps the Master that has been running the longest and demotes all other
Master consoles to Slaves.
If Net Sessions is set to "Manual Takeover" then Masters are demoted to "Disabled" instead of "Slave". A flashing warning is
shown in the Status Window. In the "Disabled" mode the console does not output on the network and does not try to sync the
show to a Master. The user can then decide whether to "Take Control" or "Release Control" on that console.
When a Master is demoted to Slave or Disabled, MagicQ saves a copy of the show file that was running on the Master using the ex-
isting show file name but with the "_swap" appended to the end before the file extension .shw - for example "myshow_swap.shw".
If the Master show file gets lost then the original show file can be recovered by reloading the "_swap" file from the original Master
and saving as a new file name. In order to prevent MagicQ repeatedly overwriting the "_swap" file with invalid data from the
Slave, it only saves the file if it is at least 60 seconds since it was last demoted to Slave.
To make a "Disabled" console part of the network session, press "RELEASE CONTROL" on that console.
MagicQ User Manual 321 / 579

32.5.4 Inhibit Outputs

It is possible to inhibit all the outputs within the network session so that none of the consoles within the network session output
onto the network – for example if a "guest" console is in use.
In Setup, View DMX I/O press the INHIBIT OUTPUTS soft button. Outputs will continue to be inhibited even if the Master
console changes. When UNINHIBIT OUTPUTS soft button is pressed the Master Console within the network session will
resume outputiing.

32.6 Multi Console Programming

Within a network session MagicQ supports programming of one show from multiple MagicQ consoles / MagicQ PC systems on
the network.

Multi programming enables multiple consoles to access one show file held on the master console with all consoles being able
to make changes to that show file. MagicQ ensures that the slave consoles are synchronised to the master console show data.
Updates from any console are synchronised across the network.
When synchronised the consoles have the same show data, however they still operate as separate consoles with a separate
programmer.
Recording and updating of Groups, Palettes, FX, Cues, Cue Stacks, Macros, and Grids will be synchronised between the consoles.
Note however that changes to the Patch must be made on the master console and they will clear any programmer information on
the slave consoles.

32.6.1 Users in Net Sessions

From v1.9.0.2 show settings are automatically synchronised between consoles in a Net Session whenever a setting is changed -
previously the Slaves would only be updated on startup / resync.
The exception is when Users are in operation and then if the current user does not match between consoles and the current user
has the user option set to Load Settings. In this case maintains its own settings, and updates from other consoles are ignored.
When a user has the option set to Load Settings then when changing to that user (or logging in as that user from a Slave console)
the following user specific settings will be reloaded from the state when the user last logged in:

• Setup show settings

• Layout page (the Layouts are shared between all users, but each user can choose to view a different Layout Page from the 144
Layouts)

• The previous window layout

• The previous Programmer state (unless operating with Programmer Sync between all consoles)
MagicQ User Manual 322 / 579

32.6.2 Checking Slave synchronisation

The status of the slave synchronisation is shown in the status bar. Initially the status window will show "NoCon" with a red
background.

Once the Slave has a connection to the Master over the network (but not yet synchronised) it will show "NoSync".

Once synchronised it will show "Sync":

It is possible to force a show slave to resynchronise by holding the left and right cursor keys and pressing SET. It is also possible
to resync by restarting or soft resetting the show slave console.

32.7 Selective Channel Control

Selective channel control enables Slave consoles to select and control different channels on the master consoles outputs. This
allows any console on the network to take control of a set of channels in the lighting rig.
With selective channel control the slave consoles send their output data to the show master and then the show master merges the
data from all the slaves onto its outputs.

32.7.1 Selecting which console controls which channels

MagicQ allows different ways of selecting which of the output channels are controlled from which console on the network –
selected channels, active channels, groups of channels, universes and universe zones. MagicQ defaults to the Master console
having control of all the channels.
Slaves request control of output channels using the Setup, View DMX I/O, Multi Prog Select soft button.
Note that the Slave can still program channels that it does not have control of - but it will not have control of the output to the
physical fixtures.
MagicQ User Manual 323 / 579

None The Slave does not control any channels.

One Head The Slave controls the first selected head only. If Next
Head is used to sub select heads then the first sub selected
head is controlled.
Selected The Slave controls the currently selected heads. When no
heads are selected, none are controlled.
Programmer The Slave controls all channels that are active in the
programmer.
Active The Slave controls all channels that are active in the
programmer or on its playbacks.
Last Active Each console controls the channels that it was the last
console to change in the programmer. Also for last
executed on playbacks when not in playback sync.
User The Slave controls all the channels allowed as the current
User
Group The Slave controls the group that was selected when this
option was chosen.
Uni Zones The Slave controls selected universe zones (as set up in
DMX I/O)
Universes The Slave controls selected universes
All The Slave controls all channels

When multiple slaves are in use then different slaves can control different channels on the lighting rig. If the same channel is
requested by multiple slaves then the latest selection will take precedence. The show slave shows the multiple control method in
the status bar – e.g. for selected heads it shows "CC-Sel".

When the slave has no channels under control it shows "CC-None".

At any time the Master can take control of all channels using the Setup, View DMX I/O, Multi Prog Select soft button. When
the Master is controlling all channels then it shows "MCC" in the status bar. When some channels are under control by a slave
console then it shows "SCC".
MagicQ User Manual 324 / 579

32.8 Restricted Features on Slave consoles

Most MagicQ functions can be accessed from both Master and Slave consoles.
Load Show, New Show and Import Show are not supported on Slave consoles. Users can only be configured on the Master
console.
Prior to version 1.9.2.2 Slaves could not perform any Patch operations. From version 1.9.2.2 Multi Console operation has been
enhanced to enable all Patch operations from Slave consoles with a few exceptions. The following operations are not currently
supported on Slave consoles:

• Morph Heads
• Clone Heads
• Copy Head Programming
• Auto Groups and Auto Renumber Heads
• Import/Export Heads / USITT

32.9 Playback Sync modes

There are four Playback Sync Slave options which control whether the playback state of the Slave is synchronised with the
Master.
In Setup, View Settings, Multi Console the options for "Playback Sync Slave mode" are "PB sync", "Inbibit, sync on swap",
"Inhibit PB sync" and "PB Sync, multi control".
In "PB sync" mode the Slave playback state is always synced to the Master. It is not possible to change playback state (such as
page, activation/release state, level of Playbacks) on the Slave.
In "PB sync, multi control" mode the Slave playback state is always synced to the Master. The playback state (such as page,
activation/release state, level of Playbacks) can be changed from Master or Slave consoles.
In "Inhibit PB sync" mode the Slave playback state is never synced to the Master. If the Slave becomes Master then the playback
state will not be changed - this allows for example a safe state to be set on the Slave console which is not synced to the Master
playback state.
In "Inhibit, sync on swap" mode the Slave playback state is not synced to the Master whilst it is a Slave. If it gets promoted to be
the Master then it will sets its playback state to the last received state from the original Master.
Note that MagicQ PC systems will only sync playbacks when a MagicQ Wing or Interface is connected, and then only Playbacks
1 to 10. When a PC Wing or Maxi Wing is connected to PC in addition to a Rack Mount dongle then Playbacks 1-34 are
supported. When a Stadium Connect is conncted then Playbacks 1 to 30 are supported.
There is no limit to the Playback sync between MagicQ consoles.

32.10 Programmer Sync Modes

By default each console in Net Sessions has a separate Programmer. Any changes in the Programmer on the Master are com-
pletely independent to changes in the Programmer on the Slave. Each console can record, and update different Cues indepen-
dently.
The Programmer Sync Mode option can be set to enable synchronisation of Programmers. To use Programmer Sync Mode
the Master console must have Programmer Sync Mode set to "Sync Programmers". Each Slave Console that should have its
Programmer synced with the Master must also have its Programmer Sync Mode set to "Sync Programmers".
Where Net Sessions is in use with more than two consoles it is allowed that one or more Slaves use "Sync Programmers" and
other Slaves operate independently.
MagicQ User Manual 325 / 579

A Slave can be changed in and out of Programmer Sync at any time by changing the "Sync Programmers" option. When enabling
"Sync Programmers" the Programmer of the Slave will be overidden with the entire contents of the Master consoel programmer.
When disabling "Sync Programmers" the contents of the Slave programmer will be unchanged - but will no longer be synced
with the Master programer.
There are key shortcuts: hold the CURSOR LEFT and CURSOR RIGHT keys down. Then press * to turn on Programmer Sync.
Press / to turn off Programmer Sync.
When a Slave is in programmer sync then its programmer will always be synced with the master and therefore any changes will
go direct to the output. For this reason selective channel control is generally not required when running in programmer sync.

32.10.1 Include from Other Console

When in Net Sessions with separate programmers for each console (no programmer sync) it is possible to Include the Programmer
from any of the consoles in the net session into any other console in the Net Session.
Press CTRL and INCLUDE. MagicQ shows a dialog box with each of the other the consoles in the Net Session. Select a console
to include the programmer from that console.
It is possible to only include selected heads or selected attributes from another console. Press SHIFT + INCLUDE to open
the Include Options. Then press SELECTED ONLY and/or choose attributes before pressing the new INCLUDE OTHER
CONSOLE soft button. MagicQ then shows the console selection dialog box as above.
The Include Other Consoles is also available from the Include Options toolbar. Toolbars are shown when Setup, View Settings,
Windows, Always Show Record Options is set.
When operating with Programmer Sync the programmers are already synced so Include from Other Console is not required.
Include from Other Console is only available when in Net Sessions as the show files must be synced on the consoles to ensure
the Patch is the same.

32.11 Universe Zoning

MagicQ supports Uni Zones for controlling multiple rooms / areas in a venue. In Setup, View DMX/IO each Universe can be
allocated to a Uni Zone, and then all the Universes in a Uni Zone can be controlled together – e.g. for enabling / disabling of a
Uni Zone.
Special items in the Execute Window to enable easy control of Uni Zones, including enabling and disabling Uni Zones and
setting and clearing hot takeover in a Uni Zone. This allows complete control of a multi-room system directly from the Execute
Window without users needing to access the Setup Window.

32.12 Inter Console Messaging

It is possible to trigger message boxes from Cues in a Cue Stack. Simply add a comment field to the Cue in the Cue Stack starting
with a !. When this Cue executes the message box will be shown.
In Setup, View Settings, View Windows there is a new option, Message Window. This specifies where the message box is shown
(main screen, external screen 1, external screen 2) and whether a network message is sent to other consoles.
Setting "Net Only" results in messages only being sent over the network, not shown on the console where the Cue executed.
By default the message box shows immediately for 5 seconds and then closes. The delay before the message box shows and the
time it stays visible can be set using parameters in between the !.
!<delay>,<show length>!
!10!Hello World // Delay for 10 seconds before showing message
!10,20!Hello World // Delay for 10 seconds and show message box for 20 seconds
!0,0!Hello World // Show message and do not close message box
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If the comment starts with a !! instead of a ! then the console does an alert as well as showing the message. The alert flashes the
main screen intensity and the console lamps to try to get the operators attention.
Messages can be sent directly from the keyboard by entering text starting with a ! or a !!.

32.13 Control network

The control net is a secondary network interface. It must have a different, non-overlapping IP address and subnet mask to the
primary network.
The control net is more restricted; things such as Art-Net and sACN will not be useable, however it can be used with the remote
app, 10Scene app, remote control and SMB file access.
This provides isolation from the broadcast-heavy traffic of Art-Net, and is ideal for connecting a wireless access point for using
the MagicQ Remote App. It can also be used to connect the console to a wide area network (WAN), or the internet.
Although the control net is restricted, there are still unauthenticated protocols available through it. It must be connected to a
trusted network with appropriate firewalls and security measures. See the network security section for more information.

32.13.1 Configuring

Control net is available on consoles through either a dedicated ethernet port (where available), or a USB to ethernet adaptor.
If using a USB adaptor, plug this into the console. Go to the Net tab in Setup, View Settings, View Status. If a MAC address
appears under Control IP, then the adaptor is ready to use.
Go to Setup, View Settings, Network. Control net mode can be set to one of three options:

• Static IP - manually configure the IP address

• Dynamic (DHCP client) - automatically configure the IP address
• DHCP Server - same as Static IP, but also run a DHCP server to automatically issue IP addresses to other devices on the
network

The Gateway address setting can be used for either the primary network or the control net. Set this to the address of the router
if communicating with a WAN or the internet.
In Dynamic mode, go to the Net tab in Setup, View SEttings, View System, View Status to see what IP address has been assigned.
The IP addresses and subnets used for the primary network, control net and wifi must not overlap. A sensible setting for the
control net would be 192.168.250.10, 255.255.255.0. See the top of this chapter for a list of allowed IP address ranges.
The Control net firewall setting can be used to restrict incoming network traffic. If set to Allow Remote only, then only MagicQ
Remote app and remote control can connect to the console via control net. If set to Block all, then all incomming connections
are blocked (although the console can make outgoing connections to other devices).

32.13.2 Compatibility

Important
The Control net mode and Control net firewall settings, and USB ethernet support, require version 1.9.1.0 minimum.

• Control net via built-in ethernet port:

– Old MQ70
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• Control net via USB to ethernet adaptor (version 1.9.1.0 minimum):

– MQ50
– MQ70
– MQ80*
– MQ250M
– MQ500 + MQ500M

*The MQ80 will also need a Linux Kernel upgrade - follow these steps.
All other consoles do not support control net.
MagicQ PC does not support the control net setting, however some protocols (e.g. remote app) will still work over multiple
network interfaces, even if not chosen in the Primary IP setting.
These USB to ethernet adaptors have been tested, however many other adaptors will also work:

• UGreen USB 2.0 to 100Mbit ethernet

• UGreen USB 3.0 to Gigabit ethernet

• uni USB 3.0 to Gigabit ethernet
• Amazon Basics USB 2.0 to 100Mbit ethernet
• deleyCon USB 2.0 to 100Mbit
MagicQ User Manual 328 / 579

Chapter 33

Manual configuration of Multi Console operation

We recommend you use network sessions to control hot take-over, show synchronisation and playback synchronisation as this
provides much simpler and automatic configuration.
When interworking with 3rd party console, or setting up install systems with emergency hot takeover it can be configured
manually as below.

33.1 Manual configuration of Hot take-over

Hot take-over allows the use of multiple consoles in case a console stops working. Hot take-over can be used in two ways -
depending on what you wish to happen when the main console becomes available again.
In "Preferred mode" only one of the consoles (or MagicQ PCs) on the network is designated as a back up. All the universes on
the console are set to "Hot take-over". Whenever there is no received DMX traffic on the network for a particular universe, the
back-up console starts sending data for that universe. As soon as data reappears, the back-up console stops sending data.

In "Equal mode" all consoles on the network are set to "Hot take-over". At any one time, one of the consoles will run as the
master, with all universes enabled. If that console fails, one of the others will take over. It is recommended that you set the "Hot
take-over detect time" to different values on each of the consoles to avoid conflict conditions.
The first console to start is the Master and outputs. The other console becomes the Slave.

33.1.1 Hot Takeover Mode

Hot Takeover Mode is set in Setup, View Settings, Multi Console. The options are:
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Manual User Takes control and Release control as required.

Pref Master Console will always be Master
Pref Slave Console will only be Master if another console is not
detected
Equal Both consoles have same priority
Split Universes controlled independently. (default)
Inhibit All MagicQ consoles on the network disable their outputs.
Used to enable 3rd party consoles to output on the network.

For all modes it is still necessary to set up Setup, View DMX I/O so that all universes that you wish to use as Hot Takeover have
their Output and Input universes and type set correctly.

When you set a universe to "Hot Takeover" you must ensure that Input is enabled on that Universe and that it is set to the correct
type and universe number – generally the Input should be set up the same as the Output.
When using "Hot take-over" on MagicQ PC, ensure that the IP address of MagicQ PC (set up in Setup Window, View Settings)
is set to the valid IP address of the network you are using. If this setting is incorrect then Hot Takeover will not work correctly.
Preferred Mode
Setting one console to Preferred Master and the other to Preferred Slave operates a Master/Slave mode whereby one console will
always be the Master, with the other console only taking control when that Preferred Master console is not available (shutdown,
reset, disconnected from the network). As soon as the Preferred Master restarts or is connected back on the network then it will
take control and the Preferred Slave will stop outputting.
All required universes on both consoles should be set to Hot Takeover.
Equal Mode
Setting both consoles to Equal operates a Master/Slave mode whereby both Consoles have the same precedence. The first console
to start becomes the Master. Take Control and Release Control can be used to swap which console is the Master.
All Universes are treated the same – enabling / disabling together. For systems which require hot takeover to operate indepen-
dently on different Universes the Split mode should be used.
If the network cable between the consoles is broken then neither console will see the other console and both will become Master.
If one of the consoles is still connected to the lighting rig then it will have control – both consoles will not be connected to the
lighting rig – otherwise the consoles would see each other.
When the network between the consoles is reconnected then both consoles will detect the other consoles at the same instance.
The console with the lower IP address will become the Master.
All required universes on both consoles should be set to Hot Takeover.
Split Mode
This mode makes the consoles operate as in previous version of software. Set Hot Takeover in Setup, View DMX I/O for the
required Universes.
To make a single system a backup for another system set the universes to Hot Takeover only on the slave console. For a
Master/Slave system with equal precedence, set the universes to Hot Takeover on both systems.
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33.1.2 Hot take-over type

The hot take-over type can be set to manual or automatic. When set to manual the output is frozen until the operator decides
what new look to change to. In automatic, a gradual fade is made to the look set on the Playbacks – in this mode an operator will
often put up a "safe" state on the standby console which can be used if the main console has a problem.
In manual mode, when MagicQ determines that it should take over a universe it will load a snapshot of the last data from
that universe into its Programmer. The universe will be completely controlled from within the Programmer and not from the
Playbacks. The operator can then set up the playbacks as they wish and then clear the programmer to change to this new look.
Clearing the programmer with time enables the operator to specify a fade time to the new look.
In automatic mode, MagicQ loads the snapshot of the last data from that universe into the Programmer and then automatically
clears the programmer using the hot-takeover fade time.
Since both options use the programmer, it is recommended that the programmer is kept clear on the standby console.

33.1.3 Swapping control between multiple consoles

In Equal Mode, a console that is set to "Hot take-over" can be forced to control all universes using the "TAKE CONTROL" soft
button. This will force an immediate change of control from one console to the other.
Similarly, control can be given to another console using the "RELEASE CONTROL" soft button. This will force the other
console to take control, and depending on the hot take-over options will enable a controlled fade to the new console outputs.
Note that the "TAKE CONTROL" and "RELEASE CONTROL" are only active when one or more universes are set to "Hot
take-over".
When universes on MagicQ consoles are set to hot-takeover then the current Master / Slave status is shown in the Status Display
underneath the date and time.
Note that a MagicQ console is considered a Master if any of the universes that are configured as a hot takeover universe are
currently enabled and hence outputting to the network. A MagicQ console is considered a Slave if all universes that are configured
as hot takeover universes are currently disabled – the console is not outputting to the network on these universes.

33.1.4 Emergency Hot Takeover

MagicQ includes an Emergency Hot Takeover feature that forces all universes to output the data from itself rather than from
received data from other consoles.
When MagicQ enters Emergency Hot Takeover, all universes set to Hot Takeover are immediately enabled and any looping
through of received Hot Takeover data is stopped.
When MagicQ leaves Emergency Hot Takeover, normal Hot Takeover will operate - the Hot Takeover Mode determining which
universes are controlled by which consoles.
Emergency Hot Takeover can be triggered from the Remote Input port.
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It can also be triggered from Automations (hence can be triggered from 10Scene input ports, MIDI, OSC, incoming DMX etc. . . )
Cue Stack Macro H 112, H 911 and H 999 can be used set Emergency Hot Takeover on and off.
ChamSys Remote Protocol Command 112 H, 911 H and 999 H can be used to set Emergency Hot Takeover on and off.
It can also be manually triggered from Setup, View DMX I/O with SHIFT + the top soft buttons EMERGENCY ON and
EMERGENCY OFF.
When using Emergency Hot Takeover and outputting over network to DMX nodes it is important that only the system where the
Emergency Hot Takeover is configured to output universes directly to the DMX nodes.
All other consoles on the network should output universes to the MagicQ system and then be looped through to the universes
of the DMX nodes as required. In Setup, View DMX I/O set Hot Takeover on the universes to "Yes, Loop". When using loop
through the Input and Output Universes should be set to different ranges in the Art-Net / sACN universe ranges.
To set a MagicQ system for Emergency Hot Takeover:
In Setup, View Settings, Multi Console

• Set Net Session Mode = None

• Set Hot Takeover Mode = Pref Slave or Split Universes
• Set Hot Takeover Fade Type = Automatic

In Setup, View DMX I/O

• Set Output Type and Output Uni to output to the required DMX nodes
• Set Input Type and Input Uni to a different universe range

• Set universes Takeover to "Yes, Loop"

Arrange that any other consoles on the network output to the different universe range
The Autom Type "Emergency" triggers when Emergency Hot Takeover is entered and left. This enables triggering of Playback-
s/Cues etc. . . dependent on the Emergency state.

33.2 Manual configuration of Playback synchronisation

It is possible to carry out basic synchronisation of two or more consoles during playback by using the ChamSys Remote protocol
– either via serial or Ethernet. Synchronisation can be set for individual playbacks, or for all 10 main playbacks. When the
playbacks faders are raised, playbacks Go, Back or Jump are pressed, the master console sends ChamSys Remote Protocol
commands to the slave consoles.
Synchronisation on MagicQ PC is only available when connected to a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ Interface.

33.2.1 Configuration

On all units that will be master units set the "Playback Sync type" option.
The Setup option "Playback Sync Type" has the options:

• None: No synchronisation information is sent

• Swap DBO Swap, DBO info only
• Page Page changes only

• Enhanced Playback Enhanced sync protocol (recommended)

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• Slave Slave (receive sync only)

• Wings Wing data only (no data is sent for PB1 to PB10)
• Obsolete (was Pb) Obsolete Playback info only mode

• Obsolete (was PB,Swap,DBO) Obsolete Playback, Swap, DBO mode

We strongly recommend you use Enhanced as this is more reliable on heavily loaded networks.
Therefore MaicQ systems can be set to track the playback exactly or just to honour DBO and Swap status. This means that, for
example, when using two consoles, one for generic lights and one intelligent lights – pressing a Swap button on one console will
affect both consoles.
It is possible to synchronise with other (non MagicQ) consoles or external computers that support ChamSys Remote Ethernet
Protocol.

33.2.2 Configuring which consoles Playback sync to which consoles

When there are multiple consoles on a network, it may be that consoles are controlling different network universes and therefore
there may be more than one master console sending synchronisation information on the network.
It is possible to set a MagicQ console to only accept synchronisation information from a particular console. In Multi Console
Settings, "Playback Sync IP" enter the IP address of the console to accept synchronisation from. A value of 0.0.0.0 indicates that
it will accept synchronisation from any console on the network.

33.3 Manual configuration of Show Data Synchronisation

From software version 1.5.9.4 we recommend you use network sessions – all consoles in the network session are automatically
configured for multi console programming. No further configuration is needed.
MagicQ supports show file synchronisation in a network. One console is designated as the "Master Prog" console which will
keep the master show file.
The synchronisation of show data is separate to synchronisation of show playback state and hot takeover. Regardless of which
console is actually controlling the universes the Master Prog console will remain in control of the master show file.
When a Slave Prog console starts or is reset it makes a connection to the Master Prog console and tries to synchronise to the
show master data. This consists of automatically grabbing the show data file from the show master and loading that show data
file into the show slave. Users can also request a resynchronise at any time.
MagicQ User Manual 333 / 579

Configure the master console by setting the multi console setting "Show data sync type" to "Master Prog".
On each of the slave consoles set the "Show data sync type" option to "Slave Prog" and set the "Show data sync IP" to the IP
address of the master show console.
There are hot keys on the slave consoles to enable and disable the show sync (as set up in Setup, View Settings, Multi Console).
Hold the left and right cursor keys and press ‘+’ to enable the show sync and hold left and right cursor keys and press ‘-‘ to
disable the show sync.
To turn off show synchronisation on the master console simply set the Show Data Sync Type to None.

33.4 Manual configuration of Selective Channel Control

We recommend you use network sessions to configure selective channel control. In a network session all slave consoles can
access channels from the master console by View DMX I/O, Multi Prog Select described in the next section.
If consoles are manually set up for multi programming by setting Show data sync to Master Prog and Slave Prog then selective
channel control is automatically enabled.
Selective channel control can also be used without multi programming. This gives slave consoles access to control part of a
lighting rig (e.g. for a technician to test some lights) but does not give them the ability to change any of the stored show data. To
configure this mode, set Show data sync type on the master to "Master Control" and on the slaves to "Slave Control."
Note that when network sessions are not in use, each console operates as a separate console in terms of the DMX I/O settings –
so for example if you were to enable the universes on each of the consoles then there would be a "fight" between the consoles.
Universes must be enabled / disabled manually on each console or set to hot takeover.

33.5 Automatic backing up of shows from other consoles

It is possible to set a MagicQ console or a MagicQ PC to automatically back up show files from one or more other consoles on
the network. Optionally, this console can be made to automatically run one of the shows.
Warning - if this option is configured incorrectly then your show files could get accidentally overwritten. Always back up your
show files to external media / computer systems.
In the Setup Window, View Settings, Multi Console configure the "Show sync type" option to "Archive".
MagicQ User Manual 334 / 579

When set to "Archive", MagicQ periodically checks for other consoles on the network and grabs the show files that are running
on those consoles. The show files are stored in the normal show folder.
When this feature is used to back-up multiple consoles, it is important that different show file names are used on each of the other
consoles – otherwise files from different consoles will overwrite each other on the back-up console.
Note that files will only be copied from consoles that have the "auto backup" option set to "yes" or "on changes". Files will not
be copied from consoles that do not have this set (e.g. when the playback mode is set to "Safe"). This avoids any performance
impact from copying of files from live consoles.
When set to "Show Sync" MagicQ copies the files as above. It will then load one of the shows that it has copied. If there are
multiple consoles on the network then it will always run the show file from the same console.
This feature can be used to back up show files from PCs running MagicQ PC as well as from consoles – these PCs must have the
drive where MagicQ is installed shared on the network (e.g. share C: as C).
MagicQ User Manual 335 / 579

Chapter 34

Remote control of MagicQ

MagicQ supports the remote control of other MagicQ consoles and PC/Mac systems. Any MagicQ console or any MagicQ PC
system can be controlled from any other MagicQ console or MagicQ PC system on the network. This enables complete remote
management of any system from any other system. The remote system appears exactly as if it were running on the local system.
Remote control over a VPN is supported subject to the VPN allowing UDP traffic on port 4910 and TCP traffic on port 4911.
Remote Control must be enabled on the console that is to be controlled – by default it is disabled. It can be enabled in Setup,
View Settings, Multi Console settings, Enable Remote Control.

34.1 MagicQ Remote Control (Windows/Mac/Linux)

When you install MagicQ on PC or Mac there is a MagicQ Remote Control option under the ChamSys menu that enables MagicQ
to run solely in remote control mode.
In remote control mode MagicQ acts only as a remote control system; it does not transmit any network traffic (such as lighting
protocols, Art-Net, ACN, Pathport etc. . . ) except for the control of the remote MagicQ system.
When you start up MagicQ in remote mode it will scan for MagicQ consoles on the network and give a list of the available
consoles to select from.
In the list is "Specify IP" to enable connection to a specific IP in case MagicQ is unable to detect the console - e.g. when using a
VPN.
To stop remote control of a MagicQ console aned exit click on "Quit".
To stop remote control of a MagicQ console and choose a different console press CTRL CLOSE.

34.2 Remote control from MagicQ

The remote control function can be accessed from MagicQ in Setup, View System, View Monitors. To control another MagicQ
press the Remote Control soft button. MagicQ then presents a list of all the other MagicQ consoles / MagicQ PC systems it can
find on the network and you can choose which one you wish to control.
MagicQ User Manual 336 / 579

If for any reason it cannot connect to the console you can abort the remote control by pressing the backspace ←- key, or by
pressing CTRL CLOSE.
You can tell which system you are controlling by looking at the system name in the Status Display (above PB1 to PB5). When
MagicQ is remote controlling another console it indicates "REM" at the start of this status line.
To end remote control of another system press CTRL 1 on the keyboard of the controlling system. Alternatively press QUIT or
CTRL CLOSE on the controlling system. The status line will change back to be the normal line without "REM".
When a remote system is under remote control it is still possible to control the system locally – the normal system interface is
still fully operational. We recommend that you only use one interface at a time – having two operators will cause confusion!
This function is only enabled when the target system (i.e. the one you wish to control) is a MagicQ console, or it is a MagicQ
PC system with a MagicQ PC Wing or MagicQ USB interface attached. There are no restrictions on the MagicQ system that you
use to control the remote system – for example, this can be MagicQ PC running on a wireless tablet.
You can specify a particular IP address to connect to by entering the IP address in the command line before pressing REMOTE
CONTROL or through the "Specify IP" option in the list of consoles.

34.3 iOS / Android Remote App

MagicQ systems can be used together with an Apple iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch or Android phone or tablet for remote control.
All MagicQ consoles support remote control. On MagicQ PC systems remote control support is only unlocked when connected
to a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ Interfaces (not MagicDMX).
In order to use the remote with a MagicQ console, connect an external wireless access point to the console via network cable.
Some consoles also have an inbuilt wireless access point which can be used instead or, when the app is simply being used as an
additional screen the mobile device can be connected directly to the console via an ethernet adaptor.
MagicQ User Manual 337 / 579
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The MagicQ Remote application can be downloaded free of charge from the Apple App Store. For Android it can be downloaded
free of charge from the Google Play Store.
To enable support for the remote application, go to Setup, View Settings, Multi Console, set Enable remote control and Enable
remote access to "Enabled".
MagicQ User Manual 340 / 579

34.3.1 Setting up an access point

In order to use a wireless access point with MagicQ you must configure the access point with an SSID, password, IP address and
subnet mask.
Most access points have an inbuilt web server that enables configuration from a PC or Mac using a web browser. The web server
generally has a username and password - you will need to consult the instruction manual for your particular access point.
Access points usually default to a standard IP addess such as 192.168.1.1 and subnet mask of 255.255.255.0. Most acess points
have DHCP support - i.e. the access point will attempt to give out IP addresses to other computers on the network. DHCP may
be enabled or disabled by default depending on the type of access point. Consult the manual for your access point to determine
how to configure it.
In order for the wireless access point to work correctly with MagicQ, the access point should be in the same IP address range as
the MagicQ console / MagicQ PC/Mac.
For example, if the console is set to IP address 2.0.0.5 then the access point should have an IP address on the 2.0.0.x network
– e.g. 2.0.0.1. Note that many access points only support subnet masks of 255.255.255.0 instead of the normal Art-Net subnet
mask 255.0.0.0. This can be overcome by simply making sure that all your devices are on the same subnet – i.e. all devices have
a 2.0.0.x address.
The remote device (iOS/Android) should also have an IP address in the same range.
The access point can be set up with DHCP to provide a range of IP addresses to wireless devices - this removes the need to set
the IP address manually on the remote device. For example, you could set up your wireless access point to give out IP addresses
in the range 2.0.0.100 to 2.0.0.150.
Security settings should be set up on your access point to avoid unauthorised control of the console.
When using your own wireless access point the WIFI settings in MagicQ are not used - these are only for consoles with inbuilt
wireless. Ensure that Setup, View Settings, WIFI, Wireless mode is set to "Disabled".

34.3.2 Inbuilt wireless

These consoles have an inbuilt wireless access point:

• MQ50
• MQ70)

• MQ70 (original)
• Pro 2010/2014 (optional extra via USB device)

Inbuilt wireless on Pro 2010/2014 consoles requires the Edimax EW-7711UAn USB device.
For all other consoles, and on PC/Mac, you need your own wireless access point connected via the wired network port (see
Setting up an access point above).
Inbuilt wireless can be configured in Setup, View Settings, WIFI:
MagicQ User Manual 341 / 579

Wireless mode needs to be set to "Access Point" or "Access Point (Hidden SSID)".
The rest of the settings can be left at their default values.
See WIFI Settings for more information on the settings in this window.
The IP address in the WIFI tab should be in a different range from the IP address in the Network tab.
You can scan the QR code from the MagicQ Remote app or your device’s camera app to automatically connect to the wireless
network, or you can connect manually (see below).

Important
Pro2010/2014: MagicQ versions 1.5.4.0 to 1.5.6.0 had problems with the Edimx interface. 1.5.6.2 supports it ok, but it
is necessary to upgrade the kernel first to kernel version 3.9.2.0. Note that before updating the kernel you must set the
Wireless mode to None.

34.3.3 Connecting the remote app via ethernet

In environments where there are a large number of WiFi devices or other devices that may interfere with WiFi signals and when
the remote app is being used next to the console (eg as an additional screen) it can be beneficial to connect via ethernet network
cable rather than WiFi.
To do this an ethernet adaptor is required for your mobile device. The ethernet adaptor plugs into the USB or Lightning port of
your Android or Apple device and allows an ethernet cable to be connected (ensure that the adaptor you buy is suitable for your
device).
Most devices can be connected either via a network external to the console which provides DHCP or directly to the console by
setting a static IP address.
With an ethernet adaptor connected to an Apple device an Ethernet menu option will appear in the device’s Settings menu and
under this an item for Interfaces. When connecting via an external network the LAN interface’s Configure IP should be set to
Automatic. This will configure the network settings for you. When using an ethernet cable connected directly to the console
Configure IP should be set to Manual.
The location of Ethernet settings on Android devices varies depending on the device but on many devices an option, More
connection settings, is found under Connections in the Settings app. Under this option is an item for Ethernet which will be
greyed out until the ethernet adaptor is connected. Under the Ethernet option is an option, Configure Ethernet device. When
connecting via an external network the Connection type under this should be set to DHCP. This will configure the network
settings for you. When using an ethernet cable connected directly to the console Connection type should be set to Static IP. To
change settings the Ethernet Option will need to be disabled and should be enabled once the changes have been made. Some
Android devices do not allow a static IP to be set. If you still require to connect the device directly to the console then you can
do so via the Control Net secondary network interface. This should be set to a mode with the DHCP server enabled.
MagicQ User Manual 342 / 579

When using a Manual or Static IP connection the IP Address should be set to be in the same range as the console (eg if the
console has an IP address of 2.0.0.5 the IP address could be set to 2.0.0.7). The Subnet Mask or Netmask should be set to the
same value as set on the console.
To use an ethernet adaptor you may need to disable WiFi on the device.

34.3.4 Making a connection to MagicQ

In the case of inbuilt WiFi, you can scan the QR code in the WiFi settings tab using the MagicQ Remote app.
If you are using your own access point you need to connect manually:

• Turn on your mobile device and select the required wireless network to connect to - the network name (SSID) of your access
point.
• Check the WiFi settings for the remote device to ensure that it has automatically received a correct IP address. If it has not,
then enter a static IP address - this must be in the same range as the console IP address (when using your own access point).
• Open the MagicQ remote app.
• In the remote application, go to the Con tab. You should see a list of all the available MagicQ consoles on the network. Select
the required console so that it has red border. If your console does not appear in the list Select Manual IP and enter the IP
address of the console.
• You should now have control. Change to the Pos tab and try selecting a group.

If you are connecting via a VPN then you must specify the IP address of MagicQ in the Settings view of the app. The VPN must
allow UDP traffic on port 4920.
The Con tab on MagicQ Remote has a green communication health bar. If this starts to turn red then packets are being missed
and there is an issue with communication between MagicQ and MagicQ Remote. Check that the device that the app is running
on is in range of the WiFi access point it is connected to. Communication will also be impacted by other devices either using
WiFi or interfering with it.

34.3.5 Modifying palettes with the remote app

It is easy to modify palettes with the remote application.

In the Focus tab (Key tab on iPad), select your heads (e.g. GROUP 1 ENTER) then select the position palette (e.g. POS 5
ENTER). If you cannot remember the numbers then change to the Windows tab and select the Pos, Colour or Beam Windows.
In the Focus tab use the encoder wheels to modify the look on stage. On a small screen device like a phone use the Bank button
to change the attributes controlled by the wheel. On a tablet or other large screen device you can press the Pos, Colour, Beam
buttons.
When you are happy with you look then record over the palette (e.g. REC POS 5 ENTER). MagicQ will ask for a confirmation.
Press 1 to confirm yes. Press 0 to cancel.

34.3.6 Using the Execute Window

We recommend you use the Execute Window on the remote app for shortcuts, group selections, focus test, etc. . . Items from the
Group, Position, Colour, Beam, Cue Stack Store, Cue Store, Playback and Macro windows can all be copied into the Execute
Window for immediate access from the remote device.
On the MagicQ console press the Execute Window and then press SET GRID SIZE to create grid 1. We recommend a grid size
5/5 for the iPhone/Android phones. For iPad 10/10 or 12/12 is good.
Copy items from the Group, Pos, Colour Beam windows into the Execute Window. You can copy multiple items in one go, by
using SHIFT and the cursor keys in the source window to select multiple items. Press COPY. If it says "select source" then press
COPY again. When it says "select destination" change to the Execute Window and select the place in the grid to copy to.
This latest version allows the Execute Window images to be shown on your device as images instead of boxes. Custom button
images will be automatically downloaded to the app from MagicQ.
MagicQ User Manual 343 / 579

34.3.7 Restricting Access (Execute Mode)

The app can be limited to only have access to the Execute Window by modifying the "Enable Remote App" setting in the user
settings on MagicQ. (This mode was formally called Install Mode). Access can also limited to selected users. See the section on
Restricting Remote App Access for more information. A particular console IP address can also be specified in the app Settings
View to ensure the app always connects to the correct console. The Execute Page number can also be specified in the Settings
View.

34.3.8 In App Settings

The Settings View in the app has the following options:

• Username - The username required to access MagicQ.

• Password - The password required to access MagicQ.
• Execute Page # - The Execute page to display.
• MagicQ IP Address - The IP address of the MagicQ device to connect to.
• Pos Pan/Tilt Invert - When enabled the direction of the Pan/Tilt wheels in the Position Window are inverted.
• Win Status Display - When enabled the MagicQ Status box is added to the bottom of the "Window" Window.
• Win Match Columns - When enabled Window Views will match the number of columns used in MagicQ.
• Redownload Images - When enabled the custom images for the Execute Window are redownloaded from MagicQ overwriting
any existing ones.
• Execute Appearance - Allows the appearance of the Execute Window to be toggled between Boxes and Coloured buttons with
additional detail.
• Large Screen Mode - When enabled the Keyboard and Focus Windows are combined into a single view with additional controls.
This is enabled by default on large screen devices.
• Display Views on MagicQ - When enabled switching the Window View on the app will also display that view on MagicQ.
• Lock Orientation - (Android Only) When enabled the orientation of the app will not change when the device is rotated.
• Delete All Downloaded Images - When selected all Execute Window images downloaded from MagicQ are deleted from the
app device.

34.3.9 In App Help

The top section of the Help View in the app displays the release notes and copyright notices for the app. Below this are the details
of the version of the app and (if the device has an internet connection) the details of the latest available stable and beta version of
MagicQ. Tapping the Stable version details will open the ChamSys MagicQ Downloads webpage.
If the app is connected to MagicQ then the details of the version running are also displayed.
At the bottom of the view are a grid of buttons:

• Open Manual - Opens the MagicQ Manual webpage.

• Email Support - Opens a view with help information and a form to contact ChamSys Support.
• Fixture Finder - Open the ChamSys Fixture Finder webpage.
• Copyright Notices / Release Notes - Toggles the content of the top view.
• Report Bug - Opens the ChamSys Bug Tracker to report a bug.
• Join Beta Programme - Opens a form on the App Store to opt in to Beta versions of the app.
MagicQ User Manual 344 / 579

34.3.10 Key & Focus View

These two views can be combined into a single Focus view. This is the default on tablets and other large screen devices and can
be toggled view the Large Screen Mode control in Settings.
The Bank control allows selection of a bank of attributes for the Focus View encoders. Tapping the centre of the encoder allows
the range to be selected. The Shift button on the combined view will act on the next control selected. If enabled on MagicQ
Remote it will not affect a control selected on MagicQ. With Position attributes selected the Enc and Touch buttons will toggle
between encoder and touch pad control. The arrow bars on either axis can be used to adjust the value on a single axis. With
Colour attributes selected the Enc and Picker buttons will toggle between encoder and colour picker control.

34.3.11 Pos View

The Position View provides pan and tilt bars and a set of controls specific to positioning.

34.3.12 Exec View

The Execute Window replicates the window from MagicQ. Custom images will be downloaded from MagicQ. The page shown
can be changed by assigning Exec Page, Exec Pg Up and Exec Pg Down special button or by setting the Execute Page # in
Settings. From Settings the appearance of the window can also be toggled between Boxes and Coloured.

34.3.13 Win View

Select the window type and its sub view to display the view. Using the Photo button in the top bar a photo can be taken to assign
to a button as its icon. The Win Status Display at the bottom of the view can be hidden view the Settings view.

34.4 Remote control via web server

MagicQ includes an in-built web server for enabling access to MagicQ from web browsers on external computers, pocket PCs
and mobile phones with web browsers. The web server includes web pages for monitoring of the status of the MagicQ, remote
control, and access to the MagicQ windows such as the Patch window for downloading complete patch lists / cue sheets.
By default the web server is disabled – enable it in Setup, Network Settings. The default port is 8080 although this can be
changed in the Network Settings.
To browse to the console enter the console name followed by the port number, e.g. for chamsys176, enter the URL in your
browser. Note that by default most browsers use port 80 – so you must explicitly specify port 8080 in the URL or it will not
work.
chamsys176:8080
or you can use the IP address of the MagicQ (e.g. 2.0.0..5)
2.0.0.5:8080
This URL will get you to the home page on the MagicQ console - a general system overview and a main menu of items, including
Remote, Execute, Windows and Network.
On some browsers / PDAs you may need to enter the full http line:
http://chamsys176:8080/index.html
or
http://2.9.200.5:8080/index.html
MagicQ User Manual 345 / 579

The Remote page is a simple remote focus for setting channel levels. It can also be accessed by adding "/remote" to the URL.
This is useful for Pocket PC and mobile phones to go directly to the remote control page.
chamsys176:8080/remote

In order to set up a PC, Pocket PC or mobile phone to connect to MagicQ you must ensure that there is a physical connection to
MagicQ – either directly via network cable, or via a wireless router. The IP address of the PC, Pocket PC, or mobile phone must
be set to be on the same network as the MagicQ – this is generally the Art-Net IP addressing scheme – so the device must have
an IP address starting with 2 (e.g. 2.0.0.2) and a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0.
The Execute page is very similar to the Execute Windows on the console but accessible through any PC with a browser on the
network – it enables users to remote manage the console via the Execute window.
MagicQ User Manual 346 / 579

The Windows pages enable users to view all the windows on the console remotely within a browser. This is useful for checking
the status of a remote console or for easy printing of console show data.

The Network page shows all the MagicQ consoles and PC systems on the networks and enables easy selection of particular
consoles for remote control.
The Remote and Execute functions are only enabled when connected to a MagicQ console or a MagicQ PC System that is itself
connected to a MagicQ wing or MagicQ interface.

34.4.1 Custom Web Server pages

There is now support for user HTML pages. These pages should be stored in the web folder and their name should start with
"user" e.g. user1.html, user2.html. The MagicQ remote commands can be sent from the HTML using the button/input types to
submit.

<html>

<head><META NAME="HandheldFriendly" content="True"><META

NAME="MobileOptimized" CONTENT="240">

<title>MagicQ User HTML Page</title>

MagicQ User Manual 347 / 579

</head>

<body>

<!-- User forms must start with the name user - e.g. user1, user2 -->
<!-- Remote commands can be found in the MagicQ manual -->

<FORM ACTION="user.html" name="user" METHOD=GET>

<!-- Remote commands are sent using input types -->

<!-- Place the command in the value and set the name to "cmd" -->

<input type="submit" value="1T" name="cmd">

<input type="submit" value="1U" name="cmd">
<p>
<!-- Or as button types -->
<!-- Note for Internet Explorer to work the value
feature below is not used and you must put the remote
command in the name after "cmd" -->

<button type="submit" name="cmd1T" value="1T">PB1 act</button>

<button type="submit" name="cmd1U" value="1U">PB1 rel</button>

34.5 Remote control using Magic Wand simulator

MagicQ supports a Magic Wand simulator which acts like the MagicQ Playback Wand.
To use the Magic Wand simulator start MagicQ with the command line argument "wand". MagicQ will run just a simulation of
the Magic Wand controlling the first 4 playbacks from the first Wing.
If you wish to restrict the Wand simulation to only connect to a specific IP address then include the required IP address as the
second command line argument of the IP address.
The MagicQ Wand simulator must be run on a separate system to the one running MagicQ.
MagicQ User Manual 348 / 579

Chapter 35

ChamSys Remote Protocol Commands

ChamSys remote protocol consists of simple commands consisting of a list parameter values separated by commas ‘,’ and ending
in a character A to Z (or a to z). Commands can contain spaces, tabs, and carriage returns; they are all ignored.
The remote protocol is split into remote playback commands and remote programming commands.

35.1 Remote playback commands

The commands are:

<playback number> A Activate playback

<playback number> R Release playback
<playback number> T Test playback (activate with level 100%)
<playback number> U Un-test playback (release with level 0%)
<playback number> G Go on playback
<playback number> S Stop (go back) on playback
<playback number> B Fast back on playback (no fade)
<playback number> F Fast forward on playback (no fade)
<playback number> , <level> L Set playback fader level
<playback number> , <cue id> , <cue id dec>J Jump to Cue Id on playback
<page number> P Change page
<channel number> , <level> I Set intensity channel to level
<program command number> H Remote programming command
<button id> X 10Scene zone 1 button
<button id> , <state> X 10Scene zone 1 button press or release
<zone id> , <button id> , <state> X 10Scene zone button press or release

The following parameter values are supported

<playback number> a number between 1 and 10 (202 on MagicQ consoles)

<level> an integer between 0 and 100.
<page number> an integer between 0 and 100
<channel number> an integer between 1 and 32769 DMX channel number
<cue id> an integer between 1 and 65536
<cue id dec> an integer between 0 and 99. Note that for Cue ID 1.5 use
50
<button id> an integer between 1 and 10
<zone id> an integer between 1 and 20
<state> 1 for button pressed, 0 for button released, 2 for activate, 3
for release
MagicQ User Manual 349 / 579

So for example, to set dimmer channel 4 to 50% you would use:

4,50I
To jump to Cue id 2.5 on playback 8 you would use:
8,2,50J
Commands can be sent back to back – e.g.
1A2A1S2G3,4I
MagicQ on PC and Mac only supports control of the first 10 playbacks (PB1 to PB10). On MagicQ consoles all 202 playbacks
can be controlled.

35.2 Remote programming commands

Remote programming commands enable simple programming actions to be carried out from a remote terminal. Remote pro-
gramming commands consist of the program command number followed by parameters and completed with an "H".
The commands are:

\<01> , <start head> , [<end head>] H Select one or more heads

\<02> , <start head> , [<end head>] H Deselect one or more heads
\<03> H Deselect all heads
\<04> , <group number> H Select group
\<05> , <level> , [<time>] H Set intensity of selected heads
\<06> , <attribute number> , <value> , [<time>] H Set attribute value of selected heads
\<07> , <attribute number> , <value> , [<16bit>] H Increase attribute of selected heads
\<08> , <attribute number> , <value> , [<16bit>] H Decrease attribute of selected heads
\<09> H Clear programmer
\<10> , <palette id> H Include position palette
\<11> , <palette id> H Include colour palette
\<12> , <palette id> H Include beam palette
\<13> , <cue id> H Include cue
\<19> H Update
\<20>, <palette id> H Record position palette
\<21> , <palette id> H Record colour palette
\<22> , <palette id> H Record beam palette
\<23> , <cue id> H Record cue
\<30> H Next head
\<31> H Previous head
\<32> H All heads
\<40> H Locate
\<41> H Lamp on
\<42> H Lamp off
\<43> H Reset
\<71>, <state> H Remote trigger
\<80> , <Q id> H Test Cue
\<81> , <Q id> H Untest Cue
\<82> , <cue stack id> , <level> , <cue id> H Test Cue Stack, level and cue id are optional (default to
100% and first cue)
\<83> , <cue stack id> H Untest Cue Stack
\<90> , <show file id> H Save show showXXXX.shw
\<91> , <show file id> H Load show showXXXX.shw
\<92> , <import file id> H Load show importXXXX.csv
\<93> , <import grid id> H Load grid gridXXXX.csv
\<112> , <state> H Emergency Hot takeover - <state> is 1 for On, 0 for Off.
\<911> , <state> H Emergency Hot takeover - <state> is 1 for On, 0 for Off.
\<999> , <state> H Emergency Hot takeover - <state> is 1 for On, 0 for Off.
MagicQ User Manual 350 / 579

[] indicates an optional parameter

The parameter values are:

<level> an integer between 0 and 100

<palette id> an integer between 1 and 1024
<Q id> an integer between 1 and 5000 representing Q in the Cue
Store
<16 bit> 0 for change in 8 bit resolution, 1 for change in 16 bit
resolution
<time> an integer time in seconds
<group number> is an integer between 1 and 200
<start head> and <end head> integers between 1 and 6145
<show file id> four digit decimal number between 0000 and 9999.
<state> is 0 or 1 to set state on/off, or 2 is toggle current state.

35.2.1 Attribute numbers

Intensity (0) Intensity Mode (1)

Pan (4) Tilt (5) Pos1 (46) Pos2 (47) Pos3 (48) Pos4 (49) Pos5 (50) Pos6 (51)
Cyan (16) Magenta (17) Yellow (18) Col mix (19) Col1 (6) Col3 (26) Col2 (7) Col4 (27)
Shutter (2) Iris (3) Gobo1 (8) Gobo2 (9) Gobo3 (28) Gobo4 (29) Rotate1 (10) Rotate2 (11) Rotate3 (30) Rotate4 (31) Focus (12)
Zoom (13) Frost1 (32) Frost2 (33) FX1 (14) FX2 (15) FX3 (34) FX4 (35) FX5 (36) FX6 (37) FX7 (38) FX8 (39) Macro1 (22)
Macro2 (23) Cont1 (20) Cont2 (21) Cont3 (40) Cont4 (41) Cont5 (42) Cont6 (43) Cont7 (44) Cont8 (45)
MagicQ User Manual 351 / 579

Chapter 36

Controlling MagicQ using UDP/IP

MagicQ consoles and MagicQ PC/Mac software supports the use of an network protocol for controlling external devices, such
as media servers, video or automation computers.
The protocol can also be used to remote control MagicQ consoles or MagicQ software via a simple set of text commands.
Note that the use of the ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol on MagicQ PC/Mac is only enabled when it is connected to a
MagicQ Wing or Interface (not MagicDMX).
On MagicQ commands are placed in the Macro field of the Cue Stack and are transmitted when the Cue starts to execute. In
addition MagicQ will accept commands received according to a pre-defined protocol.
ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol is not supported when net session mode is in use.

36.1 ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol

Enable ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol in the View Settings view of the Setup Window.
ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol is an open protocol – i.e. you do not need permission to use it for your own purposes. It is a
UDP/IP based protocol using port 6553 in broadcast mode.
The port number can be changed in setup, View Settings, Network, Playback Sync Port.
The structure of the UDP/IP packets are a ChamSys CREP header followed by the remote commands:

long32 chamsys;
word16 version;
byte seq_fwd;
byte seq_bkwd;
word16 length;
byte data;

where long32 is 4 bytes, word16 is 2 bytes and byte is 1 byte.

ChamSys is 4 characters C R E P. Note that on MagicQ this is stored as little-endian, so that on the network it will appear as P E
R C.
The version is initially 0 and allows for future expansion of the protocol.
The fwd sequence number is an incrementing sequence number. It enables the receiving end to determine if packets are missed.
In addition the receiving end should sends back the last sequence number it received in the backward sequence number.
Length is the length of the data field. It does not include the length of the ChamSys header.
From v1.6.6.0 support is added for ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol Messages without the ChamSys CREP header - this
allows easier integration with external systems but reduces the amount of checking of messages performed. In Setup, View
Settings, Network, set Ethernet remote protocol to "ChamSys Rem (rx no header)", "ChamSys Rem (tx no header), or "ChamSys
Rem (tx + rx no header)".
MagicQ User Manual 352 / 579

36.2 Writing to the network port

Commands are transmitted from the network port using the Y macro in the Macro field of the Cue Stack window (use Page Right
to find the Macro field). In the View Settings view of the Setup Window, set the Ethernet Remote Protocol to "ChamSys Rem
tx".
The format of Ethernet commands is Y followed by the data. To send Ethernet data, the Y command must be the only macro
command in the macro field. The Y command is followed by ASCII data contained within " " or ‘ ‘ or by decimal values separated
by commas. For example to send Hello World followed by a carriage return:

Y"Hello World",10,13

To send the hexadecimal data stream 00 01 02 03 04

Y0,1,2,3,4

To send text only:

Y"abcedf"

To send several lines of text:

Y"Hello",10,13,"World",10,13

On the Ethernet the data above is encapsulated in the data field of ChamSys Ethernet Remote Protocol in the UDP packet.
Note that commas ‘,’ are not allowed within the ASCII data inside " " or ’ ’ . If you wish to send ’, then you must send it as its
hexadecimal ASCII code.

36.3 Reading from the network

By default data received on the network is ignored. This can be changed to make MagicQ accept remote commands received on
the network port. In Setup, View Settings, set the Ethernet Remote Protocol to "ChamSys Rem rx".
ChamSys Remote Protocol consists of simple commands consisting of a list parameter values separated by commas ’, and ending
in a character A to Z (or a to z). Commands can contain spaces, tabs, and carriage returns; they are all ignored. See the section
on ChamSys Remote Protocol for further details.

36.4 Sample code fragments

The code fragments below show you could connect to MagicQ using simple C programming.

#define REMOTE_ETHER_PORT 0x1999

#define MAX_CREP_MSG 1000

typedef struct {
long32 chamsys;
word16 version;
byte seq_fwd;
MagicQ User Manual 353 / 579

byte seq_bkwd;
word16 length;
byte data;
} remote_ether_message_t;

int remote_ether_sock = 0;
word16 remote_ether_fwd = 0;
word16 remote_ether_bkwd = 0;

int remote_ether_init(void)
{
struct sockaddr_in name;
char opts[100];
socklen_t optlen = 100;
int flags;
int i;

// For Windows OS we need to start winsocket

#ifndef LINUX
{
WSAData ws;
int code;
code = WSAStartup(MAKEWORD(1,1),&ws);
}
#endif

if (remote_ether_sock)
return (TRUE);

remote_ether_sock = socket (PF_INET, SOCK_DGRAM, 0);

getsockopt (remote_ether_sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR, opts, &optlen);
opts[0] = 1;
setsockopt (remote_ether_sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_REUSEADDR, opts, optlen);

/* Give the socket a name. */

name.sin_family = AF_INET;
name.sin_port = htons (REMOTE_ETHER_PORT);
name.sin_addr.s_addr = htonl (INADDR_ANY);

if (bind (remote_ether_sock, (struct sockaddr *) &name, sizeof (name)) <)

{
closesocket(remote_ether_sock);
return (FALSE);
}

getsockopt (remote_ether_sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_BROADCAST, opts, &optlen);

opts[0] = 1;
setsockopt (remote_ether_sock,SOL_SOCKET,SO_BROADCAST, opts, optlen);
{
u_long block;
block = 1;
ioctlsocket(remote_ether_sock,FIONBIO,&block);
}

return TRUE;
}

int remote_ether_rx(char *data, word16 size)

{
char message[MAX_CREP_MSG];
MagicQ User Manual 354 / 579

int nbytes;
remote_ether_message_t *rem = (remote_ether_message_t *) message;
struct sockaddr_in name;
int name_len = sizeof(name);

if (!remote_ether_sock) return (0);

nbytes = recvfrom (remote_ether_sock,

message,
MAX_CREP_MSG,
0,
(struct sockaddr *) &name,
&name_len);

if (nbytes > 0)
{
if (rem->chamsys == (('C'<<24)|('R'<<16)|('E'<<8)|('P')))
{
int len = wswap(rem->length);
remote_ether_bkwd = rem->seq_fwd;

if (len<(MAX_CREP_MSG-(sizeof(remote_ether_message_t)+1)))
{
if (len>size) len = size;
memcpy(data,&(rem->data),len);
return (len);
}
}
}

return (0);
}

char remote_ether_tx(char *data, word16 size)

{
// Format the message
byte message[MAX_CREP_MSG];
remote_ether_message_t *rem = (remote_ether_message_t *) message;

int nbytes;
struct sockaddr_in name;

if (!remote_ether_sock) return (FALSE);

if (size>(MAX_CREP_MSG-sizeof(remote_ether_message_t)+1))
size = MAX_CREP_MSG-sizeof(remote_ether_message_t)+1;

rem->chamsys = (('C'<<24)|('R'<<16)|('E'<<8)|('P'));
rem->version = wswap(0);
rem->seq_fwd = remote_ether_fwd;
rem->seq_bkwd = remote_ether_bkwd;
rem->length = wswap(size);
memcpy(&(rem->data),data,size);

my_broadcast_address.s_addr = ip_address | ~subnet_address;

name.sin_family = AF_INET;
name.sin_port = htons (REMOTE_ETHER_PORT);
name.sin_addr.s_addr = dwswap (my_broadcast_address.s_addr);

nbytes = sendto (remote_ether_sock,

message,
size(sizeof(remote_ether_message_t)-1),
MagicQ User Manual 355 / 579

0,
(struct sockaddr *) & name, sizeof(name)
);

if (nbytes>0) remote_ether_fwd++;

return (TRUE);
}
MagicQ User Manual 356 / 579

Chapter 37

Controlling MagicQ using the serial port

The MQ500 and MagicQ PC software support the use of a serial port for controlling external devices or automation computers.
The serial port can also be used to remote control the MagicQ console or MagicQ software via a simple set of text commands.
MagicQ supports standard baud rates, stop bits and parity options for serial communication.
The use of a serial port on MagicQ PC is only enabled when it is connected to a MagicQ Wing or Interface.

37.1 Connecting the serial port

The MQ500 uses a female DE-9 connector.

Table 37.1: Serial port pinout

DE-9 pin Signal Direction

2 RX Into console
3 TX Out of console
5 Ground

You need a cross-over cable (aka "null modem cable") to connect between two serial ports, which swaps pins 2 and 3 .
Turn off software and hardware flow control on the remote serial port - MagicQ does not use these. The usage of pins other than
2, 3 and 5 varies between consoles but in most cases do not need to be connected.

37.2 Enabling the serial port

Enable the serial port in SETUP, VIEW SETTINGS, Ports. Set Serial com port to the COM port that you wish to use (on the
console always select COM1). Set the baud rate, parity, data bits and stop bits.
MagicQ User Manual 357 / 579

37.3 Writing to the serial port

Commands are transmitted out of the serial port by placing the command in the Macro field of the Cue Stack window.
The format of serial commands is X followed by the data. To send serial data, the X command must be the only macro command
in the macro field. The X command is followed by ASCII data contained within quotes (’ ’) or by decimal values separated by
commas. For example to send Hello World followed by a carriage return:

X'Hello World',10,13

To send the binary data stream 00 01 02 03 04

X0,1,2,3,4

To send text only:

X'abcedf'

To send several lines of text:

X'Hello',10,13,'World',10,13

37.4 Reading from the serial port

Serial remote protocol must be set to CRP & Automs to receive remote commands or trigger AUTOM items.
ChamSys Serial Remote protocol consists of a list of parameter values separated by commas ‘,’ and ending in a character A to Z
(or a to z). Commands can contain spaces, tabs, and carriage returns; they are all ignored. See the section on ChamSys Remote
Protocol for further details.
AUTOM items can trigger on serial commands. Set Type to Serial, P2 to the number of bytes expected and P3 to the serial
command expected, in the same format as serial cue macros without the leading X.
If there are any serial AUTOM items, remote protocol commands are ignored.
MagicQ User Manual 358 / 579

37.5 Testing receiving serial commands

It is possible to test the behaviour when MagicQ receives serial commands without an external serial connection. Type "testser"
followed by the command, in the same format as serial cue macros without the leading X.
For example to activate playback 1 enter:

testser '1a'

or:

testser 49,65

MagicQ version v1.8.6.6 minimum is needed to use the MQ500 serial port or the "testser" command.
MagicQ User Manual 359 / 579

Chapter 38

Audio

38.1 Audio Input

Audio input can be used in many ways on MagicQ - to bump a Cue Stack from step to step, to set a Cue Stack tempo, to set the
virtual level of the playback fader and as part of the MagicQ Pixelmapper.
Audio bump functions can also triggered from the remote input port.

38.1.1 Audio input ports

Audio input can be achieved on both MagicQ consoles and MagicQ PC via a sound card. On PC systems, a ChamSys Wing,
Connect or Interface (not MagicDMX) is required to enable Audio input functionality.
Audio input is supported directly on MagicQ consoles and Mini and Compact Connects via dedicated audio ports. In Setup,
View Settings, Ports set Audio Input to "Internal sound card".
On the MQ250M there are two possible audio inputs. The S2L input uses hardware to analyse the incoming audio system - to use
this select "ChamSys Audio Interface". The audio input uses software to analyse the incoming audio - to use this select "Internal
sound card".
MagicQ Pro 2014 consoles require the latest Pro 2014 kernel (dated 4th June 2014) downloadable from the ChamSys download
site, Docs page: https://secure.chamsys.co.uk/bugtracker/proj_doc_page.php
MagicQ PC / Mac supports audio input through the PC / Mac sound card when the PC / Mac is connected to a MagicQ Wing,
Connect or Interface (not MagicDMX). In Setup, View Settings, Ports set Audio Input to "Internal sound card". The required
device can be selected in the "Audio input device" setting. MagicQ currently supports stereo devices at 44100Hz.

38.1.2 Audio input options

The audio input signal is analysed in 7 different frequency bands: 63Hz, 160Hz, 400Hz, 1KHz, 2.5KHz, 6.2KHz, 16KHz. The
levels for each channel can be used on MagicQ to set the level of Playbacks, to step through cue stacks and to set the speed of
chases.
When connected, a graphic equaliser display is shown in the Status Display showing the current levels of the inputs. Audio
trigger level should be set to 0.
Starting from version 1.9.2.0, when a full audio stream is provided, MagicQ now supports advanced beat tracking for an incoming
audio signal which can then be used as part of any trigger based audio functions (e.g. Audio bumps GO/FX). This will work
with the audio input on the MQ50/MQ70/MQ250M or MQ80/MQ500/MQ500M via a USB audio interface, or on MagicQ PC
systems. The beat tracker is enabled when a playback is configured with an Audio channel of "Audio Input BPM". When the
beat tracker is enabled, a beat indicator will be shown in the status bar adjacent to the audio input levels display.
MagicQ User Manual 360 / 579

38.1.3 Global audio settings

In order to use audio input on MagicQ set the setting Setup, View Settings, Ports, Audio, Audio Input. The options are

• None
• ChamSys Audio Interface

• ChamSys Audio Interface - Energy Only

• ChamSys Audio Interface - Left Only
• Internal sound card

• External USB sound card

• Audio output loopback

On MagicQ PC / Mac systems select "Internal sound card". Audio input is only supported when the PC/Mac is connected to a
MagicQ Wing, Connect or Interface (not MagicDMX).
On MagicQ Consoles the audio is received via dedicated audio ports on the console. To use these, choose the "Internal sound
card" option. MagicQ Pro 2014 consoles require the latest Pro 2014 kernel and the MQ40, MQ60 and original MQ70 require the
latest firmware.
When using an external ChamSys USB Audio Interface then choose "ChamSys Audio Interface". When set to "ChamSys Audio
Interface - Left Only", any signals received on the left channel are automatically duplicated onto the right channel. This is useful
in situations where only a mono audio feed is available. When set to "ChamSys Audio Interface - Energy Only" all 14 received
audio bands are combined into one level and all MagicQ audio options will use this one level.
MagicQ supports global minimum and maximum audio levels to enable the levels to be matched to the received audio. Both the
Minimum Audio Level and the Maximum Audio Level default to 0 indicating they have no effect.
The minimum is used to adjust for noise whilst the maximum can be set if the audio signal is particularly weak. When set to non
zero values any levels below the minimum or above the maximum are ignored and the levels are scaled appropriately.

38.1.4 Cue Stack audio options

In the Cue Stack options there are five possible audio modes – Audio Controls fader level, Audio bumps GO/FX, Audio sets
BPM, Audio level jumps to Cue Step, and Audio beat step.
Audio modes are not active until the Cue Stack is activated by raising the fader or pressing the GO button.
Double click on the Audio channel to select the channel to respond to. Audio level, audio parameter 1, and audio parameter 2
should be set to 0.
"Audio Controls fader level" enables the level of the fader to be controlled by the received audio level on the chosen channel. In
this way you can control all sorts of different functions depending on how you set the Fader options - HTP, LTP, FX Size, FX
Speed etc. . . For example, you could control the iris opening of a moving light by also setting the Fader controls LTP (IPCB)
chans option, or you could control a Master Intensity fader. When using this mode, then Audio P1 and Audio P2 can be set to
control the response:
Audio P1 = 0 Normal (direct trigger from level)
Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)
Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 4 Switch (triggers to on/off at Audio Level)
Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)
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"Audio level jumps to Cue Step" enables the level of the specified channel to determine which step in the Cue Stack is executed
– for example if you have a Cue Stack with 10 steps, then a level of 0% will execute step 1, 10% will execute step 2 whilst a level
of 100% will execute step 10. This is very useful if you wish to program different Cues onto LED or media servers.
"Audio bumps GO/FX" causes the Cue Stack to bump to the next step every time a peak in the audio is detected on the specified
channel. This enables a Cue Stack to follow the beat of the music. This is best used with the Cue Stack set to Cue Timing
instead of Chase Timing. A divider can be configured using the "Rate divisor" option. This will skip the selected number of beats
between triggering Go. For example, when set to 2, every other input beat will trigger a Go.
"Audio beat step" will work with the detected beat number mentioned in the Audio Input Options section above, when the "Audio
channel" is set to "Audio Input BPM". It will match the beat number currently being received, and will match the Cue with the
corresponding Cue ID to jump to. To use this, generate a new Cue Stack with your required cues, set it to Cue Timing, and enable
the "Audio beat step" option to "Yes". The beat number on which to trigger each Cue needs to be set in the Cue ID column. For
the basic case, the default Cue IDs will provide steps on incremental beats. To have a Cue Stack where one Cue runs for beats
1 through 3, and then a second Cue runs for beat 4, set the first Cue ID to 1.0 and the second Cue ID to 4.0 and so forth. By
default the loop length will loop on every 4 beats, however this can be changed in the "Audio beat step length" setting. Setting
this to 8 or 16 will cause the loop to repeat every 8 or 16 beats respectively. If a rate divisor is configured, then this will divide
the incoming beat by the divisor. For example with a divisor set to 2, then Beats 1 through 8 would trigger steps 1 through 4.
"Audio sets BPM" causes a Cue Stack set as a chase to automatically set the chase speed to the timing of the peaks on the
specified channel. The Cue Stack should be set to Chase Timing.

38.1.5 Pixel Mapper and Audio

The Pixel Mapper Audio FX support comprehensive Pixel Mapping using audio triggering.

38.2 Audio playback

MagicQ supports playback of audio files directly from Cue Stacks. Documentation for this can be found in the Audio in Cue
Stacks section.

38.2.1 Audio output ports

Audio output is supported from MagicQ consoles with a dedicated audio output port, and MagicQ PC systems using the internal
sound card.
Audio output is also supported via an external USB sound card on supported consoles.
In Setup, View Settings, Ports, the Audio Output option allows you to select between the internal sound card output on a console,
or the external USB sound card if connected. On PC systems, the required device can be selected in the "Audio output device"
setting. MagicQ currently supports stereo devices at 44100Hz.

38.2.2 MagicQ PC

On Windows, macOS and Linux, you can select the device for both audio input and audio output by using the "Audio input
device" and "Audio output device" settings.
Different Audio APIs are supported on each platform. Windows supports MME, DirectSound, WASAPI and KS. Linux supports
Alsa, JACK, and OSS. macOS supports Core Audio.

38.3 USB sound cards

Instead of the built-in audio connections on consoles, a USB sound card can be used with the following consoles:
MQ50, MQ70, MQ80*, MQ250M, MQ500, MQ500M.
MagicQ User Manual 362 / 579

This can be useful if you need low noise and/or balanced outputs.
If the USB sound card has been plugged in after starting the console, you must do a soft restart of MagicQ for these to be detected
(SETUP → [SHIFT] + RESET).
To see which interface is currently being used for output and input, go to SETUP → VIEW SYSTEM → VIEW STATUS →
Interfaces. The USB sound card should appear in Audio output device and Audio input device options.
The following devices are known to work, however this is not exhaustive:

• Audient: Evo4 / iD14

• Behringer: UCA202 / UMC202 / UMC22 / UMC404

• Creative Labs: Sound Blaster Play! 3 / X-Fi Surround 5.1 / K3+
• Focusrite: Scarlett 2i4 / Scarlett Solo

• M-Audio: Fast track Pro / M-Track Solo

• Mackie: Onyx Artist 1*2
• Presonus: AudioBox 22VSL / iTwo
• Swissonic UA-2X2

• Tapco Link USB

• Dante AVIO USB IO Adapter 2x2 (Audio over Ethernet)

When the USB sound card is selected, the respective internal audio port will be disabled. You can use the external USB sound
card for audio output whilst using the internal audio port for audio input, and vice versa.
*The MQ80 will also need a Linux Kernel upgrade - follow these steps.

38.4 Control of Winamp

MagicQ supports control of a Winamp instance on the same PC by patching a Winamp personality. The Winamp personality can
control track number, play mode, track position, volume, and audio pan.
The PC must have a MagicQ Wing, Connect or MagicQ Interface connected to enable Winamp control.
Simply patch one Winamp head anywhere in the patch - MagicQ treats the heads as a special head and ignores the DMX address.
Winamp does not need to be configured - MagicQ automatically connects to it.
MagicQ User Manual 363 / 579

Chapter 39

DJ

From MagicQ version 1.9.2.2, we support the ability to connect to external DJ systems via a network connection. This allows
MagicQ to both see what is currently playing on the connected DJ decks, as well as using the timecode information to be able to
synchronise Cue Stacks to a given track.
Further detail of the connection statuses can be found under "SETUP" → "VIEW SYSTEM" → "VIEW STATUS" "Time-
code/DJ". Please send across a screenshot of this window along with your query; if you are facing any issues when using any of
these protocols.

39.1 Supported Systems

39.1.1 VirtualDJ / OS2L

MagicQ uses the Open Sound 2 Light protocol to communicate with VirtualDJ. To enable this, set the "VirtualDJ OS2L" protocol
to "Yes" within the MIDI / Timecode tab of the Setup window. Within VirtualDJ, to enable the connection to MagicQ, go into the
Settings window, select Options, and filter by "os2l". Set the "os2l" setting to "yes" or "auto", and set the "os2lDirectIp" setting
to the IP address of the MagicQ system, with ":8060" appended on the end to specify the port number.
Currently VirtualDJ will not send data to MagicQ until an initial OS2L command is sent from the software to MagicQ. To
configure this, a macro will need to be configured to send "os2l_cmd 1 on". This can be configured in VirtualDJ to either be a
key bind or button.
VirtualDJ can run on the same computer as MagicQ, or can be connected remotely to a separate MagicQ system as long as they
are connected to the same subnet.
MagicQ User Manual 364 / 579

39.1.2 StagelinQ / Engine Prime

MagicQ uses the Engine Prime network architecture to communicate to Denon DJ equipment. To enable this set the "StagelinQ"
protocol to "Yes" within the MIDI / Timecode tab of the Setup window. Any connected devices that are within the subnet will
appear in the popup when selecting a deck.

39.1.3 TCNet

To connect to a ProDJLink system, you will need to have either the ProDJLink Bridge application (Windows or macOS) appli-
cation, or ShowKontrol application (macOS only) running on an external system. These applications form a bridge between the
ProDJLink network which connects the mixers and decks together, and the TCNet network. To enable this connection, set the
"TCNet" protocol to "Yes" within the MIDI / Timecode tab of the Setup window and make sure the ProDJLink bridge application
is running on the same subnet as MagicQ. MagicQ should appear as a node within the TCNet tab of the bridge application.
MagicQ User Manual 365 / 579

39.2 Deck Configuration

MagicQ supports four DJ decks at once, but these can be mixed from different systems, rather than being limited to a single
system. Once a protocol has been enabled, you should be able to select the decks from the "DJ Deck A-D" options within the
MIDI / Timecode tab of the Setup window.

39.3 Audio Window

The Audio window has two main modes to show either the status of the connected DJ systems, or the status of the audio input
beat tracking.
The Audio Window can be loaded by selecting it from the "Window" menu on PC systems, or alternatively by pressing
ALT+PAGE. The mode can be changed by using the two soft buttons "View DJ Deck" and "View Beat Track".
When in DJ Deck mode, this window provides an overview of the connected and configured decks, showing the track info,
position, BPM, volume, VU level and an overview of the waveform. Note some DJ systems do not provide all of this information,
so MagicQ will only show information it has access to.
MagicQ User Manual 366 / 579

In Audio Beat Track mode, it will show a running waveform of the audio input, and the beats detected will be shown as red lines
in the waveform. A histogram is also shown alongside to show the confidence the algorithm has in each BPM value. The peak
will be used to set the BPM in MagicQ. The range of BPM values can be configured using the encoder in the Audio window.
This will limit detection to the range of BPMs selected. This is useful in the case there are songs which the algorithm either ends
up detecting a beat at either twice or half the actual BPM desired.

39.4 Timecode and Level Synchronisation

To synchronise the playback of a track with a Cue Stack in MagicQ, you must associate the incoming track information together
with the required Cue Stack. To do this, load the desired track so that it is showing in the Audio Window, then use the Copy
function in MagicQ, select your Cue Stack as the source, then click on the header of the relevant deck in the Audio Window. This
will set the "DJ Track" setting on the Cue Stack which corresponds to the track information we can determine from the deck.
Some DJ Systems don’t provide unique track identifiers for tracks, so we have to generate a unique identifier based off the artist
name and track title. Because of this, please ensure that any tracks you try to synchronise all have unique names within the
relevant system.
To disable the DJ Deck from synchronising with the timecode of the cue stack, then set the "Track DJ Deck timecode" setting
within the "Advanced" tab to "No".
To enable the Cue Stack to automatically activate and release when the track is loaded and unloaded from a deck, set the
"Activate and Release on DJ System" setting to "Yes" under the "Activate Release" settings of the Cue Stack. When enabled,
this will activate the Cue Stacks in the same way they are activated from an execute grid, or from the Stack Store window.
Depending on the "Crossfader Mode" option within the MIDI / Timecode tab, the activated Cue Stack will either be activated
at full when set to "Cue Stack 100% when active", or will follow the crossfader and upfader levels if set to "Cue Stack follows
volume". Tracking the crossfader and upfader levels is only available on DJ systems which provide this information externally.

39.5 Beat tracking

If a DJ System is connected, then the active deck will be the source of the global beat number within MagicQ which can be used
with the "Audio beat step" functionality. When an audio input is configured instead, then the beats will be used to drive a beat
count internally to MagicQ.

39.6 Diagnostics

The status of the underlying connections to the different DJ systems can be viewed within the Setup, View System, View Status,
DJ/Timecode tab. This will detail connection status and IPs of connected systems to aid in setting up a new system.
MagicQ User Manual 367 / 579

Chapter 40

MIDI

Consoles can use MIDI via the rear input and output DIN sockets. MagicQ PC (Windows, Mac and Linux) can use 3rd party
USB or virtual MIDI interfaces.
MagicQ can send and receive MIDI Timecode (MTC), Notes on/off and Control Change (CC) messages.
MagicQ can receive Beat Clock and MIDI Show Control (MSC) messages.
On MagicQ PC Systems MIDI is only supported when fully unlocked. Note that MagicQ licencing changed from v1.9.5.1
onwards, for MIDI Notes on PC is enabled when MagicQ is fully unlocked. MIDI notes is not available on PC when a GeNetix
GN2 / Legacy Dual DMX / MagicDMX / Legacy Audio Interface or Legacy SnakeSys products are connected to the system.

Table 40.1: Supported MIDI messages

Product MIDI messages

MagicQ PC (demo mode) / Reduced Mode None
MagicQ PC (fully unlocked) MTC, Beat clock, Notes, CC, MSC
MQ50 (2019)1 Notes, CC, MSC
MQ70, MQ80, Stadium Connect, MQ250M, MQ500(M)1 MTC, Beat clock, Notes, CC, MSC
MQ60, MQ70 (old), MQ100 Pro 2014 Beat clock, Notes, MSC
MagicQ blue USB MIDI/Timecode box2 MTC, Beat clock, Notes, MSC

1 Minimum firmware version of V1.25 is recommended.

2 Use of the MagicQ USB MIDI/Timecode box with MagicQ PC additionally unlocks all MIDI functions via a 3rd party USB or
virtual device.
A minimum MagicQ version of 1.8.6.5 is recommended (for consoles and PCs), due to the various MIDI fixes and enhancements
in this release.
MIDI is configured in the SETUP window, VIEW SETTINGS → MIDI Timecode tab. On MagicQ PC, you must also select the
MIDI device in the Tools → Virtual (USB) MIDI Setup. . . menu at the top.
MagicQ User Manual 368 / 579

40.1 MIDI Notes and CC Receive

To receive MIDI notes, set the MIDI In Type in the SETUP window. You can choose between "None", "Any chan" and "Re-
quested Chan". When set to "Requested Chan" the requested channel is configured in the MIDI IN Chan field.
When using MIDI notes, the Timecode options can be set to none and then the last received MIDI command will be shown in
the Status Display.

40.1.1 MIDI Autom events

MagicQ supports triggering of automated events via MIDI in the Macro Window, View Autom.
Autom events can be set to trigger Playbacks, Cue Stacks, Cues and other events when MIDI Notes and CC messages are
received.

40.1.2 MIDI Learn

In the EXECUTE window, pressing encoder D enables and disables MIDI Learn mode.
When this mode is enabled, any MIDI Note or CC message received will be assigned to trigger the currently selected execute
box (use the cursor keys to change the selected box). This adds or replaces entries in the MACRO → VIEW AUTOM window.
In the MACRO → VIEW AUTOM window, pressing encoder X enables and disables MIDI Learn mode. When enabled, the
currently selected automation row will be changed whenever a MIDI Note or CC messages is received.

40.1.3 MIDI mapping file

MagicQ supports a custom MIDI mapping file for use instead of the Autom events - this enables greater flexibility and control.
If any Autom events are set to respond to MIDI then the MIDI mapping file is ignored.
MagicQ User Manual 369 / 579

MagicQ uses the text mapping file miditable.txt stored in the MagicQ folder to convert from MIDI commands to MagicQ serial
commands.
An example file miditable.txt is included which maps MIDI notes to the playbacks PB1 to PB34. Each line in the file
specifies a received MIDI command and then the mapping to the serial command in inverted comments "".
For example, the first to lines in the default file are:

144,36"1t"
128,36"1u"

MagicQ checks the received MIDI note byes to see whether they match the values. So if the MIDI message matches 144 36
then it executes the remote command 1t (Test Playback 1). Similarly if it matches 128 36 then executes the remote command 1u
(UnTest Playback 1).
Note that Test and Untest are like Activate and Release except they force the Playback level to be 100% and 0% respectively.
Note that for security reasons MagicQ limits the number of playbacks that can be controlled using MIDI and the remote protocols.
On MagicQ consoles PB1 to PB34 can be controlled. On MagicQ PC, playbacks PB1 to PB10 can be controlled.
Users may use their own MIDI conversion file usermidimap.txt rather than the in-built miditable.txt. This avoids
user midi tables being overwritten when new software versions are loaded, since only the miditable.txt is updated on
software updates.

40.1.4 Advanced MIDI mapping

It is possible to match all 3 MIDI message bytes including the velocity. So for example:
144,36,100"1t"
144,36,101"1u"
This would execute the Test Playback 1 when Note On for note 36 at velocity 100 was received and Untest Playback 1 when
Note On for note 36 at velocity 101 was received.
To jump within a Cue Stack instead of testing / untesting a Playback just change the remote command in the inverted comments.
144,36"1,10j" (Jump to Cue Id 10 on Playback 1)
It is also possible to map the note or velocity directly into the remote command using the %01 for the note and %02 for the
velocity.
So the following command would look for Note On, Note 36 and then use the Velocity to jump to a specific step on the Playback.
144,36"1,%02j"
144,36"82,%02H"
The %02 is replaced with the velocity received, so that if MagicQ receives 144 36 50 then it will execute the remote command
1,50j, which jumps to Cue Id 50 on Playback 1
For the latest list of remote commands check the section on ChamSys Remote Protocol Commands.

40.1.5 Default miditable.txt file

144,36"1t"
128,36"1u"
144,38"2t"
128,38"2u"
144,40"3t"
128,40"3u"
144,41"4t"
MagicQ User Manual 370 / 579

128,41"4u"
144,43"5t"
128,43"5u"
144,45"6t"
128,45"6u"
144,47"7t"
128,47"7u"
144,48"8t"
128,48"8u"
144,50"9t"
128,50"9u"
144,52"10t"
128,52"10u"
144,53"11t"
128,53"11u"
144,54"12t"
128,54"12u"
144,55"13t"
128,55"13u"
144,56"14"
128,56"14u"
144,57"15t"
128,57"15u"
144,58"16t"
128,58"16u"
144,59"17t"
128,59"17u"
144,60"18t"
128,60"18u"
144,61"19t"
128,61"19u"
144,62"20t"
128,62"20u"
144,63"21t"
128,63"21u"
144,64"22t"
128,64"22u"
144,65"23t"
128,65"23u"
144,66"24t"
128,66"24u"
144,67"25t"
128,67"25u"
144,68"26t"
128,68"26u"
144,69"27t"
128,69"27u"
144,70"28t"
128,70"28u"
144,71"29t"
128,71"29u"
144,72"30t"
128,72"30u"
144,73"31t"
128,73"31u"
144,74"32t"
128,74"32u"
MagicQ User Manual 371 / 579

144,75"33t"
128,75"33u"
144,76"34t"
128,76"34u"

It is possible to test how MagicQ responds to Midi commands by typing in the Midi message on the keyboard. This is only
supported when connected to a MagicQ Wing or Interface. For example to test the command
144,36,127 Note On, note 36, velocity 127
Type testmidi followed by the message on the keyboard with no spaces between the MIDI values.
testmidi 144,36,127

40.2 MIDI Notes and CC Transmit

To transmit a MIDI Note command, first set the MIDI Out Type in the Setup Window. You can choose between "None", "Any
chan" and "Requested Chan". When set to "Requested Chan" the requested channel is configured in the MIDI Out Chan field.
When set to "Any chan" MagicQ will send out any MIDI commands specified in the Cue Stack macro field regardless of the
channel specified using the channel specified in the Cue Stack macro. When set to "Requested Chan" MagicQ will always change
the MIDI commands before transmission to be sent on the requested MIDI channel
MIDI commands are entered in decimal in the Macro field of the Cue Stack Window (page right) using the ‘N’ macro command.
It is possible to over-ride the channel specified in the MIDI commands using the MIDI Out Channel in the Setup Window.

MIDI note commands are 3 bytes long, consisting of the command (note on / note off) byte, followed by the note and then the
velocity
<command> <note> <velocity>
MIDI notes, Control Change, Program Change and Aftertouch messages are supported.
the <command> denotes the MIDI message type, see table below for the command values

144 Note On
128 Note Off
160 Polyphonic Key Pressure (aftertouch)
176 Control Change
192 Program Change
208 Channel Pressure (aftertouch)
224 Pitch Bend Change

For example, to send a note for middle C set the macro field to the following:
N144,60,127 (Note 60 on velocity 127)
N128,60,0 (Note 60 off)
MagicQ accepts both ‘N’ and ‘n’ to specify MIDI commands.
The <command> consists of top 4 bits for the command - 144 for note on, 128 for note off, added to the bottom four bits for the
channel - 0 for channel 1, to 15 for channel 16.
So N144 is note on channel 1. N145 is note on channel 2. N128 is note off channel 1. N129 is note off channel 2.
MagicQ User Manual 372 / 579

40.2.1 Patching MIDI channels

A special MIDI head can be patched that transmits MIDI data whenever the value of its channels change.
You can find the personality the PATCH - CHOOSE HEAD window under Generic - mqmidi. MIDI heads contain three channels:
Status, Data 1, Data 2, allowing you to send any MIDI command. These channels can be found on encoders A B C on page 5 of
the beam window.
The value of the status channel determines which data channels are sent.
No data will be sent if the status channel is lower than 128 or the data channels are larger than 127, in accordance with the
MIDI specification. For more information on the values you can transmit, see https://www.midi.org/specifications/item/table-1-
summary-of-midi-message
MIDI will only be sent when the channels change, therefore setting the status to 0 and back can be done for retransmission.
Alternatively you can record a playback with the status channel set to 0 and keep it activated permenantly.
If you need to send multiple messages in one cue, you can patch multiple mqmidi heads; heads with lower head numbers will
always be processed first. This way, for example, you can set one to a Note On command and another to a Note Off command.

Note
Sending MIDI messages with more than 2 data bytes is not supported via this method. Consider using the cue stack macro
column.

40.3 MIDI problems

MIDI interfaces can be tested using the test show midilooptest.shw. This show simply runs a 2 step chase on Playback 1 which
sends out MIDI commands corresponding to activation and release of Playback 2.

• If on a PC, connect and setup a MIDI interface

• Connect a MIDI cable from the Out to the In on the Interface
• Set MIDI In Type to "Any chan"
• Set MIDI Out Type to "Any chan"
• Load midilooptest.shw
• Raise Playback 1
• If MIDI is working then Playback 2 should activate and release every 1 second.

40.4 MIDI Show Control (MSC)

MagicQ responds to the GO, STOP, RESUME and TIMED GO commands.

The effect of the MSC commands is determined by the MSC type. This is configured in SETUP Window, VIEW SETTINGS →
MIDI Timecode → Show Control Type. The options are Normal, Cue Stack 1 and Playback 1. This is useful for integration with
(e.g.) Strand consoles which only have 1 Cue Stack and which do not allow the show Control commands to be configured.
When set to Normal then MSC commands trigger Cues in the Cue Store or Cue Stacks in the Cue Stack Store. MSC commands
with two parameters (Q number, Q list) will trigger Cue Stacks in the Cue Stack Store. MSC commands with one parameter (Q
number) will trigger Cues in the Cue Store.
When set to Cue Stack 1 or Playback 1 then the commands will affect Cue Stack 1 or the Cue Stack stored on Playback 1
respectively.
MagicQ ignores the times in the TIMED GO command and uses the programmed times. GO and RESUME have the same effect.
MagicQ MIDI/Timecode interfaces manufactured prior to October 2009 must be upgraded to latest firmware by ChamSys to
support MIDI show control messages. Please contact your dealer/distributor for more info.
MagicQ User Manual 373 / 579

40.4.1 MIDI Show Control Command Format

For more details on MSC protocols see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MIDI_Show_Control

MSC Commands are of the format
F0 7F <device_ID> 02 <command_format> <command> <data> F7
<device_ID> is 7F for "all call" ID for system wide broadcasts
<command_format> is 01 for "Lighting"
MagicQ supports the following commands in the <command>

• 01 GO
• 02 STOP
• 03 RESUME

• 04 TIMED_GO

For example:
F0 7F 7F 02 01 01 31 F7 (Go Cue 1 in the Cue Store)
F0 7F 7F 02 01 01 32 30 F7 (Go Cue 20 in the Cue Store)
F0 7F 7F 02 01 02 31 F7 (Stop Cue 1 in the Cue Store)
F0 7F 7F 02 01 01 00 31 30 F7 (Go Cue Stack 10 in the Stack Store)
F0 7F 7F 02 01 01 32 00 31 30 F7 (Go Cue 2 on Cue Stack 10 in the Stack Store)
It is possible to test how MagicQ responds to MSC messages by typing in the MIDI message on the keyboard (this is only
supported on consoles and MagicQ PC when fully unlocked (Unlocked mode) ). For example to test the command
F0 7F 7F 02 01 01 31 F7
Type testsysex followed by the message on the keyboard without the initial F0 and with no spaces between the MIDI values
testsysex 7F7F02010137F7

40.5 MIDI Beat Clock

MagicQ Supports MIDI Beat clock messages in addition to supporting MIDI Notes & Timecode. In order to use MIDI Beat
clock, first Midi devices must be setup under SETUP_ Window, VIEW SETTINGS → MIDI Timecode → Timecode Decode. This
is set to either MIDI or Virtual (USB) MIDI depending if you are using direct ports on a console or a virtual/USB device on a
PC system. The MIDI in type setting should also be set to Any Chan.
When MagicQ receives a MIDI Beat Clock message it toggles the remote trigger input as if the remote trigger input had been
pressed or released. This option is set under SETUP_ Window, VIEW SETTINGS →PORTS → REMOTE TRIGGER TYPE.
Set Remote Trigger Type to "MIDI Beat" to get a remote trigger every MIDI beat or "MIDI Beat Half" or "MIDI Beat Qtr" to get
triggers for half and quarter notes. Then set the Remote Trigger action as required.
Remote input can be used in multiple ways by setting Setup, View Settings, Ports, Remote Trigger Action including "Audio
Bump" and "Tap to Time Sel PB".

40.6 MagicQ USB MIDI/Timecode box firmware versions

3 Fixed SMPTE drop frames

4 Added MIDI beat clock support
5 Fixed incorrect timecode config
6 Fixed MIDI notes input channel filtering
7 Fixed MIDI timecode generate flags
8 Fixed LTC decode after LTC generate
MagicQ User Manual 374 / 579

Chapter 41

Timecode Support

MagicQ supports both time code decode and time code generation.
MagicQ MQ70, MQ80, MQ250M and MQ500 consoles have inbuilt support for Timecode. MagicQ consoles do not support
timecode via 3rd USB party MIDI interfaces or through the console phono (rca) interfaces. For MQ80 and MQ500 we recom-
mend using a balanced input. For MQ70 it can be balanced or unbalanced.
On MagicQ PC / Mac systems MIDI and timecode can be received using an external MagicQ MIDI/Timecode interface or a 3rd
party USB/Virtual MIDI interface. Timecode and MIDI beat clock are only supported on 3rd party USB/Virtual MIDI when a
MagicQ Wing or Interface is connected. MIDI notes is only supported on 3rd party USB interfaces when a ChamSys rack mount
dongle is attached. For timecode we recommend the Adrem solutions TC1 time code reader (http://www.adrem-solutions.com).
MagicHD can also be used as a timecode input source for MagicQ systems supporting timecode.
Cue Stacks can be set up to run Cues according to timecode signals received from external sources via LTC or MIDI timecode.
They can also be set up to use an Internal timecode source which is activated from 0:0:0 when the Cue Stack is activated and
runs at 100 frames per second.
If a Cue Stack is intended to be run from External Timecode then we recommend setting it to External Timecode when program-
ming so that the timecode frames match the expected input times rather than the 100 frames per second of the internal timecode.
If there is timecode input available then the Timecode Simulator can be used to simulate receiving external timecode.
See Timecode Cue Stacks.
Automation events can be triggered by timecode.

41.1 Timecode Decode

MagicQ supports decode of both linear time code (LTC) and MIDI time code.

Set the Timecode Decode to LTC, MIDI, Art-Net or Internal MagicHD depending on the timecode source.
MagicQ User Manual 375 / 579

The timecode type can be set to EBU-25, SMPTE30, NTSC30 and Film 24. The Status Display will show the current timecode
being received.

The timecode continue frames is the number of frames to continue internal regeneration of the timecode signal when it is lost.
After this time the timecode will be frozen until a signal is received again.

Time code can be triggered from an external timecode source using the MagicQ MIDI/Timecode module, or it can run from the
internal time code source. To control a Cue Stack using external timecode set the "External timecode" option in the Cue Stack
options.

41.2 Timecode from Winamp

On a PC, timecode can be received from Winamp instead of from a MagicQ MIDI/SMPTE interface.
The PC must have a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ Interface connected, or be connected to a network with a MagicQ console. If
connected via network then check in Setup, View System, View Status, Net Consoles that the MagicQ PC can see the MagicQ
console in the network. It should report status 03c3. If it can not see the console check that MagicQ (mqqt.exe) is not being
blocked by a firewall such as Windows Defender.
Patch a Winamp personality in MagicQ (winamp_winamp.hed). If there is no Winamp personality in the show file then MagicQ
will not connect to Winamp.
When MagicQ has a Winamp personality patched, MagicQ detects the instance of Winamp running and connects to it automati-
cally. There is no need to configure anything in Winamp.
Set Timecode Decode to Winamp - the received timecode will be shown in the status display prefixed by "WTC".
When a file is played in Winamp the timecode will start running. Winamp typically starts the first track at 1/0/0 instead of 0/0/0
- but this will depend on how you set up the tracks in Winamp.

41.3 Timecode from MagicHD

MagicHD can send timecode for the currently playing video, either over Art-Net or directly into MagicQ (if running as the
internal player).
MagicQ User Manual 376 / 579

Set the "Timecode Output" channel of MagicHD (#047) on the output layer to a value from 128 to 136, to select which video
layer will be used for the timecode. On the MEDIA window, this can be found under Output > Control > Encoder D.
If using MagicHD and MagicQ on the same PC, set "timecode decode" in the settings (under View Settings > MIDI Timecode)
to "Internal MagicHD"; MagicQ will now receive the timecode directly.
If using MagicHD stand alone networked to a MagicQ system (either console or PC), set "timecode generation" to "Art-Net "
On the standalone player, MagicHD will always output over Art-Net if "Timecode Output" is over 128 and MagicHD is out of
demo mode (i.e. there is a ChamSys console or unlocked MagicQ instance on the local network).

41.4 Timecode Simulator

MagicQ includes a powerful timecode simulator for simulating external timecode when an external timecode source is not
available. In the Setup Window, the simulator is turned on using soft button Y. When the simulator is on, then any received
external timecode is ignored.
The timecode start value can be set by entering a timecode value and pressing the X soft button. The X soft button is also used
to start and stop the timecode running.
Entering a new timecode value whilst the timecode simulator is running will jump directly to the new value and continue running.
Typing * before pressing the X button will restart from the last entered timecode.

41.5 Timecode Generation

MagicQ can also master timecode. Timecode Generation takes priority over Timecode Decode, so only enable Timecode Gener-
ation if it is required.
Set Timecode Generation to LTC, MIDI or Art-Net or combinations of the protocols.
When generating Timecode the Timecode Decode setting should be set to None.

41.5.1 Free running timecode

There are special Cue Stack macros to enable time code mastering and to set the time code value.
W <enable> Enable / disable time code generation (1 for enable, 0 for disable)
Q <time code> Set current time code (also enables time code generation)
For example to set timecode to 0/01/00.00
Enter Q100 at the cue stack macro.

Important
MagicQ consoles generate MIDI and LTC timecode in hardware, and you must use a Y-split cable (with LTC) or MIDI
splitter if you want MagicQ to see this timecode.

41.5.2 Using Cue Stack internal timecode

To generate timecode based on the internal timecode of a Cue Stack. Use the Cue Stack macro W 2 in the Cue Stack you wish to
use. MagicQ will use the timing of the Cue Stack from the Playback where the W 2 macro was last run.
To stop generation from the internal timecode of a Cue Stack and return to no timecode generation or free running timecode
generation use the W 0 or W 1 Cue Stack macros.
Note that timecode will only be generated from a Cue Stack internal timing if the Cue Stack is active and it is set to internal
timecode.
MagicQ User Manual 377 / 579

41.5.3 Using the timecode simulator

When the timecode simulator is on and running then the timecode from the simulator is used to generate timecode.
Note that When generating timecode, the Cue Stack internal timecode (if enabled) takes precedence over the timecode simulator.

41.6 Timecode Re-transmit

The LTC or MIDI timecode decoded from a MagicQ MIDI/Timecode interface or from Winamp can be retransmitted over the
network as Art-Net timecode.
This can then be received by any MagicQ console on the network even if it does not have a MIDI/SMPTE interface - just set the
timecode input type to Art-Net.
For MagicQ PC/Mac systems the receiving system must have a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ Interface connected to enable the
decoding of the Art-Net timecode - but this does not have to be a MagicQ MIDI/SMPTE interface.
PC/Mac systems with Winamp must have a MagicQ Wing or MagicQ Interface connected to enable the timecode to be received
from Winamp.
MagicQ User Manual 378 / 579

Chapter 42

Remote Input port

The MagicQ PC Wing, MagicQ MaxiWing and MagicQ consoles support a remote input port on the rear panel, which can be used
to trigger functions in MagicQ from an external control device or switch. MagicQ MQ250M, Compact Connect and Stadium
Connect feature 10Scene Ports which include a contact trigger input working in the same way.
The remote trigger can be used to trigger Cues in Cues Stacks, to flash playbacks, as a master GO button, or as a ADD/SWAP
selector.

42.1 Connection (MagicQ Consoles, MagicQ PC Wing Compact and MagicQ Maxi-
Wing)

The remote input is provided on a standard 4 pin mini DIN connector.

The connections are (in the sequence they appear physically on the connector)

2 0V and equipment ground

4 Opto isolated input negative
3 Power supply positive (Current limited)
1 Opto isolated input positive

The remote input can be used to receive an external signal on the opto isolated inputs, or it can be wired to an external switch.
To receive an external signal wire the signal + to pin 1 and the signal – to pin 4. When used as external optically isolated input
the maximum continuous voltage rating is 24V DC.
When wiring to an external switch links pins 2 and 4. Then connect the external switch between pins 3 and 1.
The Pin 3 Power Supply voltage is 5v on MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ500 and PC Wing Compact. On MQ60’s, MQ100 series
consoles and Maxi Wings its 12-13v.

42.2 Connection (Original PC Wing)

On the original PC Wing the remote input is provided on a standard 5 pin 180 degree DIN connector.
MagicQ User Manual 379 / 579

The connections are (in the sequence they appear physically on the connector)

3 0V and equipment ground

5 Opto isolated input positive
2 Power supply positive (5 Volt, current limited)
4 Opto isolated input negative
1 0V and equipment ground (same as pin 3)

The remote input can be used to receive an external signal on the opto isolated inputs, or it can be wired to an external switch.
To receive an external signal wire the signal + to pin 5 and the signal – to pin 4. When used as external optically isolated input
the maximum continuous voltage rating is 24V DC.
When wiring to an external switch links pins 4 and 1. Then connect the external switch between pins 2 and 5.

42.3 Enabling the remote input in MagicQ

In the View Settings view in the Setup Window page down to the Port Settings. Set up the remote trigger type and remote trigger
action.
The remote trigger type can be set to NONE, MAKE, or BREAK, depending on whether your external switch is a push to make or
a push to break switch. When using an external signal, setting the type to make will cause a trigger when the voltage differential
is positive.
The remote trigger action, determines what action is taken by MagicQ when the remote input signal is detected. The options are:

• NONE
• CURRENT PLAYBACK GO
• CURRENT PLAYBACK FLASH
• ADD/SWAP

• SWAP
• DBO
• WING1 PB1 GO

• WING1 PB1 FLASH

• WING1 PB12 GO
• WING1 PB12 FLASH
• PB10 GO

• PB10 FLASH
• AUDIO BUMP
• TAP TO TIME
MagicQ User Manual 380 / 579

When set to NONE there is no special action associated with pressing the remote input. However, the remote input can still be
used in Cue Stacks to trigger specific cues by setting the Halt Field in the Cue Stack to REMOTE. The Cue will then wait till the
remote trigger is detected before starting to execute the Cue.
When set to SWAP, playbacks are set to SWAP mode whenever the remote signal is detected – this can therefore be used with a
foot-switch to temporarily engage SWAP mode.
WING1 PB1 GO and WING1 PB1 FLASH are provided as an alternative to the current playback GO and FLASH. This allows,
for example, a smoke machine to be set up on WING1 PB1 trigger by the remote input.
AUDIO BUMP allows the remote trigger to be used in the same way as when triggering from receiving audio. Any Cue Stack
set with "Audio Bumps Go" set will bump one step every time the remote input is triggered.
TAP TO TIME changes the speed of the currently selected playback.
In Setup, View System, View Status there is a counter of the number of times the remote input has been switched since the system
was started. This enables MagicQ to be used to count the number of times an event has occurred – e.g. customers pressing a
button or starting a presentation sequence.
MagicQ User Manual 381 / 579

Chapter 43

10Scene

MagicQ supports 10Scene Wall Plates and 10Scene Gateways, enabling up to 50 different zones of 10Scene operation and trigger
inputs.
10Scene supports ten scenes (MagicQ Cues) programmed onto 10 buttons which can be activated and released by pressing the
buttons. In addition the level of the programmed Cue can be decreased and increased by pressing and holding the buttons for 1
second or more.
10Scenes can operate in a simple mode with minimal configuration, or in an extended mode with manual configuration per Zone.
10Scene Wall Plates are connected to MagicQ via one or more 10Scene Gateways.
MagicQ includes a demo show ZoneDemo.shw for training. After loading the show you should set the 10Scene action setting as
this is a console setting and will not be set when loading the show.
Note 10Scene Gateways and wall plates do not provide any unlocking to MagicQ PC Systems, which is required to use 10Scene
on PC systems.

43.1 10Scene Gateways

10Scene Gateways are ChamNet enabled devices that are managed through the View ChamNet in Setup, View DMX I/O, Net
Manager. The IP address and subnet mask of the Gateways can be configured, and new firmware can be uploaded to them.
The ID of the Gateway can also be configured - this is different to other ChamNet devices such as the SnakeSys B4 where the ID
is set by rotary switches on the device. Each Gateway and SnakeSys device in a system should be set to a different ChamNet ID.
Each 10Scene Gateway has two 10Scene ports. Each 10Scene port supports up to ten 10Scene Wall Plates and a single remote
input trigger. It is possible to use the 10Scene Wall Plates and the remote input trigger simultaneously.
The 10Scene ports on the 10Scene Gateway have the following pin out, left to right looking from the front:

Pin 1 12V
Pin 2 Trigger input (accepts 0 to 5V or close contact)
Pin 3 10Scene protocol

Pin 4 10Scene protocol -

Pin 5 Ground (0V)

To connect to 10Scene Wall Plates, pins 1,3,4 and 5 must be connected.

To use the trigger input connect with a switch connect it between pins 2 and 5.
MagicQ User Manual 382 / 579

43.2 10Scene Wall Plates

10Scene Wall Plates have the following pin out when looking into the connector.

Pin 1 12V
Pin 2 12V
Pin 3 10Scene protocol

Pin 4 10Scene protocol -

Pin 5
Pin 6 Ground (0V)
Pin 7 Ground (0V)

It is only necessary to connect to pins 1,3,4 and 7. Pin 2 is connected internally to Pin 1. Pin 6 is connected internally to Pin 7.
Each 10Scene Wall Plate when manufactured has an ID which is used to link it to a specific Zone. If there is only one Zone in
use then Zone IDs are not used.

43.2.1 Programming 10Scene Wall Plate IDs

The ID is factory assigned in the range 32768 to 61439. Users can change the ID to anything in the range 1 to 10000. All other
IDs are reserved.
To change the ID the 10Scene Wall Plate must be connected to a MagicQ system with a 10Scene port or to a 10Scene Gateway
support. In Setup, View Settings, Ports set 10Scene to Inbuilt if using a direct port, or Inbuilt and Gateway if using a 10Scene
Gateway.
In MagicQ 10Scene Wall Plates are managed through the Macro Window, View Autom, View 10Scene. A list of detected
10Scene Wall Plates are shown, together with their current ID and firmware.
To identify a 10Scene Wall Plate move the cursor to the required row and press ENTER on column 1. This will turn all the
buttons on the 10Scene to red. Press ENTER again to stop identifying, or press ENTER on another 10Scene to identify that
10SCene instead.
To check the IDs of individual Wall Plates press the PROG 10SCENE soft button. This puts all the 10Scene Wall Plates into a
mode whereby they display their ID as a sequence of digits. The sequence starts with all buttons blue and then lights each LED
in turn for each digit. Buttons 1 to 9 represent the digits 1 to 9 and 10 represents 0. Press PROG SCENE again to exit this mode
back to normal.
To change the ID of the 10Scene, then it is necessary to first reset it back to its factory ID if it has been changed before. Press
PROG 10SCENE to enter the programming mode, and then press the RESET ID button and confirm yes. The 10Scene should
now change to display its factory ID.
Alternatively press PROG 10Scene and on the 10Scene Wall Plate that you wish to reset to factory, press and hold buttons 2,4,7
and 9. The 10Scene Wall Plate will then return to factory ID and will display the factory ID.
If you wish to reset all connected 10Scene Wall Plates then press SHIFT and RESET ALL IDS instead, and all 10Scene Wall
Plates will be reset and then display their original factory IDs.
To program an individual 10Scene go into PROG 10SCENE mode and on the 10Scene Wall Plate press and hold buttons 1,5,6
and 10. The 10Scene Wall Plate should change to all buttons blue. Now enter the required new ID using the buttons on the
10Scene Wall Plate. You can enter up to 5 digits. It is not necessary to enter leading 0s - so for example to program the 10Scene
Wall Plate to ID 1 simply press 1, to program to ID 23 press 2 and then 3. After two seconds the 10Scene will reprogram its ID
and if successful display the new ID.
If an invalid ID is entered or no buttons are pressed within 20 seconds then all LEDs briefly show red to indicate an error and
then return to displaying the current ID.
When in programming mode any 10Scene Wall Plate that is at its original factory ID can be programmed to a new ID - it is not
necessary to enter and exit the programming mode. Note however, that if an ID is incorrectly set then it must be first reset to
factory before changing to the correct ID.
MagicQ User Manual 383 / 579

When all programming is complete then exit programming mode by pressing PROG 10SCENE again.

43.3 10Scene enable

To enable 10Scene Wall Plates set the 10Scene enable in Setup, View Settings, Ports to Inbuilt and Gateway or Inbuilt, Gateway,
Remote.
When set to disabled, there is no communication with 10Scenes Wall Plates and remotes. 10Scene zones can still be used
internally through automations and macros if the 10Scene action or 10Scene zones are configured.

43.4 10Scene action

The 10Scene action is configured in Setup, View Settings, Ports, 10Scene action.

PB1 to 10 All 10Scenes control PB1 to PB10

Exec 1 All 10Scenes control Exec Grid 1, items 1 to 10
Exec 1 Multi 10Scenes with Zone IDs 1 to 10 control Exec Grid 1, Zone
ID1 controls item 1 to 10, Zone ID2 controls 11 to 20,
etc. . .
Exec 1 Groups 10Scenes control Exec Grid 1, items 1 to 10, but using
Groups named with the Zone ID to determine which heads
they control.
Exec Grids 10Scenes control Exec Grids - Zone ID 1 controls Exec
Grid 1, Zone ID2 controls Exec Grid 2, etc. . .
Custom The action for each zone is configured separately using the
Type, P1 and P2 fields in Macro, View Zone

The state of the Zones is shown in Macro, View Zone. The Zone Type field in this window should be set to "Action" for all
Zones, except when using Custom action.

43.4.1 PB1 to 10

All 10Scene Wall Plates control PB1 to PB10. Pressing a 10Scene button activates the Playback at 100%. Pressing again releases
the Playback.
The 10Scene ID is not used. Regardless of their ID, all 10Scene Wall Plates control the 10 playbacks or the first 10 items on
Exec Grid 1 respectively. The IDs can remain at factory settings.

43.4.2 Exec 1

All 10Scene Wall Plates control items 1 to 10 in Exec Grid 1. Pressing and releasing a 10Scene button has the same effect as
pressing and releasing in the Execute Window. Items in the Execute window can be set to toggle (normal) or to flash.
The 10Scene ID is not used. Regardless of their ID, all 10Scene Wall Plates control the 10 playbacks or the first 10 items on
Exec Grid 1 respectively. The IDs can remain at factory settings.

43.4.3 Exec 1 Multi

All 10Scene Wall Plates control Exec Grid 1 with the Zone ID determining which items are controlled. Zone ID1 controls item
1 to 10, Zone ID2 controls 11 to 20, etc. . .
MagicQ User Manual 384 / 579

By default the ID of the 10Scene Wall Plates maps directly to the Zone ID with ID1 to ID50 being supported - Wall Plate ID1
corresponds to Zone 1, Wall Plate ID2 corresponds to Zone 2. The mapping of IDs can be modified by configuring the Min and
Max fields in the Zone data.
ID 10000 is also supported to control all zones. A Wall Plate with this ID will show a button active if that button is active on any
of the Zones 1 to 10 and there is a 10Scene Wall Plate detected for that Zone or a Group set up for that Zone.. When a button is
pressed on that Wall Plate, if that button is active on any of Zones 1 to 10 then it will deactivate all items for that button, otherwise
it will activate all items for that button. For example, pressing button 2, when Exec Grid item 12 is active will cause Exec Grid
items 2,12,22,32,42,52,62,72,82,92 all to be released.

43.4.4 Exec 1 Groups

MagicQ handles activation of the Cues in the Exec Grid 1 based on Groups. MagicQ handles converting the Cues to only affect
the heads in the specific group for the zone. Cues are expanded to include all the heads in the Group to make it simple to program
and to make the system expandable without having to reprogram Cues.
Groups must be created for each zone with the Group names containing the word "Zone" followed by the zone ID - for example
"Zone 1", "Zone2". Capitalisation does not matter. There can be further data after the Zone data such as "Zone 1 Room 21" - this
is useful for the 10Scene app which displays Zone names.
It is important to ensure that there is only one Group with each Zone ID - if you have multiple Groups e.g. two Groups named
"Zone 1" then it will use the Group with the highest group ID.
By default the ID of the 10Scene Wall Plates maps directly to the Zone ID - with ID1 to ID50 being supported - Wall Plate ID1
corresponds to Zone 1, Wall Plate ID2 corresponds to Zone 2. The mapping of IDs can be modified by configuring the Min and
Max fields in the Zone data.
ID 10000 is also supported to control all zones. A Wall Plate with this ID will show a button active if that button is active on any
of the Zones 1 to 50 and there is a 10Scene Wall Plate detected for that Zone or a Group set up for that Zone.. When a button is
pressed on that Wall Plate, if that button is active on any of Zones 1 to 50 then it will deactivate all items for that button, otherwise
it will activate all items for that button. For example, pressing button 2, will cause Exec Grid item 2 to be activate and released
for all Zones.
In this mode Exec Grid 1 in the Execute Window will not show active, as there are multiple different copies of the Exec Grid
1 in action, one for each Zone (Group). It is possible to see the state for a particular zone in Macro, View Zones. In this mode
activating items 1 to 10 in Execute Grid 1 by pressing in the Window or using macros/automs will activate the original Cue
containing all its heads, independently of the activation of the separate zone copies - therefore you may end up with both the
original Exec Grid 1 item and the copy active at the same time.
Note that MagicQ makes converts from the orignal Cue to the Group using an intelligent copy. The original Cue does not need to
contain the Heads from the new Group - MagicQ will try to copy from any attributes from other heads in the original Cue. This
is beneficial when each Zone has different fixture types.
When using multiple different fixture types, it is recommend to program all required attributes into the original Cue for each head
type rather than relying on default attributes - e.g. start programming with LOCATE. This prevents MagicQ copying attributes
that are not in the original Cue from other fixtures that are in the original Cue.

43.4.5 Exec Grids

The 10Scene Wall Plates work in zones with each Zone controlling items 1 to 10 of an Execute Grid. Zone 1 controls Grid 1,
Zone 2 controls Grid 2.
By default the ID of the 10Scene Wall Plates maps directly to the Zone ID - with ID1 to ID50 being supported - Wall Plate ID1
corresponds to Zone 1, Wall Plate ID2 corresponds to Zone 2. The mapping of IDs can be modified by configuring the Min and
Max fields in the Zone data.
ID 10000 is also supported to control all zones. A Wall Plate with this ID will show a button active if that button is active on any
of the Zones 1 to 50 and there is a 10Scene Wall Plate detected for that Zone or a Group set up for that Zone. When a button
is pressed on that Wall Plate, if that button is active on any of Zones 1 to 50 then it will deactivate all items for that button,
otherwise it will activate all items for that button. For example, pressing button 2, will cause item 2 to be activate and released
for all Execute Grids 1 to 50.
MagicQ User Manual 385 / 579

43.4.6 Custom

When 10Scene action is set to Custom the function of the Zone is determined by the Type field.
When set to Playback, the Zone will control 10 playbacks starting from the playback specified by P1.
When set to Exec Grid, the Zone will control items 1 to 10 of the Exec Grid with Grid ID set by P1.
When set to Action the Zone will not control anything.

43.5 Manual Zone Configuration

43.5.1 Zone Mode

The Zone Status controls how the zone is configured. When set to Auto the Zone is entirely controlled in accordance with the
action specified in the 10Scene Action option in Setup, View, Settings, Ports. No Zone specific data can be configured.
When set to Manual the Zone is configured with the data specified for that Zone including the Zone Name, Zone Status, Zone
Type, Min ID, Max ID, Password, Passcode, Zone Switch, Join Zone and Join Status.

43.5.2 Zone Status

A Zone can be temporarily enabled and disabled. When disabled the buttons on all 10Scenes for that Zone will be deactivated
and macro and automation commands for that Zone will have no effect.
When the Zone Status is set to Auto the Zone is always enabled.

43.5.3 Zone Name

Each Zone can have a name that will be displayed internally and on the remote app.
If a Zone Name is not set then when the Zone Action is Exec 1 Groups or Exec 1 Multi, then if there is a Group named starting
with "Zone" then this will be used as the Zone name - e.g. "Zone 2 Rm 5" would be used for name Zone 2.

43.5.4 10Scene ID min and max

Each Zone can be controlled by a range of 10Scene Wall Plates with different 10Scene IDs - enter a minimum and a maximum
range for the 10SCene ID. The minimum must be set to at least 1 to operate.
If no minimum or maximum is specified then the Zone will be controlled by the 10Scene Wall Plate with ID set to the Zone ID -
e.g. 10Scene ID2 will control Zone 2.
When minimum and maximum ranges are in use it is not necessary to match the 10Scene Wall Plate ID to the Zone ID - any
10Scene Wall Plate IDs in the range 1 to 9999 can be used.

43.6 Passwords

The password is used on the remote app to access the zone.

In manual mode a password can be assigned to each Zone.
In the other modes, the zones take a password from any users with passwords set up on the system (in Setup, View System, View
Users) and these passwords can be used on any zones.
In all modes, users that have a user set on the console with password authorisation can also use their master password to access
any zone.
MagicQ User Manual 386 / 579

Users that have a user set on the console of level Programmer with password authorisation (Setup, View System, View Users)
can use this password to the "All Zones" zone to control all zones simultaneously.
From v1.9.2.2 MagicQ was enhanced to provide locking of show files via console user passwords - version 1.5 of the 10Scene
app is required to enable automatic QR code logon to the Zones.

43.7 Passcodes

In manual mode a passcode can be assigned to a Zone. When a passcode is assigned then the 10Scene Wall Plates in that zone
will have all buttons off until the passcode is entered. Once the passcode is entered for a zone, then the 10Scene Wall Plates in
that zone all show the zone state and button presses are accepted to change the state. After 20 seconds of inactivity the Zone is
locked again and all 10Scene Wall Plates revert to off.
In some cases it may be desirable to have some 10Scene Wall Plates in a controlled zone with passcode and others without. The
10Scenes should then be split into 2 different zones, one with a passcode, the other without, and the Zones set to control the same
items - e.g. the same Execute Grid and Group.
Passcodes are not available in the simple modes.

43.8 Joining Zones

When 10Scene action is set to Exec 1 Groups, Exec 1 Multiple, Exec Grids or when zones are configured individually to control
an Execute grid using a group then it is possible to join zones together. When two or more zones are joined together they operate
as one zone. All Cues are expanded to include all heads of the group from each zone that is joined together.
In manual mode any zone can be joined to any other by setting the required zone to join in the Join Zone field and setting the
Zone Switch to Joined.
When using Exec 1 Groups a zone can only be joined to the previous zone - i.e. Zone 2 can be joined to Zone 1, Zone 3 can be
joined to Zone 2. The Zone Switch field is used to Join this zone.
In manual mode the joining of zones can be temporarily enabled and disabled for each zone.
The Zone Switch can also be operated from an automation, enabling automatic operation from a remote input. In Macro, View
Autom insert an automation of Type Remote, and with Function set to Zone Switch.
When joining and separating zones the Execute state from the joined/separated from zone is maintained and expanded to the
newly joined or newly separated zone.
The joining and separation of zones will only affect the zones that are part of the join/separate. All other zones will continue to
operate without interruption, even if they themselves are made of several zones joined.
The Zone Switch can also be added to the Execute windows - ASSIGN SPECIAL, select 10SCENE ZONE and enter the Zone
ID. The Zone Switch item in the Execute window shows active when the Zone Switch for that zone is set to joined. The text of
the item indicates which Zone it is joined to. Pressing the item will change the state of the Zone Switch.

43.9 10Scene remote triggers

MagicQ supports the 10Scene remote triggers from the 10Scene gateways in the Autom window. Add a new Autom with type
Remote and set the ChamNet ID of the Gateway in P1 and the remote trigger number (1 or 2) in P2.

43.10 10Scene Remote app

MagicQ includes a 10Scene remote app for use on Android, iOS, Windows and MacOS that provides a simple to use 10Scene
interface designed for install and use by non-technical people without needing any knowledge of lighting or MagicQ.
MagicQ User Manual 387 / 579

The app connects to either the inbuilt WIFI of the console (MQ50,MQ70,MQ250M) or to an external router.
The app shows the available 10Scene Zones and enables. Where required, Zones can be passworded, requiring the user to enter a
password before having access to view or control the Zone. Master passwords can be set so that authorised users can have access
to all zones.
On MagicQ passwords can be set on specific zones in the Macro Window, View Zone. Master passwords for all zones can be
set by adding users in Setup, View System, View Users and setting a user password. The user can be any level - it is assumed
that anyone who can access the console as an operator should also be allowed to operate the 10Scene app. For example, specific
passwords can be set for each Zone and given out to customers, whilst a user level password could be used for venue managers.
For a Zone, the app shows the ten 10Scene buttons with their name and current state. When the Exec 1 Groups and Exec 1 Multi
actions are in operation, then Zone names are taken from the zone data in the Macro Window, View Zones. If names are not set,
then it will take names from the Group Names - e.g. if a Group is named "Zone 2 Rm 5" then this will be shown on the App. In
Exec 1 Multi, Zone Groups are only used for the naming, not for the execution of the Cues.

43.11 Testing an installation

In Macro, View Zone the rightmost columns Named B1 to B10 show the ten 10Scene buttons for each Zone together with names.
The buttons can be tested from this view by clicking or pressing ENTER on the button - this causes the Execute item for the
10Scene button to be activated or released.
It is also possible to trigger 10Scene buttons from Cue Stack macros using the T0 command or from ChamSys Remote protocol
using the X command. The button press and button release can be triggered just like on a 10Scene wall plate, or the Execute item
for the 10Scene button can be activated / released.
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Chapter 44

Scene Setter

The MagicQ Scene Setter enables control of MagicQ from a remote location using a fixed network connection. The Scene Setter
has 4 playback faders and 12 playback buttons, and can be mapped to the wing playbacks on a MagicQ system. An LCD screen
shows the legends for the playbacks.
The Scene Setter can be powered from the SnakeSys R4 which features a 3 port POE Switch, thus avoiding the need to run
separate power cables. The scene setter can also be powered from any 48v PoE capable network switch that provides power on
the unused Cat 5 pairs. If not used with a PoE switch, a Power over Ethernet injector will be required to power the unit.
Multiple Scene Setters can be used in a system - each with a separate ID, allowing each to control 4 different playbacks on the
MagicQ system.
On MagicQ PC/Mac the system needs a MagicQ Wing or Interface, Rack Mount Dongle or SnakeSys network device connected
to enable the Scene Setter functions.

44.1 Powering the Scene Setter

The Scene Setter can be powered from the SnakeSys R4 which features a 3 port POE Switch, thus avoiding the need to run
separate power cables. The Scene Setter can also be powered from any 48v PoE capable network switch that provides power on
the unused Cat 5 pairs. If not used with a PoE switch, a Power over Ethernet injector will be required to power the unit.
MagicQ User Manual 389 / 579

POE is required on the unused data pairs (4,5 DC+ and 7,8 DC-). Any suitable power injector that supplies 48V at up to 1Amp
on the unused pairs is acceptable. Note that you need to check the specification of your network switch or power injector as many
common brand names only supply power on the used pairs, not the unused pairs.
The Scene Setters can be used with MagicQ consoles and also MagicQ PC systems. The Scene Setters are only supported on
MagicQ PC systems when connected to a MagicQ USB device (not a MagicDMX interface), Rack mount dongle or SnakeSys
network device.
The Scene Setters fit into a 6/8 Gang back box.

44.2 Configuration

To enable the Scene Setter in MagicQ software, set one of the Wings in Setup, View System, View Wings to "Remote Panels".
A "D" in the Status Window shows that the panel is detected. It will then control four Playbacks on that Wing. Playbacks can be
programmed on MagicQ from the Playback Window.
MagicQ Scene setters come with an IP address in the 2.9.200.XX range, note your MagicQ Console or MagicQ PC must be set
to have an IP address in this range, with a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0.

44.3 Using the Scene Setter

The four playbacks control the playbacks just as if they were fader and buttons on a MagicQ Playback Wing. The top buttons are
the S buttons, the next ones down the GO buttons, then the BACK buttons and the bottom buttons are FLASH buttons.
Alternatively the buttons can be assigned to Scene Setter autom events. When a button is assigned to one or more Autom events
then the normal function of the button (e.g. S, Go, Back, Flash) is overridden. The button assignment affects all scene setters in
the system.
Added support for Autom event to toggle Cue / Cue Stack on/off - this is useful when using Scene Setter buttons.
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44.4 Changing the IP Address

The Scene Setters come set with an IP address in the 2.X.X.X network range. This can be found using the Digi utility program.
To change the IP settings of the Scene Setter, you must first connect to the Utility for changing the IP address and that can be
found on the URL provided below: www.digi.com
For Windows 7:
http://ftp1.digi.com/support/utilities/40002319_p.exe
When you have connected your Scene Setter to your the PC and the Digi Utility has loaded up, it will automatically look for the
Scene Setter over your network. Once set up you can change the IP Address.
Advanced Scene Setter Configuration
The Scene setter can be remotely configured using a web browser.
Type the IP Address of the device into a web browser. You should see a login box. The username and password are as below.
Login: root Password: dbps
Once you are logged in then you can configure all the settings of the network module in the Scene Setter. Note that if you change
the IP address of the Scene Setter then it will be necessary to use the new address in your browser address bar.

44.5 Setting up the Serial Port

The serial port on the scene setter is set up at ChamSys so it should not be necessary to change these settings. If the configuration
is lost for any reason then from the web browser connected to the Scene Setter:

• Change Profile

• UDP Sockets
• Enable UDP port using port 6554.
• Then set it to "Automatically Send Data" on to 2.255.255.255 port 6554.
• Send when data is present on the line and match "mahC".

• Untick "Send after following number of idle milliseconds"

Then Apply these settings.

Also set the Basic Serial Port settings to 9600, 8 bits, 1 stop bit, no parity, and no flow control.
MagicQ User Manual 391 / 579

Chapter 45

Open Sound Control (OSC)

MagicQ supports sending and receiving of Open Sound Control (OSC) messages.
OSC is a network protocol commonly used to send messages between audio visual programs, such as show control, sound effect
and tablet applications. The protocol is free to implement which makes it increasingly popular; the specification can be found at
http://opensoundcontrol.org/introduction-osc
OSC is supported on MagicQ consoles (except MQ40 and MQ40N) and PCs when fully unlocked (Unlocked Mode).
MagicQ can interact with OSC in the following ways:

• Receive messages controlling the first 10 playbacks

• Receive messages controlling buttons, faders and encoders in the Execute Window
• Convert messages to ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol commands and midi messages
• Respond to message by using the Autom Window
• Send messages using the macro field of cue stacks
• Patch a special OSC head that sends messages when the value of the channel changes

An OSC message consists of two parts:

• Address: a forward slash followed by the name of the message. Can be separated by slashes, similar to file paths. e.g.
/myosc/method/address or /triggercue
• Arguments: zero or more values, each with a specific type. Common types are:
– integer
– float: number with a decimal place
– string: line of text
– midi: MIDI message

45.1 Setup

To enable OSC on MagicQ you need to set the mode, and the transmit and/or receive port numbers in Setup, View Settings,
Network.
Setting a port to 0 disables transmitting/receiving of OSC.
Optionally, a transmit IP address can be specified or set to 0.0.0.0 to broadcast to all computers on the lighting network. Note
that if you wish to transmit on the control net then you must set a transmit IP address which is on the control net.
MagicQ automatically receives OSC on the main lighting network. MagicQ will receive OSC on the control net when the control
net firewall is disabled.
MagicQ User Manual 392 / 579

Note
Port number needs to be higher than 1024 on most systems. A good default is 9000 transmit and 8000 receive.

45.2 Receiving messages

45.2.1 MagicQ OSC addresses

The following table lists the built-in OSC messages that MagicQ will respond to. Only the first 10 playbacks and first 10 execute
grids can be controlled with the built-in addresses.
You can use the AUTOM window to extend control to other parts of the MagicQ system.

Table 45.1: OSC Addresses

Address Arguments Behaviour

/pb/<playback> float between 0.0 and 1.0 Set playback fader level
or
int between 0 and 100
/pb/<playback>/go (optional) Go on playback
non-zero value
/pb/<playback>/flash 0 sets to 0% Set playback level to 100%
non-zero sets to 100%
/pb/<playback>/pause (optional) Pause playback
non-zero value
/pb/<playback>/release (optional) Release playback
non-zero value
/pb/<playback>/<cue> (optional) Jump to cue
non-zero value
/dbo 0 turns on Blackout
non-zero turns off
/swap 0 = add Set swap mode
non-zero = swap
/exec/<page>/<item> (optional) one of following Control button, fader or encoder in
/exec/<item> no arguments = activate button/fader execute window
0 = relase button/fader; lower encoder
1 = activate button/fader; raise encoder
float between 0.0 and 1.0 = set fader
level
int between 0 and 100 = set fader level
/10Scene/<item>/<zone> (optional) one of following Control 10Scene buttons
/10Scene/<item> no arguments = activate button
0 = release button
1 = activate button
float between 0.0 and 1.0 = set fader
level
/rpc string with commands
Send remote ethernet command
/rpc/<commands> None
/midi MIDI bytes Send MIDI message - processed as if
received from MagicQ or USB MIDI
device
(timecode messages are ignored)
/feedback/off None Turns feedback off
/feedback/pb None Turns feedback on and transmits state
/feedback/exec of playbacks and executes (see
/feedback/pb+exec TouchOSC)
MagicQ User Manual 393 / 579

If unspecified, as an argument either a float or an int is accepted.

<playback> := number between 1 and 10
<cue> := number with optional decimal, e.g. 2.5
<page> := number between 1 and 10 for execute grid, or name of execute grid
<item> := number of box in execute grid, or grid reference e.g. 4x3 for row 4 col 4, or name of execute item
The receipt of OSC messages from the keyboard by typing testosc followed by the command - for example to GO on Playback
1:
testosc /pb/1/go
This is supported on MagicQ consoles and on MagicQ PC sytems unlocked with a MagicQ Wing or Interface.

45.2.2 Automation

MagicQ can respond to user-defined OSC messages by adding rows to the MACRO - VIEW AUTOM window. After seting the
type to OSC Message, set the OSC address in the P1 column.
Depending on the trigger type, an argument may be expected, e.g to set a fader level. This can either be an integer between 0 and
100 or float between 0.0 and 1.0.

45.3 Sending messages

45.3.1 Cue stack macros

OSC messages can be sent by using the macro field of a cues inside the Cue Stack window.
OSC addresses should be entered into the macro field, preceeded by the letter K and must be the last macro command in a macro.
The address can be followed by an optional comma separated list of arguments.

Note
Specifying commas and backslashes in string arguments should be escaped with a backslash, e.g. \,, and \\.
MagicQ User Manual 394 / 579

45.3.2 Patching OSC heads

A generic 1-channel personality can be patched that will send OSC messages whenever the value of the channel changes. This
personality can be found in the CHOOSE HEAD window under Generic - mqosc. You can choose between three modes depend-
ing on the type of argument you want sent in the OSC message.
The channel value can be set using encoder Y in the INTENSITY window.
You will need to change the name of the head to the address of the OSC message, followed by an optional comma separated list
of arguments that will be added before the value being transmitted (see Cue stack macros above).

45.4 TouchOSC

TouchOSC is a free iOS and Android application that can be used to create custom layouts of buttons, faders and encoders, and
attach these controls to OSC messages.
There is an example TouchOSC file and show file in the MagicQ show folder called magicqdemo.touchosc and MQTouchOSCDemo.shw.
You can load the TouchOSC file onto the app and edit the layout with the editor tool provided at http://hexler.net/software/-
touchosc#downloads
In the demo, the Load vals button sends a /feedback/pb+exec message which transmits the current state of playbacks and execute
controls to the TouchOSC app. This also enables automatic sending of any changes to playbacks and executes to keep the
TouchOSC controls in sync with MagicQ.
The Load vals button can be used to reload the state of MagicQ if the app gets closed or after network loss.

45.5 Troubleshooting

45.5.1 Transmit or receive not working

Make sure transmit and receive ports are set opposite to the device you are communicating with.
If there are multiple networks cards on the PC, make sure the IP address in MagicQ setup is set to the IP address of the interface
you want OSC to transmit on.
Make sure the OSC address starts with a forward slash.
Make sure the address does not contain any characters that are disallowed in the OSC specification.
If specifying arguments after the address in a cue stack macro or patched head, ensure the address is followed by a comma, and
that there are no unusual characters. Backslashes in string arguments can also cause issues, only use a double backslash \\ or to
escape a comma \,
Ensure MagicQ is unlocked.
Check transmit and receive port numbers are set to values larger than 1024.
Check for any firewalls (e.g. Windows firewall) that may stop messages from being received.

45.5.2 Messages getting lost

Be careful not to flood the network with large amounts of OSC traffic, particularly if using OSC heads.
Large amount of broadcast Art-Net universes may case delayed or lost OSC messages.
MagicQ User Manual 395 / 579

45.6 Notes

MagicQ only supports OSC over UDP. Receiving OSC bundles is supported, although MagicQ does not currently transmit
bundles.
OSC patched head names are restricted to 15 characters.
In the Execute Window, select an item, type // and press ENTER to display the OSC address that is associated with the button.
This is also the address that gets sent when feedback is enabled.
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Chapter 46

MagicQ Visualiser

46.1 MagicVis

MagicQ includes a visualiser called MagicVis available for Windows, Mac and Linux.

MagicVis is available in two versions:

• A standalone application called MagicVis that can connect to a MagicQ console or receive Art-Net or sACN data from other
brands of console over a network.
• Part of the MagicQ PC application. This allows the editing and visualisation of a show on one PC.

The MagicVis application enables Lighting Designers to add visualisation to their MagicQ console simply by connecting a
network cable and starting the MagicVis application. The graphics and processor intensive visualisation is performed on the
attached computer, thus ensuring that the MagicQ console continues to run at full performance.
In order to render the beams MagicVis uses the graphics card in your PC / Mac - the better the performance of your graphics card
then the better performance of the visualiser. PCs and Macs with shared graphics memory will perform slowly and will only be
MagicQ User Manual 397 / 579

able to render small lighting rigs. A Nvidia or ATI/Radeon graphics card costing £100/£120 C/160$ will make all the difference
to your system.

46.1.1 Using the Separate MagicVis Application

The separate MagicVis application can connect to a console or a separate PC running MagicQ software. The show will be
automatically loaded from the console over the network.
Configure the IP addresses of the both the console and the laptop to be within the same IP address range, e.g. set the console to
IP address 2.0.0.1 netmask 255.0.0.0 and the laptop to 2.0.0.2 netmask 255.0.0.0. On the console
setup → VIEW SETTINGS → Multi Console
and ensure that Enable Remote Control and Enable Remote Access are set to yes.
Connect the console and the PC/Mac with a network cable, then start MagicVis. It should find the console automatically and
connect. If the name of the console appears in red then make sure that Enable Remote Control and Enable Remote Access are
set to yes on the console. If the IP address is red then it is on the wrong subnet.
If MagicVis fails to connect to the console click on File → Settings. . . to bring up the Settings dialog. Click on the Network tab
then choose the network adaptor/IP address of the network port that connects to the MagicQ console. Then select the console
from the list. If the console does not appear on the list then check the connecting cable.

Initially the title bar in MagicVis will show searching for consoles, then trying to connect once it has found a console. Once
a connection has been made with the console then it will change to say waiting sync. Once the show data has been transferred
over the connection from the console to the MagicQ vis application then it will change to say synced.
If the system continues to say trying to connect then check firewalls are disabled. In some systems you may need to disable
other network adaptors such as the wireless adaptor. Windows often classifies lighting networks as public networks and applies
different firewall rules.
Once MagicVis is synced then whenever you load a new show on the console or change the visualiser patch then the changes
will automatically appear in the visualiser.
When MagicVis starts it assumes that it will receive DMX data on Art-Net starting from Art-Net Universe 0-0. As soon as
MagicVis has a connection with a console it then starts using the DMX protocols and universes in use on that console for each
of the patched universes. If the universes are not enabled on the console then the console will send the DMX data directly to the
MagicVis using its own MagicVis protocol. This enables MagicVis to be used on a system where the outputs are not enabled.
Note that even when MagicVis is not synced it will visualise according to received Art-Net. Art-Net is sent separately to the
connection for show data transfer.
MagicQ User Manual 398 / 579

46.1.2 Using MagicVis with other consoles

MagicVis can be used with third-party consoles other than MagicQ. The visualisation show must first be created in MagicQ and
then loaded into MagicVis for use with the other console.
Load a MagicQ show file directly into MagicVis by clicking on File → Load Show. In this mode there is no sync, MagicVis just
looks at the incoming Art-Net data for rendering the beams but does not sync the patch.

Tip
Once a show has been loaded using Load Show MagicVis will not try to sync with a console.

46.1.3 Using the Visualiser in MagicQ

Run the MagicQ software then go to the Visualiser menu in the menu bar and click on Show Visualiser. The window can be sized
and moved to the required position.

As the Visualiser is integrated with the MagicQ app it is not necessary to set up IP addresses or enable/configure universes.

46.2 Using MagicVis

MagicVis provides five views – Perspective, Top, Side, Front, and Free. The view can be changed either from the View menu in
the MagicVis window or in MagicQ in the Patch window, using Soft Button E.
The Top, Side, Front and Free views are orthographic projections and are wireframe views. The outline of the items in the room
and the beams are shown. The Perspective view is fully shaded and the items are coloured and lit. If the camera is moved while
in an orthographic view then the view automatically becomes Free.
You can rotate the camera around by pointing the mouse at the visualiser window, clicking and holding then moving the mouse
around. Move the camera back and forth with the scroll wheel, or by pressing CTRL and right-clicking. Moving the camera back
and forth has no effect in the orthographic views. Hold down SHIFT, click and move the mouse to translate the camera and hold
SHIFT and move the scroll wheel to zoom in and out.
The lighting level of the room can be changed by clicking on View → Dark.
MagicQ User Manual 399 / 579

Tip
The demo show files have visualiser rooms set up. The ExhibitionDemo file uses MagicVis extensively and includes MagicHD
integration. Use these to see examples of how to create your own MagicVis visualisations.

46.2.1 Patching Heads in the Visualiser

When you patch the first head in your show, MagicQ will prompt you whether you wish to auto insert heads into the visualiser.

Once a head has been patched into your show MagicQ will not prompt you again. If you wish to change the setting then you can
enable or disable auto insertion in
setup → VIEW SETTINGS → Mode → Visualiser.
When you patch heads in VIEW HEADS, MagicQ patches the head in the VIEW HEADS view but also generates a visualiser
object in VIEW VIS.
Visualiser heads are separate from MagicQ heads – for instance you can have multiple visualiser heads associated with one
patched head. You might want to do this if you had two par cans on a single dimmer channel – you would have one Generic
Dimmer patched in MagicQ and two visualiser heads.
By default when you patch heads MagicQ creates one visualiser head per MagicQ head. You can add extra visualiser objects for
a head using INSERT.

46.2.2 View Vis View

Patch → VIEW VIS

The VIEW VIS view manages the data for the visualiser. There are several different tabs including Selected Heads, Vis Heads,
and Attach Objects.

In Selected Heads, all the visualiser heads for the currently selected heads will be shown in the list. Heads are selected as usual
using groups or direct from the keypad. In this view the encoders and soft buttons will apply changes to all the visualiser heads
for the selected heads.
In Vis Heads, all the visualiser heads are shown. In this view the encoders and soft buttons will apply changes to the visualiser
head under the cursor. Use SHIFT/CTRL and the cursor keys to apply changes to multiple heads.
In Attach Objects, all the other (non head) objects are shown in a list. In this view the encoders and soft buttons will apply
changes to the object under the cursor. Use SHIFT/CTRL and the cursor keys to apply changes to multiple objects.
MagicQ User Manual 400 / 579

46.2.3 Positioning the Heads in the Visualisation

When you patch heads they automatically become selected so that in

Patch → VIEW VIS → Selected Heads
you will have direct control of the positioning and orientation of the head using the encoder wheels and soft buttons.
Encoders X, Y and F are used for X,Y and Z positioning.
Pressing the soft buttons X, Y and F increases the position by 1 metre on that axis. Pressing SHIFT + the soft button decreases
the position by 1 metre on that axis.
Use fan to spread the position apart on the X,Y, or Z position wheels.
Encoders B, C and D are used for rotation. Pressing the soft buttons B, C and D rotates the heads by 90 degrees around that axis.
Pressing SHIFT + the soft button rotates the heads by – 90 degrees around that axis.
You can also enter values directly into the spreadsheet view of the VIEW VIS window.
You can change multiple values at a time by using SHIFT/CTRL and the cursor keys. Use THRU to enter a spread of values e.g.
-5 THRU 5 to spread the X position between -5 and 5 metres.

46.2.4 Transform Modes

All items can be positioned and orientated using the encoders as described in the above section, "Positioning the Heads in the
Visualisation". The behaviour of the encoders can be changed using the Transform Mode soft button.
There are four modes available: Original, World, Item, and Parent. The labels on the soft buttons will put W, I, or P to remind
you what mode you are currently in.
Original: Changing an item’s position will move the item relative to the world axis. Changing rotation directly changes the Euler
angle of the object. So rotating on the y-axis will turn the object in the worlds y-axis, however rotating on the z-axis rotates an
item about its own z-axis.
World: Changing an item’s position will move the item relative to the world axis. Rotating an item rotates it parallel the world
axis.
Item: Changing an item’s position will move the item along its own axis, so the direction it moves is defined by its current
orientation. Changing an item’s rotation will also be relative to its current orientation.
Parent: Items will only move if they are attached to an object. The position and rotation changes will depend on the position,
orientation and type of the object they are attached to. Changing the X position will move an item along a truss and changing
rotations will always be relative to the point where it is attached to a truss.
Please refer to the following figure below for a more visual explanation.
Also, while in parent mode, encoder button E turns into a Hang Type button, this enables you to toggle the hang type of a head
while maintaining its position along the truss.
MagicQ User Manual 401 / 579

46.2.5 Objects

In View Attach you can insert many different types of objects, including trusses, pipes, people, simple shapes and commonly
found furniture. You can also import custom model files in many different formats.
To create an Object press the INSERT soft button, then select what kind of object is to be created. The object is then created and
added to the list. To add a sphere or a cylinder create a Form object then go to the model column, press Set and select the desired
shape.
MagicQ User Manual 402 / 579

Enter values in the window for length, width and height. Adding a ’ after the number enters the dimension in feet rather than
metres – so for 10 feet enter 10’.
Position the truss or pipe as required. Enter a name in the window for the truss or pipe.
After you insert a truss or pipe, then subsequent heads that are patched will be attached to that truss or pipe object. If for example
you patch 6 spots after inserting a truss object, then they will be spread out along the length of the truss.
When you create reports, then as well as overall plots, a plot is created for each attach object – enabling the lighting rig to be
broken down into separate pipes and trusses.
A texture can be applied to a Form object by entering the name of the texture in the Texture field. The texture should be stored in
the bitmaps folder, for example ChamSys.png.

Tip
Create a truss and set the model to Invisible to group lights together and create useful plots for them.
For example in the ExhibitionDemo show the PixelLines may be rigged on individual vertical pipes but in MagicVis they are all
rigged on one invisible truss which is rotated so that when the paperwork is created there is a plot with all the PixelLines on it
rotated so that it is obvious how they are laid out.

46.2.6 Drapes

To add a drape to the scene press the INSERT soft button, then select Drape. The drape will then be added to the scene. The
width, height and depth of the folds can be adjusted as usual, as can the position and rotation. The extra params columns at the
end of the table allow fine control over how the drape is rendered. Param 1 controls the size of the wave. This defaults to 0.3m.
Param 2 controls how flat the folds are at the top of the drape. A value of 0 will show them entirely flat at the top, while a value
of 1.0 will show the folds at the same depth as they are at the bottom, as though the drape were hung from a track system.
Param 3 sets the randomness of the folds. Real drapes do not hang evenly so the folds are often different sizes. Setting the Param
to 0 will make all the folds the same, increasing it will make them vary. The default value is 0.4.

46.2.7 Custom Models

To add a custom model, press the INSERT button, then select Model. A model object will be added to the scene; this will be
invisible at first, until a model file is chosen for it.
To choose a model file, select the "texture" field; a menu will appear, allowing the selection of any previously imported model,
along with an option to import a new model.
To import a new model, select the "Import Model. . . " button on this dialog. The file manager will appear, prompting for a model
file to import. Only supported formats will be shown. Once a file is selected, another dialog will appear prompting for the import
settings: whether to use the Y or Z axis for vertical, and what length units are used in the model.
To properly determine these settings, you should ask the person who created the model. As a rough rule of thumb, if the model
was created by an artist, the Y axis may be vertical; if it was created by an engineer, the Z axis is more likely. If the wrong value
is selected, the model will appear flipped front-to-back and rotated 90 degrees, lying on it’s front.
Model objects have a slightly different scaling behaviour than other objects. Their default length, width and height is zero; this
means that the object will use it’s "native size", using the units specified using the process above.
If only one of length, width, and height is specified, and all other values are set to zero, then the model will be scaled such that
that axis takes on the given value in metres; all other axes will be scaled proportionally, preserving the model’s shape.
If all three axes are given (none are zero), then all three axes will be scaled independently, to the given values in metres. This
will distort the shape of the model if proportional values are not given.
Only specifying two axes (leaving one at zero) is unsupported, and will produce unspecified behaviour.
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Tip
It is not reccomended to use models with a very high polygon count (also specifed as triangle or vertex count); this can lead to
a degredation in performance, especially on older hardware, when many lights are active in the scene, or when shadows are
enabled.
To avoid this issue, try searching for or requesting "low-poly" models for use in MagicVis. As a rough guide, try to avoid using
more than 1000 polygons per model.

46.2.8 Attaching Heads to Objects

Heads can be attached to trusses or pipes at any time. Select the heads you wish to attach using groups or the keypad. Change to
VIEW VIS → Selected Heads tab and press the FIT TO OBJECT soft button.
Alternatively in the Vis Heads tab, double click on the Attach field. MagicQ will prompt you with a list of all the attach objects
to choose from.
Heads that are attached to an object move with that object – so repositioning that object in the Attach Objects tab will move the
object and all the attached heads.
MagicVis supports Hang Types so that Heads can be fitted to Attach Objects in specific orientations. This information is also
available in the MagicVis reports. Hang type options are Normal, Bottom rear, Bottom front, Top rear, Top front face up, Top
front face forwards, Top boom, and Bottom Boom.

46.2.9 Modifying Beam Angle and Head Shape

In Patch, View Heads it is possible to set specific shapes and beam angles for generic heads. When set these fields override the
defaults from the chosen personality. The shape is also shown in the Fixture Patch report.
If you wish to change the beam angle for heads other than generic heads then you must change the Zoom Narrow and Wide in
the Params tab of the Head Editor for the chosen personality.

46.2.10 Visualising Media Servers

MagicVis can preview the output from media servers, including MagicHD. First of all make sure that the Media window on the
console is displaying a live preview of the media server output. Then, in the Attach Objects window add a Form. Set the Model
to Sheet and set the Texture to mp and the number of the media server. The Media Server number can be found in the Setup, View
System, View Media window.
For example if the media server was the first in the View Media window then the Texture would be mp1. If MagicVis is unable
to connect to the media server then the sheet will display "Media Server 1". If there is still no connection after 1 minute then the
text will disappear. The preview is done via CITP so is quite low resolution.

46.2.11 Moving Trusses

To make an attach object movable via DMX patch a Generic Movement head into MagicQ. Then in Patch, View Vis set the attach
object for the Generic Movement to be the Attach object to move. Any heads hung from the truss will move along with the truss.
The Generic Movement head has X, Y, Z position and X, Y, Z rotation attributes enabling complete control of the object from
within MagicQ. The Generic movement head is a virtual head so it can be unpatched in the MagicQ Patch.
From software version 1.9.2.2 the Generic Movement has an additional channel Tracker. When this is set to a Tracker ID (1 to
20) then the position offset is taken from the Tracker instead of from the parameters in the Generic Movement Head - thus the
movement can be controlled from an external system.

Note
In the ExhibitionDemo show file there are 2 moving pipes. Each pipe has a form attached to it on which the MagicHD image is
rendered. This provides a nice simulation of moving LED walls.
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46.2.12 Coloured objects

In MagicVis it is possible to set a Head item to colour an attach object, for truss warmers or for coloured scenic pieces.
In Patch, View Vis on the Selected Heads or Vis Heads tab page right to get to the Col Apply column and set it to Yes. If there
are more than one heads attached to an object with the Col Apply set then it will use the last one in the list.
For RGB Heads the RGB colour will be applied to the object. If the Head only has intensity then the colour of the object will be
scaled according to the intensity.

46.2.13 DMX Controlled Camera

The Generic Camera head enables the Visualiser view to be modified from within MagicQ programming. When a Generic
Camera is patched in MagicQ and the Mode Attribute is non zero then the Visualiser view comes under the control of the
Camera. The Generic Camera head is a virtual head so it can be unpatched in the MagicQ Patch.
To use the Generic Camera select it then press Locate. This will put the camera into perspective mode and place it in the default
position. Select the Position window then use the encoders to move it around and rotate the view. To return control to the
Visualiser window use Encoder Wheel A to set the mode to Disabled.
The Generic Camera also controls the brightness of the room and of the beams. These attributes can be found in the Beam
window.

Tip
FX can be applied to the position and rotation attributes to make the Camera fly around the visualiser and give a dynamic view
of your design.

46.2.14 Removing Visualiser Heads and Objects

To remove a visualiser head go to VIEW VIS → Vis Heads and put the cursor on the item. Press REMOVE. Use SHIFT/CTRL
and the cursor keys to cursor select multiple visualiser heads for removal. To remove an attach object go to VIEW VIS → Attach
Objects and follow the same procedure.
When heads are removed from the visualiser they are not removed from MagicQ patch. Removing heads from the MagicQ patch
will remove any associated visualiser heads.

46.2.15 Changing the Size of the Room

It is possible to change the size of the room by adding a Room Object. By default MagicQ uses a room 20 x 20 x 20 metres. If
you add a room object then MagicVis will use the dimensions of the room object instead. The datum is always on the floor in the
centre of the room.
In View Attach, press INSERT. Select the object type Room and enter the length, width, and height.

46.2.16 Paperwork

You can use MagicVis to create plots and patch sheets. In the MagicVis window click on File → Paperwork. This will bring up
the Reports window.
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You can select what you would like to include and either print it out or create a PDF document. You can also export patch lists
into a spreadsheet such as Numbers, LibreOffice Calc or Excel. To do this click on one of the Export CSV. . . buttons, then load
the csv file into a spreadsheet. You can then add extra columns or lay out the tables however you like.

The Patch Sheets contain all the heads in the patch, whether or not they are in the Visualiser. Therefore you can create a patch
sheet without having to set up heads in the Visualiser.
The Positions table is a list of all the trusses and pipes with trim heights, DMX universes and approximate weights. The given
weight is the total weight of the heads and does not include the weight of the cabling, truss or rigging. It is intended to be a tool
for estimating total weights and should not be used for rigging calculations.
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46.2.17 Converting an Existing MagicQ Show File

Old MagicQ show files can be loaded into MagicQ, but they will not have any visualiser heads defined. It is easy to take heads
from an existing show file and create a visualisation.
Select the heads using groups or the keypad. Then go to
Patch → VIEW VIS → Selected Heads
and press the INSERT SELECTED soft button. This creates a visualiser head for each of the selected heads.
If you wish, you can attach the heads to an object using the FIT TO OBJECT soft button.
It is also possible to insert all the patched heads in your show file into the visualiser in one step. Make sure no heads are selected,
then go to
Patch → VIEW VIS → Vis Heads
and press the INSERT PATCHED soft. This creates a visualiser head for each head in the patch. The heads will be positioned in
a grid format.

46.2.18 Converting a MagicQ Grid Into a Visualisation

It is possible to convert a grid from the MagicQ Plan View into a visualisation. In the Output Window, View Plan press SHIFT +
ARRANGE VIS. MagicQ will prompt you for the positioning within the visualisation.

For each of the heads in the grid a visualiser head will be will be inserted into the visualiser. The positioning will be set according
to the position in the grid.
For example if you select Top, then MagicQ will treat the grid as if it is a top view and all the visualiser heads will be positioned
at the top of the room at the same height.

46.2.19 Visualiser Settings

MagicVis includes settings for how the visualisation looks.

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On systems with lower power graphics cards which are using a lot of LED heads we recommend to turn off drawing of LED
Beams.
MagicVis incorporates a new higher quality renderer with improved beams and shadows. To enable the higher quality renderer
open MagicVis and go to File, Settings and select "New renderer" from the OpenGL options.
If for any reason the new renderer does not work, then you can revert to the old renderer by opening MagicQ and from the toolbar
MagicQ User Manual 408 / 579

select Visualiser, Use old renderer.

46.3 Plot Window

MagicQ incorporates a Plot Window displaying the position and orientation of heads within the lighting rig. The Plot Window
can show Front, Overhead and Side elevations, restricted to either Flown or Floor heads and the view can be moved and zoomed.
The view can be restricted to only selected heads or to all heads. Heads can be selected from the plot window either by clicking
(touching) individual items or by multi selecting multiple items. The positional information is taken from MagicVis and can be
edited in the Patch Window.

46.3.1 Focus Functions

It is possible to set the pan and tilt of selected heads from the Plot window so that the heads are focused on a point on the stage.
To quickly focus the lights on a point press the FOCUS ON TARGET soft button then click on a point on the plot. The selected
heads all move around to focus on that point. Click on FOCUS HOLD if you want to move the point around after clicking. On
a touch screen you can move your finger around the plot window and the heads follow it. Click on FOCUS HOLD again to stop
focusing.
More complicated looks can be created with the FOCUS LINE feature. After selecting some heads and clicking on FOCUS LINE
a yellow line will appear on the plot. The heads will be focused along the line. The line will also appear in the 3D visualiser.
The line can be moved around either by clicking on the points on the plot window or by using the encoder wheels. The line is
initially at stage level but can be raised up using the Y encoder.

FOCUS LINE allows easy creation of even stage washes but it can also be used to create gobo washes on walls and scenery or
ACL style beam focuses. Use the Fan menu to change how the beams are distributed along the line. To create a symmetrical
ACL style look first focus one side of heads, then select the other side, select FOCUS LINE again and press Encoder E, Mirror
Line. This will mirror the line over the centre line of the stage so the look is symmetrical.
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The Base Position is the starting position for the heads before they are panned around to focus on the point. If the head has to
pan more than 90° from the base position then it will flip the head over. The default base position is directly downstage. If the
lights flip while they are moving between positions then a different base position may be required.
To change base positions record a palette with the desired base positions then press and hold encoder button A and select the
palette. For example if you have two trusses either side of a catwalk you may want a base position where everything is focused
directly onto the catwalk.
Another Base Position option is Current Position. This option will allow the heads to spin right round and only flip when they
reach the end of their pan. This could be useful for creating specific movements between positions.

46.3.2 Converting the Plot View into a MagicQ Grid

It is possible to convert a plot into a grid using the CREATE GRID soft button in the Plot Window. MagicQ takes the heads from
the current view and current filter in the Plot View and creates a new Grid in the Output Window.
MagicQ will only create a grid if it can fit all the heads shown in the current Plot View into a grid where the maximum size
corresponds to the maximum number of channels patchable on the console. The number of columns is limited to 1024 whilst the
number of rows in limited to the number of channels patchable.
For example on a MQ500M with 256 universes, it is possible to do 362x362, 1024x128 and 1x131,072.
If there are items in the plot that are overlaid over the top of each other then where possible MagicQ will adjust the exact
positioning of the item to fit into a unique position in the grid.
We recommend to filter using groups or selected heads to only include the required heads in the new Grid. If the Plot involves a
large number of heads close to each other or overlaid over each other then the conversion will not work.
After creating the grid, unused rows and columns can be removed by pressing SHIFT + OPTIMISE GRID in the Outputs, View
Grid.
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Chapter 47

Blind Visualisation

MagicQ supports Blind Visualisation and Preview Visualisation when used together with MagicVis, Capture or WYSIWYG.
This enables a Visualiser to show the contents of the Programmer during BLIND mode or to preview a Playback that is not active
on the real outputs.
In Patch, View Vis press the VIS SOURCE Soft button to choose between visualising the console Output, the BLIND program-
mer, the Programmer Only, the selected Playback, or the next step on the selected Playback.
When set to "Blind Programmer" MagicQ will add the contents of the Programmer to the Output visualisation even when the
programmer is in BLIND mode.
When set to "Prog Only" MagicQ will show the contents of the programmer without the current playback state regardless of the
Blind state.
When set to "Playback" MagicQ will show in the visualiser the contents of the selected Playback as if the Playback fader was at
100%. Only data from the selected Playback is shown.
When set to "Next GO" MagicQ will show in the visualiser the output of the console as it would appear if GO was pressed on
the selected Playback. When the selected Playback has multiple steps then MagicQ always shows the next step in the Visualiser.
If the selected Playback is not active then MagicQ will show what would occur if the Playback was activated.
When set to "Output" MagicQ will the console live output.
Blind Visualisation and Preview Visualisation do not affect the normal network outputs such as ArtNet, ACN, or Pathport. Only
the DMX stream sent directly to the Visualiser is affected.
When using Capture visualisation, Capture must be connected via CITP universes rather than ArtNet – otherwise Capture will
just show the console output.

47.1 Split Visualisation in MagicVis

MagicVis now supports split visualisation where it is possible to show simultaneously both the Live Output and the Blind
Visualisation.
In MagicVis select View, Split Screen.
The upper window will always show the Live Output.
The lower window will show the normal MagicQ visualisation - which will depend on the Vis Source option above. When set to
"Output" it will show the same as the upper window.
Note that when using stand alone MagicVis, for both the Output and the Blind Preview to work then the console Output must
be set to output over the network using a network protocol such as ArtNet, ACN or Pathport - otherwise the Output will not be
shown when Blind Preview is in operation.
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47.2 Automatic Source Selection

In Setup, View Settings, Mode set the Visualiser option to "Auto insert, auto Previs" for automatic pre visualisation.
When MagicVis is running with the 3D view with Output as the source and BLIND is pressed on the console, then MagicVis
automatically changes to split Output/Blind Preview mode so that both the output and Blind programmer can be monitored.
When BLIND mode is exited then MagicVis returns to the single 3D view.
When MagicVis is running with the 3D view with Output as the source, and a S button is held on the console then MagicVis will
change temporarily to show the contents of the Playback rather than the Output. On releasing the S button MagicVis reverts to
showing the Output.
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Chapter 48

Using MagicQ with other Visualisers

In addition to its own free MagicVis visualiser, MagicQ supports connection with other Visualisers via network protocols. Mag-
icQ supports transfer of patch, XYZ and head selection information to and from Visualisers. The protocol used to communicate
between MagicQ and the Visualiser depends on the particular Visualiser.
The simplest way to connect is using the Art-Net protocol in the same way as you would connect to Art-Net to DMX interfaces.
Art-Net does not support transfer of patch, XYZ or head selection information, so for this you will need to use a Visualiser
specific protocol.
It is possible to run MagicQ PC/Mac on the same system that is running the Visualiser. For best performance it may be better to
run them on separate PCs linked via Ethernet.

48.1 Connecting to a Visualiser

MagicQ PC outputs up to a maximum of 64 universes for real control of lighting rigs configured in the Status, Out Type, Out Uni
fields in Setup, View DMX I/O.
From V1.8.7.6 MagicQ PC supports external Visualisers for up to 256 universes via direct links to the Visualiser. When using
more than 64 universes direct Visualiser links must be used.
When in MQ250M Previs, MQ500 Previs and MQ500M Previs panel modes normal lighting output is inhibited and Visualisers
must also be connected with direct visualiser links.
These are configured in the Visualiser field in Setup, View DMX I/O.
The options are:

MagicVis Default
Capture (rem) Capture (same PC)
WYSIWYG (same PC) WYSIWYG (rem)
Art/sACN(same PC) Art/sACN(rem)

When set to Art/sACN MagicQ sends directly over Art-Net or sACN to the Visualiser using the settings in Out Type and Out
Uni. The universe does not need to be enabled.
In Setup, View Settings, Network set Visualiser IP to the required IP address of the Visualiser system. Art-Net and sACN data
sent to Visualisers via the Visualisers field is always unicast - it is never broadcast or multicast.
To run both MagicQ PC and Visualiser on one PC set the option Setup, View Settings, Network, Net host options to Normal +
Loopback IP.
To run MagicQ PC and a Visualiser on two different systems then you need to ensure that both systems have their IP address and
Subnet Address set up to be on the same network range - e.g. set one to 2.0.0.1 subnet 255.0.0.0 and the other to 2.0.0.2 subnet
255.0.0.0.
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When MagicQ PC sends to an external Visualiser the data for universes 65 to 256 will have occasional breaks to prevent it being
used to control real lighting rigs. When MagicQ PC is in the MQ250M, MQ500 or MQ500M Previs modes all universes have
these breaks. These breaks are not present on MQ500 200 universe or MQ500M consoles which output full 256 universes.

48.2 Capture

MagicQ supports connections to Capture visualiser (www.capturesweden.com).

There are two protocols for communication between MagicQ and Capture – Art-Net and CITP. Art-Net is a standard protocol
used to carry DMX over Ethernet and enables control of the lighting.
CITP is an open protocol specific to Capture which enables both control of lighting and the transfer of the show patch between
MagicQ and Capture. ChamSys provides executable files for both protocols.
To communicate using Art-Net simply set the required universes to Output Type of Art-Net in Setup, View DMX I/O and enable
the universes. To use CITP simply set the Visualiser field for all required universes to Capture.

48.2.1 Receiving Patch Data from Capture

It is possible for patch data to be transmitted from Capture to MagicQ when connected via CITP protocol. Start a new show
on MagicQ and then in the Patch Window press the Visualiser Patch soft button. This will download the Patch information
from Capture to MagicQ. MagicQ uses a fields in the personality to specify the Capture manufacturer name (Make) and Capture
moving light name).
Note that when receiving patch data from Capture, along with DMX addresses set in Capture, the channel number must also be
set in Capture. Capture channel numbers = head numbers in MagicQ

48.3 WYSIWYG

MagicQ interfaces to the CAST WYSIWYG visualiser using a special driver file.
WYSIWYG and MagicQ can be on the same PC, or connected via network cable to another PC or console.
From MagicQ v1.9.0.5, the WYSIWYG driver is automatically installed when MagicQ PC is installed. Just install Mag-
icQ v1.9.0.5 or later on the same PC as WYSIWYG. You can install a previous version of MagicQ afterwards if needed; the
WYSIWYG driver will stay.
There is a WYSIWYG demo show at show/demos/magicqwysiwyg.wyg.

48.3.1 Enabling MagicQ to output WYSIWYG data

Now you need to configure the outputs. Go to the Setup, View DMX I/O window.
Move to the Visualiser row and select WYSIWYG for the universes you wish to use. There is no need to change the Status
column to enabled - WYSIWYG is automatically enabled when you select WYSIWYG as the visualiser.

If you are using WYWISYG on the same PC as MagicQ then set the Visualiser to WYSIWYG (same PC) – otherwise, set it to
WYSIWYG (remote). When connecting to WYSIWYG using a MagicQ console, always use WYSIWYG (remote).
When using WYSIWYG and MagicQ on different PCs it is important to ensure that MagicQ PC knows the IP address to use to
communicate with WYSIWYG.
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In Setup, View Settings, Network set the IP Address and Subnet Mask to be the same as the IP address of your network port in
use on your PC.
The WYSIWYG driver installed by MagicQ v1.9.0.5 and later allows up to 256 universes, depending on the universe count of
the connected MagicQ PC or console.

48.3.2 Running WYSIWYG

Start up WYSIWYG.
To get WYSIWYG to respond to data received you need to set up the ports in Device Manager. Go to LIVE mode, then
MANAGERS → Device Manager. . . . If MagicQ is not already in the list, click on New, search for and add "ChamSys MagicQ".
Select ChamSys MagicQ and then Connect.
Make sure you have installed the MagicQ WYSIWYG driver on the WYSIWYG PC. MagicQ will not connect to WYSIWYG
without it.

The universes in WYSIWYG must be bound to the ChamSys MagicQ device in order for communication to occur with MagicQ.
Select ChamSys MagicQ and click on Properties to setup universe mapping.
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48.3.3 Auto Patch

MagicQ supports the WYSIWYG Auto Patch protocol, which transfers the patch from WYSIWYG to MagicQ. To transfer a new
show to MagicQ first erase the show in MagicQ, then in WYSIWYG go to LIVE mode, then LIVE → AutoPatch → Send Patch.
Make sure that you have defined a Spot Number to each of your heads in WYSIWYG, otherwise WYSIWYG will not send the
head over Auto Patch.
MagicQ identifies the fixtures in WYSIWYG and maps the names to the MagicQ heads using a mapping table and a matching
algorithm. If MagicQ can not identify a head it may patch the wrong head or not patch it at all.
In the MagicQ personality it is possible to specify the WYSIWYG Auto Patch name that it should map to this MagicQ personality.
When performing an Auto Patch, MagicQ will report any heads that it can not match. To fix a personality, edit the head in the
Head Editor, setting the correct WYSIWYG name. If the WYSIWYG name is empty then pressing ENTER will fill in with the
name received from WYSIWYG for the last mismatch.
When using WYSIWYG with a separate MagicQ console make sure that on the console, Setup, View Settings, Multi Console,
Enable Remote Access = Yes. This ensures the patch can be transferred correctly to the console.

48.3.4 Auto Focus

MagicQ supports the WYSIWYG Auto Focus protocol. If you turn Auto Focus on for the ChamSys port in the Device Manager
on WYSIWYG then changes made in WYSIWYG design mode will be relayed to the programmer in the console.

48.3.5 Troubleshooting

Problem: WYSIWYG does not receive any data.

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Solution: Check that you have installed the MagicQ WYSIWYG driver on the WYSIWYG PC. Check that the connection is
connected in WYSIWYG device manager. Check that you have configured the correct MagicQ universes to use WYSIWYG as
their Vsualiser.
Problem: WYSIWYG will not connect on the same PC as MagicQ.
Solution: Check that you have configured the Visualiser to be WYSIWYG (same PC) in the Setup Window.
Problem: WYSIWYG will not connect between two separate PCs.
Solution: Check that the network interfaces on the two PCs are configured to the same IP subnet, that they are enabled, and that
you have configured MagicQ to use the correct network port (Setup, View Settings, IP address). Check any firewall settings.
Problem: WYSIWYG connects but no control of the lamps
Solution: Check the MagicQ Universe in WYSIWYG is bound to the MagicQ device.

48.4 Vision, Depence, L8

Vision, Depence and L8 all support Art-Net control. Simply set the required universes to Out Type of Art-Net and enable them.
The Visualiser field should be set to "None".
For greater than 64 universes or when in Previs mode set the Visualiser field to Art/sACN (remote) or Art/sACN (same PC) and
configure the Visualiser IP in Setup, View Settings, Network.
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Chapter 49

Trackers

MagicQ supports many advanced 3D features related to 3D (XYZ) space using the inbuilt plotting and visualisation features.
This enables shows to be built up around XYZ positions in the performance space with positions being easily updated when
moving between venues, or for real time tracking of objects, people, or of lighting truss /set piece movements during show
playback.
MagicQ supports a number of tracking protocols to enable automated positions of heads on 2D or 3D positions within the stage,
including PSN, E.159 OTP, and a simple MagicQ Track protocol. See the inbuilt demo show file TrackerDemo.shw.
The information from Trackers can be used by Palettes set as Track, to move MagicVis objects and also by Tracker Automations.
The current value of received trackers is shown in Macro, View Autom, View Trackers.
When tracker data is active MagicVis shows the tracker points as a green cross within the 3D space. If the tracker data is lost
then the cross will turn red, and then after 2 seconds of not receiving any tracker data for that tracker the cross will disappear
altogether.

49.1 MQ Track protocol

MagicQ can transmit and receive tracker data over a simple UDP protocol on UDP port 6549. The format of the data received is:
<x>,<y>,<z>,<tracker id>,<tracker name>
Where <tracker id> is zero based - 0 for Tracker 1, 1 for Tracker 2.
For example, sending tracker 2 named "Bob" with position x of 2.5m, y of 3m and z of 3.5m the data in the UDP message would
be
2.5,3,3.5,1,Bob
MQ Track protocol uses MagicQ XYZ space which has X and Z as horizontal on the stage / performance space and Y as vertical.

49.2 Object Transform Protocol

MagicQ supports E.159 Object Transform Protocol (OTP) for transmit and receive of tracker data and for transmitting and
receiving MagicVis object position and rotation data.
The OTP function is set in Setup, View Settings, Network, OTP Function.
When set to "Tracker (rx)" MagicQ receives Tracker data over OTP and acts as an OTP consumer. MagicQ accepts any System
or Group, where point is the Tracker ID.
MagicQ automatically converts between the Object Transform Protocol XYZ co-ordinates (X,Y horizontal, Z vertical) and Mag-
icQ XYZ space (X and Z horizontal, Y vertical).
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When set to "Tracker (tx)" MagicQ transmits Tracker data over OTP and acts as an OTP producer. MagicQ transmits OTP System
1, Group 1 with the Point number mapping to the Tracker ID in MagicQ and the name set to the relevant tracker - for example
"Tracker 1".
MagicQ can be receiving Tracker data over a protocol other than OTP, such as the MQ Track protocol and can then re-transmit
that data using the "Tracker (tx)" option above.
When set to "Vis object (rx)" MagicQ accepts position and rotation data for the MagicVis objects modifying their position and
rotation accordingly. MagicQ accepts from any System or Group where the name matches the MagicVis object name.
MagicQ matches the names for the points received over OTP with the object names in MagicVis. The OTP name must exactly
match the MagicVis object name including capitalisation. Changes in a point position or rotation will have an immediately move
the object within the MagicVis XYZ space.
An alternative to matching the Attach Object names for making PSN data control MagicVis objects is to use Generic Movement
heads. Note that only one method should be used for controlling Vis Objects - either matching the name or using Generic
Movement.
When set to "Vis object (tx)" MagicQ transmits position and rotation data for all the MagicVis objects and acts as an OTP
producer. MagicQ transmits OTP System 1, Group 2 and Points starting from 1. MagicQ transmits the name for each point as
the name of the object within MagicVis.
When set to "Tracker + vis (rx)" MagicQ accepts both Tracker and MagicVis data. Where the OTP name matches a MagicVis
object name it processes for the MagicVis object, otherwise it assumes it is Tracker data.
When set to "Tracker + vis (tx)" MagicQ transmits both Tracker and MagicVis data. Tracker data is sent as OTP Group 1 and
MagicVis object data is sent as OTP Group 2.
When receiving OTP and PSN it is now possible for MagicQ to decode rotation data and use it to control MagicVis attach objects.
When the OTP Function field is set to Vis Object (rx) or Tracker + Vis (rx), then received tracker data with a name that matches
the name of an Attach Object will cause the Attach Object to be set to the position and rotation received via OTP.
Receiving and transmitting Object Transform Protocol data is supported on MagicQ consoles. On MagicQ PC and Mac systems
it is only supported when unlocked with a MagicQ or SnakeSys interface.

49.3 PSN/SpotMe

When set to PSN/SpotMe, MagicQ receives tracker data from the PSN protocol / Robert Juliat tracking system. PSN is an open
protocol for On-Stage, Live 3D Position data. www.posistage.net.
MagicQ and PSN use the same XYZ space (X and Z horizontal, Y vertical). The Z position is automatically inverted - MagicQ
has Z positive towards the audience, PSN has Z positive towards the back of the stage (up stage direction).
When the Tracker rx option is set to PSN, then received tracker data with a name that matches the name of an Attach Object in
MagicVis will cause the Attach Object to be set to the position and rotation received via PSN.
An alternative to matching the Attach Object names for making PSN data control MagicVis objects is to use Generic Movement
heads. Note that only one method should be used for controlling Vis Objects - either matching the name or using Generic
Movement.
To send PSN set the Tracker tx option to PSN. This uses the OPT Function option to determine what function is sent. If the OTP
Function field is set to Vis Object (tx) or Tracker + Vis (tx) then MagicQ sends the positions and rotations of MagicVis Attach
Objects over PSN. If the OPT Function field is set to any other values then MagicQ sends the Tracker position and rotation for
any valid Trackers.
PSN is supported on MagicQ consoles. On MagicQ PC and Mac systems it is only supported when unlocked with a MagicQ or
SnakeSys interface.

49.4 Scaling, Offsets and Swaps

Scaling, offsets and swapping Y/Z can be set for individual Trackers in the Macro window, View Autom, View Trackers.
MagicQ User Manual 419 / 579

The incoming Tracker data is received and shown in the Data column. Than any Y/Z Swap is applied, the scaling is applied
(which can be negative) and then any offset is applied. The result is shown in the X,Y,X columns which are then used internally
by MagicQ for Tracker functions.
An IP address can be specified for each Tracker to restrict acceptance of Tracker data for that Tracker only from a single system
with that specific IP address.
The Tracking settings are per console settings rather than per show settings. In order to load them from a saved show file use
LOAD SHOW + CONS and ensure PORTS is selected.

49.5 Tracker Palettes

Tracker Palettes are special palettes that use a Tracker rather than absolute values stored in the palette.
By setting a Palette to be a Tracker Palette then wherever the Palette is used the channels follow the Tracker with an optional
offset. Tracker palettes recorded with values of 128 for the pan and tilt attributes (0 degrees pan and tilt) will have no offset. Any
other values will function as an offset to the tracker device.
To set a Palette as a Tracker Palette go to View Palette and press the SET TRACKER soft button. Then select Tracker and enter
a tracker ID.
To unset a Palette as a Tracker Palette press SHIFT UNSET TRACKER or press SET TRACKER and select none.
The Tracker controls the base position. It is therefore possible to add a FX on top of the tracker position - for example spots
could be set to run a circle around the Tracker position of a moving car.
When a channel changes from control by an absolute value or normal Palette to a Tracker Palette then it uses the fade times to
crossfade between the original position and the tracker position.
When a channel changes from control by a Tracker Palette to an absolute value or normal Palette then MagicQ used the fade
times to crossfade from the tracker position to the new position.
By default all heads within the palette track the XYZ position of the Tracker. It is possible to set X and Z offsets from the
MagicVis object XYZ position for each head in the View Palette view.

49.6 Using automations with Trackers

MagicQ can trigger automation events based on a XYZ Tracker position related to a MagicVis object. This enables receiving
XYZ position from an external system and using that position information to control other attributes - e.g. ramping up intensity
of a fixed luminaire when performer moves into an area on the stage. We tie it into areas of the stage that we can define in our
MagicVis visualisation so we can control attributes - intensity, colour, zoom etc. . . based on how close the performer is to a point
or to a line.
When the trigger type is set to Inside then as the XYZ tracker moves inside the MagicVis object the trigger event level goes from
0 at the edge to 255 at the centre of the object.
When the trigger type is set to Outside then when the XYZ tracker is outside the MagicVis object the trigger event level is at 255.
When it moves inside it goes from 255 at the edge to 0 at the centre of the object.
When the trigger type is set to Enter then as the XYZ tracker moves inside the MagicVis object the event is triggered.
When the trigger type is set to Exit then as the XYZ tracker moves outside the MagicVis object the event is triggered.
For example, to set up a moving light to change magenta as a performer moves through a position, create a Cue Stack with a
single Cue with the magenta colour attribute only. In MagicVis create a Form - either a Cube or a Cylinder and place it on the
floor of the performing space. Set the Cue Stack to Fader controls LTP and then create a Tracker automation type Inside and
selecting the MagicVis object.
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49.7 Tracking a fixed XYZ when lighting trusses moving

In situations where it is the lighting truss, and hence the position and rotation of the lights moving rather than an object moving it
is possible to set up XYZ positions in the 3D space which are then tracked by the moving lights regardless of their actual position
and rotation.
In this case the truss or object with the lights attached in MagicVis must be set to track the external Tracker either via OTP or
via a Generic Movement personality. From software version 1.9.2.2 the Generic Movement personality can be set to get its data
from an External Tracker by setting the Tracker attribute to a valid Tracker ID (1 to 20).
To use a fixed XYZ position, select the Heads and then use Focus Hold in the Plot View to position them. Record this position
as a Position Palette, and then select View Palette and Set Tracker. Select the XYZ Pos option. Whenever this Palette is used in a
Cue then the Heads will be positioned on this point, regardless of any changes in the physical position of the Heads in MagicVis.
It is also possible to use Focus Line instead of Focus Hold. As for Focus Hold, record this position into a Position Palette, and
then select View Palette and Set Tracker to XYZ Pos option. The XYZ of each specific Head is stored into the Palette. The View
Palette view will show the X and Z position in the Pan and Tilt fields.
Note that Setup, View Settings, Network, Tracker rx must be set to Internal or one of the external tracking protocols for tracking
of fixed XYZ positions and objects. If it is set to None then no tracking will take place. Whenever this Palette is used, each Head
will be positioned according to the specific Head XZ position. The Y (height) is common to all Heads in the Palette.
The View Palette window shows the palette XYZ position in the title bar. In addition for each head the Pan and Tilt fields show
the X and Z offset of the individual head from the palette XYZ position. It is possible to adjust the offset of the heads for each
head.

49.8 Tracking a moving MagicVis object

Where a MagicVis object is moving (under control of a Generic Movement head or using OTP Vis Object rx) then lights can be
set up to track the XYZ position of the MagicVis object.
To track a MagicVis object, select the Heads and record them into a Palette and then select View Palette and Set Tracker. Select
the MagicVis Object option and select the required object. Whenever this Palette is used in a Cue then the Heads will be
positioned on this MagicVis object, regardless of where the object is or any changes in the physical position of the Heads in
MagicVis.
Note that Setup, View Settings, Network, Tracker rx must be set to Internal or one of the external tracking protocols for tracking
of MagicVis objects. If it is set to None then no tracking will take place. Whenever this Palette is used, each Head will be
positioned according to the specific Head XZ position. The Y (height) is common to all Heads in the Palette.
By default all heads within the palette track the XYZ position of the MagicVis object. It is possible to set X and Z offsets from
the MagicVis object XYZ position for each head in the View Palette view.

49.9 Tracker Simulator

MagicQ supports an internal Tracker simulator that generates values for Tracker 1 and Tracker 2. Both trackers move within a
rectangle from (-5,-5) to (5,5) metres. Tracker 1 is at 0.01m high and Tracker 2 at 0.05m high.
The movement is designed so that half the time the Trackers are moving in one dimension only and the other half they are moving
in two dimensions. Tracker 1 moves in a positive X with no change in Z and then when it moves in a negative X it changes Z.
Tracker 2 moves in a positive X changing Z at same time. When it moves in a negative X there is no change in Z.
The Tracker Simulator does not require MagicQ to be unlocked - it is possible to use it on MagicQ software without any external
ChamSys interfaces.
The simulator is activated by setting Setup, View Settings, Network, Remote Tracker Protocol to Simulator.
MagicQ User Manual 421 / 579

49.10 Generic Tracker personality

MagicQ supports a Generic Tracker personality that can be patched into a show. This enables a position to be tracked using
control of the XYZ position from the Head within the MagicQ show or received as an input DMX from another system. It is
possible to have control both from within the show and from an external system.
The Generic Tracker personality has ten channels:

Channel 1 Tracker ID
Channel 2 Spare
Channel 3+4 X position
Channel 5+6 Y position
Channel 7+8 Z position
Channel 9+10 Scale

All the attributes are mapped to the Position page when the Head is patched.
The tracker ID defaults to 1. If you are using more than one Generic Tracker then the Tracker ID for the Head should always be
programmed into a Cue in the show file and activated.
The Generic Tracker personality uses MagicQ XYZ space which has X and Z as horizontal on the stage / performance space and
Y as vertical.
By default X,Y,Z are in mm. The 0 position is 32768, 32768, 32768. Values less than 32768 are negative. Values greater than
32768 are positive.
When scale is 0 or 256 then no scaling is applied. For other scale values the resulting X, Y, or Z position is multiplied by the
scale divided by 256.
Normally the Generic Tracker will generate Tracker XYZ based on the MagicQ values for the channels programmed in the show
file. If the channels are set to Input in the Patch then XYZ data will be received from DMX input. If the channels are set to
Override in the Patch then date will be generated from MagicQ when the channels are active on a playback or in the programmer
otherwise received from DMX input.
The Generic Tracker personalities do not require MagicQ to be unlocked to internally generate Tracker data - it is possible to use
it on MagicQ software without any external ChamSys interfaces.
Receiving Generic Tracker data from DMX input is always supported on MagicQ consoles. On MagicQ PC and Mac systems it
is only supported when unlocked with a MagicQ or SnakeSys interface.
Generic Trackers can be used to generate internal Trackers within MagicQ in combination with receiving Tracker data from
external protocols. Note that you should use the same Tracker for internal generation and external receiving as the data will be
mixed up.

49.11 Moving Vis Objects

Objects in MagicVis can be moved under control of Heads within the MagicQ show using the Generic Movement personality to
model trusses that are on motors or set pieces that move around the stage. The Generic Movement Head also has a Tracker mode
that can takes it offset data from an external Tracker instead of from its internal attributes.
To make an attach object movable patch a Generic Movement head into MagicQ. Then in Patch, View Vis set the attach object
for the Generic Movement to be the Attach object to move. Any heads attached to the truss will move along with the truss.
The Generic Movement head has X, Y, Z position and X, Y, Z rotation attributes enabling complete control of the object from
within MagicQ.
When the Tracker attribute is set to a valid Tracker ID (1..20) then the X , Y, Z position and X, Y, Z rotation is taken from the
external Tracker. If the external Tracker does not provide valid rotation data then the X, Y, Z rotation is set to zero.
Note that PSN and OTP automatically try to match the incoming Tracker names to Vis object names - so if you wish to use
Generic Movement with trackers then ensure the names of the Vis objects are different to the tracker names.
The Generic Movement head is a virtual head so it can be unpatched in the MagicQ Patch.
MagicQ User Manual 422 / 579

49.12 Transmit Tracker 1 / Tracker 2 from Focus Hold

MagicQ can transmit the Focus Hold position to other consoles and devices using the MQ Track protocol.
Set Setup,View Settings,Network,Tracker tx to Generate Track 1 or Generate Track 2. MagicQ updates the respective Tracker
from the Focus Hold position and transmits it over MQ Track protocol.
Generate Track 1 and Generate Track 2 can be used on secondary MagicQ consoles / systems to send the Focus Hold XY
position from the Plot view to a primary MagicQ console (using MQ Track protocol), thus enabling separate operators to control
the tracking points in real time.

49.13 DMX Input tracking

Instead of tracking a single 3D position, MagicQ can receive tracker data for each Head directly on the DMX input corresponding
to the output - for example if a Head is patched to Universe 1 channel 1 with pan and tilt on channels 10 and 12 respectively, then
it will take the tracker data input for pan and tilt from input channels 10 and 12.
Whenever a Tracker Palette is active on that channel then the received DMX data will be used. When the Tracker Palette is not
active then the normal MagicQ calculated data will be used.
Tracker Palettes are used for DMX Input tracking should be set to DMX In Tracker.
The palette pan and tilt values for each head should be set to 0% (128). It is possible to set pan and tilt offsets which are added
to the received DMX in pan and tilt channels for each head in the View Palette view.

49.14 Tracker Demo show

MagicQ includes a Tracker Demo show in the demo folder. The show has 6 Chauvet MK3 spots and playbacks programmed to
demo tracking. Load the show and open the Visualiser Window.
When PB1 is raised a base look is put on the spots. A macro is run to set the Tracker Rx setting to Simulator. Trackers 1 and 2
will be moving across the stage - green and red crosses respectively.
PB2 contains a Tracker Palette for Tracker 1. Raising this playback fades to the spots tracking Tracker 1.
PB3 contains a Tracker Palette for Tracker 2. Raising this playback fades to the spots tracking Tracker 2.
PB4 contains a Tracker Palette for Tracker 3. Tracker 3 is controlled by the Generic Tracker head in the show file and shown in
MagicVis with a green cross, that starts in the middle of the stage. Playback PB8 applies a circle FX to the Tracker 3 position.
The spots will track Tracker 3 wherever it is.
PB5 has a Tracker Palette with a fixed XYZ position on the Drums. A Generic Movement head is attached to the lighting truss
which enables via PB8 the truss to be raised and lowered. As the truss moves MagicQ recalculates the pan and tilt of the Spots
to remain focuses on the XYZ position of the Drums.
PB6 has a Tracker Palette with a fixed XYZ position created from a Focus Line - each Spot in the Palette has a unique X and Z
position in the Palette. The spots all share the same Y position. It operates similar to PB5 with the positioning being held as the
truss moves.
PB7 has a Tracker Palette with a fixed position on the MagicVis Piano object. A Generic Movement head is attached to the Piano
object which enables via PB10 the Piano to be moved left and right. As the truss moves, or the Piano moves MagicQ recalculates
using the new position of the truss and the new position of the piano. The truss and the piano can move at the same time.
Stepping PB1 onto Cue 2 enables a Tracker Automation which triggers a Cue Stack with a Cue with the spots in yellow. As the
specified tracker (Tracker 1) enters the specified Autom object (Auto Area - the rectangle on the floor left of centre) the Cue is
triggered with a level proportional to the closeness to the centre of the object - at the edge it is 0% and at the centre it is 100%.
The Cue Stack is set to Fader controls LTP so that the yellow is applied according to where the Tracker is in the area.
Note that on PC/Mac systems MagicQ must be unlocked for the Automation to work.
MagicQ User Manual 423 / 579

Chapter 50

Settings

MagicQ supports a large number of settings that the user is free to change. These settings are divided into two categories – show
settings and console settings. Show settings are settings that the user may wish to change on a show by show basis, whereas
console settings are associated with the specific console and its connectivity to external devices.
S HOW S ETTINGS

• Mode Settings (not Product & Country)

• Keypad Encoders Settings
• Windows Settings
• Prog Settings
• Playback Settings
• Cue Stack Settings
• Cue Storage Settings
• Media Server Settings

C ONSOLE S ETTINGS

• DMX I/O Settings

• Wing Settings
• Monitor Settings
• Mode Settings (Product and Country)
• Network Settings
• WIFI Setting
• MIDI Timecode Settings
• Port Settings
• Multi Console Settings
• Hardware Settings

Both show settings and console settings are stored in MagicQ show files, but by default only show settings are loaded when a
MagicQ show is loaded. To force consoles settings to be loaded as well use SHIFT and LOAD SHOW+CON.
In MagicQ, console settings are marked with a red tag in the bottom right corner of the text box describing the setting.
MagicQ User Manual 424 / 579

50.1 Programming Mode

The MagicQ console allows the programming mode to be configured in the Setup Window. The modes control several of the
different settings of the console. All of the settings can be configured individually – however, the modes make it easy to change
between the most frequently used settings.
The programming mode determines how the console is programmed. The options are Normal, Theatre non-track, Theatre
tracking and Hog II Warp.
Changing mode during programming does not change Cue Stacks that have already been programmed – it only affects the
programming of new Cue Stacks.
The settings affected by changing mode are:

Table 50.1: Setup, Prog Settings

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Programmer No Yes No Yes Yes
Tracking
Unused Chans No Yes Yes Yes Yes
return to defaults
Programmer No No No No Yes
overrides FX
Highlight mode High/Low High/Low High/Low High/Low High/Low
Fan mode Normal Normal Normal Normal No toggle
Select multiple No Multiple Multiple Multiple Multiple
groups
Recording to Selected All Heads Selected Selected All heads
Palettes

Table 50.2: Setup, Keypad Encoders

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Select heads on Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
keypad intensity
set
Select heads and Yes Yes Yes Yes Yes
palettes from
keypad
Keypad always No Priorty to No No Yes
selects heads Selected Heads
Maintain No Yes No No Yes
encoders as Pos,
Col, Beam
Keypad Syntax – No No Yes Yes No
Theatre Patch
MagicQ User Manual 425 / 579

Table 50.3: Setup, Windows

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Always Show No Yes No No Yes
Record Options

Table 50.4: Setup, Playback

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Intensity FX No Yes Yes Yes Yes
(HTP) can
add,subtract

Table 50.5: Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Fader

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Fader activates Yes Yes(single Cue) No No No
Fader releases Yes Yes(single Cue) No No No

Table 50.6: Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Flash

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Flash activates Yes Yes No No No
Flash releases Yes Yes No No No

Table 50.7: Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Step

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
Multi Cue, Yes No No No No
Controlled as
chase
Multi Cue, Step No Yes Yes Yes Yes
halts before
executing
Multi Cue, Zero Yes No Yes No No
Old HTP
Multi Cue, Zero Yes No Yes No No
Old FX
Track L HLF L HLF HLF
MagicQ User Manual 426 / 579

Table 50.8: Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Step Times

Setting Live(Chase) Live(Cue Stack) Theatre non Theatre Track Hog II warp
track
HTP in, HTP out, 0s 3s 3s 3s 3s
Pos times

For changing between tracking and non-tracking mode simply change the "Programmer Tracking" setting in the Setup Window,
"Prog" tab. This automatically sets the Default Cue Stack options (Recalculate state on jumps, Zero old HTP, Zero old FX)
correctly.

50.2 Playback Mode

The playback mode determines how the console plays back cues. The options are Normal and Safe. In Normal mode the user can
make changes during playback just like when they were programming the show. In Safe mode, making changes is not allowed
and backups are turned off to any possible interference with the running of the show.

50.3 Advanced Settings Option

The MQ40/MQ40N user interface has a reduced number of options to ensure that it is easy to use for users unfamiliar with
lighting programs. More advanced users can access the advanced settings by setting the Advanced Settings = "Enabled" in
Setup, View Settings, Mode.
When "Advanced Settings" is "Disabled" then the Patch Window shows a simplified view with one only one tab and simple
buttons to CHOOSE HEAD and PATCH IT. Items can be moved around in the Visualiser using the X, Y, Z encoders. For more
advanced features of MagicVis, and for patch features like Clone and Morph use Advanced Settings.
From 1.8.0.2 on all MagicQ consoles the Advanced Setting option is saved and will appear on start up and reset as it was before
the start up or reset. On older versions of software whenever the MQ40N or MQ40 was first started or reset then it defaulted back
to the simple settings - this was intentional to ensure that basic users saw the simple settings on start up and were not confused
by all the advanced features.

50.4 Output Settings

The console universes can be configured to use different protocols. Outputs must be configured and enabled before the console
will output data. To set up outputs, open the Setup Window and select the VIEW DMX I/O view.
MagicQ software supports 64 universes but older versions of MagicQ support less universes. To change the number of universes
in operation please see Configuring number of universes.

50.4.1 Configuring Output Universes

For each of the universes, the output and input protocol can be selected in the Out Type and In Type fields respectively. Press
ENTER or double click to change to the next protocol type.
MagicQ User Manual 427 / 579

The possible protocols are

Table 50.9: DMX I/O Out Protocols

None No protocol
Art-Net Art-Net 1,2,3,4 protocols (over Ethernet)
Pathport Pathport protocol (over Ethernet)
ShowNet Show net protocol (over Ethernet)
sACN ACN Streaming DMX (over Ethernet)
MQ Direct DMX outputs from MagicQ consoles
MQ Wing DMX outputs on MagicQ Wings and Connects
MQ USB Interface MagicQ Dual DMX interfaces and other MagicQ USB
DMX devices
MagicDMX ChamSys MagicDMX USB interface

For network protocols such as Art-Net and Pathport it is necessary to set up the Out Uni and In Uni fields - these determine which
the ID of the Universe when carried over Ethernet.
A ! by a Universe indicates a clash whereby more than one Universe is being output on the same network Universes.
Art-Net™ Designed by and Copyright Artistic Licence Holdings Ltd.

50.4.2 Using Art-Net

To use Art-Net simply configure the Output Universe type to Art-Net, set the Out Uni field to the desired Art-Net universe and
set the status for the universe to enabled. MagicQ will broadcast Art-Net over the network. MagicQ does not require any binding
with nodes when using Art-Net in the default configuration.
When using Art-Net on a network with 32 or more universes it is recommended to use unicast Art-Net rather than broadcast
Art-Net. Set the Art-Net type setting in Setup, View Settings, Network to "V4 unicast". MagicQ then automatically unicasts
Art-Net to detected Art-Net nodes rather than broadcasting.
MagicQ can also be manually configured to unicast Art-Net to the IP addresses of two specific devices. Set the Unicast fields
for each universe in DMX I/O. The IP addresses of Art-Net compliant devices on the network can be viewed in Setup Window,
View System, View Status, Art-Net nodes.
When a Unicast address is manually set and the universe is set to Output Art-Net, MagicQ sends data for that universe direct to
the unicast address rather than broadcasting that universe. Note that MagicQ will still broadcast that universe once per second
- this allows all other consoles on the network to determine that there is a console outputting Art-Net for this universe. This
additional broadcast can be inhibited by setting Setup, View Settings, Hardware, Reduced Rate DMX to "M+C no broadcast".
Note that using both Unicast addresses doubles the amount of network traffic.
MagicQ User Manual 428 / 579

50.4.3 Using sACN

ACN Streaming DMX (sACN) uses multicast to output DMX data onto the network. When using many universes this often
provides a much better solution that using Art-Net in broadcast mode. In sACN, DMX nodes only decode the universes they are
interested in rather than having to decode all the universes broadcast on the network.
MagicQ supports unicast of sACN - set the Unicast addresses in Setup, View DMX I/O. When a Unicast address is set for a
universe, MagicQ no longer sends that universe to the Multicast address.
MagicQ supports use of the priority field in ACN universes.
The sACN output priority can be set in Setup, View Settings, Network. This should be between 1 - 200 and defaults to 100.
When receiving sACN, MagicQ receives the highest priority. If there are multiple sources for a particular universe, MagicQ will
only listen to the highest priority. The behaviour of MagicQ is undefined when there are more than 5 ACN sources for a particular
universe or multiple sources with the same (highest) priority; this is not recommended.

50.4.4 MagicQ Consoles Direct Outputs

All current MagicQ consoles have four direct DMX outputs on the rear panel.
By default MagicQ consoles are set to output the first 4 console universes on the direct console outputs.
If the setting "Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ Wings & Interfaces" is set to "Yes (auto DMX)" then the first 4 universes will
output regardless of whether they are enabled in Setup, View DMX I/O.
If you wish to patch the direct outputs to other than the first four universes, then set the required universes to "MQ Direct" and
set Port 1, Port 2, Port 3 or Port 4. As soon as any of the universes are set to "MQ Direct" or "Cham USB" then this overrides the
default settings.
Note that MagicQ consoles support DMX input via Art-Net, Pathport or sACN. The direct DMX ports on MagicQ consoles and
MagicQ Wings do not support DMX Input. In order to receive DMX into a MagicQ console we recommend to use a SnakeSys
interface to convert from DMX to Art-Net or sACN.

50.4.5 MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Wing

The MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Wing is designed to connect to an MQ500M console to add extra playbacks and DMX outputs.
Older versions of MagicQ supported the Stadium Wing on some other MagicQ products - in order to simplify the product range
this is no longer supported.
MagicQ MQ500M Stadium Wing has four DMX outputs. When connected to a MQ500M the DMX outputs are by default set to
output console universe 5 to 8. If you wish to patch the direct outputs to other than universes 5 to 8, then you will need to set all
required universes to "MQ Direct".

50.4.6 MagicQ Mini Connect, Compact Connect, Stadium Connect, Mini Wing, PC Wing and Maxi
Wing

MagicQ Mini Connect & Wing have one DMX output, MagicQ Compact Connect, PC Wing and PC Wing Compact have two
DMX outputs and the Stadium Connect & MagicQ MaxiWing have four DMX outputs.
By default MagicQ is set to output the first universes on the system to the DMX outputs on the Connects and Wings. For MagicQ
Compact Connect & Mini Connect Universe 1 will be output from the DMX port, for Compact Connect, PC Wing and PC Wing
Compact universes 1 and 2 will be output, and on Stadium Connect, MaxiWing universes 1 to 4 will be output.
If Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ USB Wings & Interfaces is set to "Yes – auto DMX" then MagicQ will automatically
output DMX on the Wings starting from Universe 1 – provided that none of the Universes have been explicitly set to "MQ Wing".
To use different universes, set the required universes to MQ Wing and enable them. The universes set to MQ Wing will be output
to the ports in order.
Note when using the Direct DMX Output on the Mini Wing with some PCs/operating systems the USB driver for the MiniWing
runs slowly, this can cause FX/Chases to run slower than expected. Unfortunately this is not under ChamSys control as the FTDI
MagicQ User Manual 429 / 579

driver is closed software. Setting Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ Wings and Interfaces = Yes instead of Yes, auto DMX
and ensuring universes are not set to MQ Direct or MQ Wing will prevent MagicQ sending DMX to the MiniWing which should
then avoid the slowing of the system. Other MagicQ Wings and Interfaces are not affected by this.
These Wings can be used in the standard Panel modes in MagicQ PC. They are not supported in the Stadium Panel modes.

50.4.7 MagicQ Dual DMX Interfaces

For MagicQ Dual DMX Interfaces select MQ Dual DMX. In older software this was ChamSys USB. Then select the module and
port in the Out Uni field. For example, select Mod 1 Port 1 and Mod 1 Port 2 for the two outputs. Any of the universes can be
output to MagicQ Dual DMX interfaces.
When connected to MagicQ consoles and some laptops the MagicQ Dual DMX Interface may need external power from a 12V
power supply. Check Setup, View System, View Status, DMX Interfaces, DMX Modules.
When connected to MagicQ consoles the module should be configured as Mod 2 Port 1 and Mod 2 Port 2 since the console
internal DMX module is considered to be module 1.

50.4.8 MagicDMX Interfaces

MagicDMX Interfaces automatically output on universe 1 when Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicDMX mode is set to DMX
Out.
It is possible to set the Out type for Universe 1 to be MagicDMX – this automatically sets the Setup setting MagicQDMX mode
to DMX Out.
It is not necessary to set the Out type for Universe 1 – only the MagicDMX mode setting.
MagicDMX devices do not need any additional drivers – they use different HID drivers within the operating system.
Note that the MagicDMX Basic version is limited to 5 hours of continuous use. When the time is close to expiring warnings will
be shown. On expiry the MagicDMX will send out DMX levels of 0. The MagicDMX Basic interface must then be unplugged
and MagicQ software restarted to use the device again.
The MagicDMX Basic version only supports DMX Out. The MagicDMX Full Interface supports both DMX Out and DMX In.
The newer MagicDMX Full manufactured from May 2023 with USB C Connectors support RDM. Older MagicDMX Full with
USB A connector do not support RDM.
The MagicDMX interfaces do not remove the automation and remote restrictions when used with MagicQ Software – this
requires a MagicQ Wing, or MagicQ Dual DMX Interface.

50.4.9 Support for Lumen Radio Nova

MagicQ supports the Lumen Radio CRMX Nova TX USB dongle for controlling one universe of DMX via Lumen Radio. This
allows Heads from many manufacturers including Robe and Ayrton to be controlled over wireless direct from the console.
In MagicQ simply set the Output Type in Setup, View DMX I/O for Universe 1 to Lumen Radio and enable the universe. When
connected the interface should be shown under Setup, View System, View Status, Interfaces, Port Type as "En". The Lumen
Radio can only be configured on Universe 1. To output a different universe to the device set the copy field on Universe 1 to copy
from the required universe.
The Lumen Radio device is supported on all MagicQ consoles except MQ40 and MQ40N.
Only one Lumen Radio device is supported per console.

50.4.10 3rd party DMX dongles

MagicQ software previously had some support for 3rd party DMX dongles - these are no longer actively developed or maintained
and have been removed from v1.9.5.0. ChamSys are unable to offer support for these interfaces - we recommend the use of our
low cost MagicDMX interfaces. 3rd party DMX dongle are supported on Universe 1 only. Note that some of these devices rely
on the PC to do the DMX framing and therefore results may be unpredictable on some systems. Many of these devices are unable
to transmit full DMX frames at the full DMX refresh rate.
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50.4.11 Testing Output Universes

MagicQ supports some simple options for testing complete output universes, including sending all ‘0’s, sending all ‘255’s, and
several additional test patterns. Tests can be performed on individual universes using by selecting the test in the Test field of the
Setup Window, DMX I/O view.
Selecting "Input" automatically routes all 512 input channels received on the universe to the 512 output channels. This is useful
for loopback and network protocol conversion.
Selecting "Merge" automatically merges the received 512 input channels with the consoles 512 output channels. All 512 channels
are HTP merged - i.e. the output is the largest of the input value and the console calculated value.
When any of the universes are in test mode a warning flashes in the Status Display.

50.4.12 Copying Output Universes

MagicQ supports copying of entire universes to multiple outputs – this may be useful where you wish to duplicate an output
universe onto different outputs of an Art-Net interface, or you want to set MagicQ wing outputs to be the same as Ethernet
outputs. Select the universe you wish to copy in the Copy field of the Setup Window, DMX I/O View.
Select the Universe to copy – e.g. Uni 1 for the first Universe. You can enter the universe number. Enter 0 to turn off copying.

50.4.13 Hot take-over

MagicQ supports hot take-over to enable a second console (or MagicQ PC) to take-over running the show if the first console has
a problem.
When using Net Sessions, then all Hot Takeover fields in DMX I/O should be set to No.
For how to use hot take-over see Using Multiple Consoles.
The options are No, Yes and Yes, Loop. When set to "Yes", MagicQ will disable the universe if it receives incoming DMX for that
universe. The Hot Takeover Mode option in Setup, View Settings, Multi Console, determination which console has preference.
When set to "Yes, Loop" MagicQ will show the universe as disabled, but will loop through the received DMX data for that
universe. In Setup, View DMX I/O the In Type and In Uni determine where the data for a universe is received from and the Out
Type and Out Uni determine where it is transmitted to. The Out Uni and Out Type do not need to match the In Type and In Uni -
it is normal to receive into MagicQ one universe and output to a DMX node on a different universe.

50.4.14 Input universes

MagicQ supports the same number of input universes as output universes. Input universes can be used for grabbing DMX data
from other consoles, remote triggering via DMX, and merging with MagicQ calculated data. The Input universes can also be
used to monitor lighting data on the network.
By default the Input universes are configured the same as the Output universes. If you wish to receive data from other consoles
then you must use different universes for input from the ones you are using for output. For example if you have universe 1 to 16
set to output on Art-Net 0-0 to 0-15 then you must not uses these Art-Net universes for Input. We recommend using much higher
universes for input - e.g. Art-Net 4-0.
The Input types supported are None, Art-Net, sACN, Pathport, Shownet and console.
When MagicDMX Mode is set to Input, data from the MagicDMX Full will always be received on universe 0 regardless of the
settings of universe 1 in the DMX I/O window.
If data is received on the input from another console then MagicQ will detect a conflict and change the status field to show "En
Cflct" and "Dis Cflct" dependent on whether the universe is "Enabled" or "Disabled".
Data being received on Input Universes can be viewed in the Output Window, View Chans, View DMX by selecting DMX Inputs.
Make sure to change back to View Outputs after you have finished viewing the Outputs otherwise it may cause confusion later.
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Data received on input universes can be merged into complete universes or merged in the Patch, or to trigger playbacks (Setup,
View System, View Wings) or used to trigger Automations. It can also be used to grab palettes from DMX.
The Input universe type can also be set to "Console" to loop the output back into the input. This enables output channels to be
used coming back in for automations.
The DMX I/O window shows the status of the Input universes (page right) including:

In last rx Time since last received input

In last change Time since DMX data last changed
In last byte The value of the 1st byte in the last DMX data received
In max gap The maximum gap between DMX packets received
In last period The period that this universe was last receiving data for
In IP The IP address that data was last received from
In conflicts The number of conflicts - where data transmitted/received
from 2 or more sources

The maximum gap only starts counting once a valid DMX data is received on that universe. It is set back to 0 when changes are
made in DMX I/O.
The period that the universe was last receiving data counts up whilst data is being received. If there is a gap of greater than 60
seconds then it is reset to 0.
The IP address shows the IP address of data received over the network and does not include data transmitted from this console.
The number of conflicts is increased if data for a particular universe is received from 2 or more consoles within 5 seconds. It is
also increased if MagicQ transmits on a universe where data has been received from another console within the last 5 seconds.
Note that MagicQ will not count conflicts when master/slave hot swaps are in progress.

50.4.15 Merging DMX from another console

To merge data from another console into MagicQ you need to set the other console to output Art-Net/sACN on a different universe
range to the MagicQ.
The MagicQ console outputs Art-Net/sACN as normal to the nodes.
The other consoles sends either Art-Net or sACN to MagicQ on a different range of Art-Net / sACN addresses.
On MagicQ set the Input Universes to receive the universes from the other console.
For example, consider a MQ500M merging 256 universes of data from another console.

• MQ500M outputs on Art-Net universes 0..255

• Other console outputs Art-Net 256..511

• MQ500M Input universes set to Art-Net and 256..511

Then you need to choose how you merge:

If you just want to HTP merge some universes you can do this in the Setup, View DMX I/O window by setting the Test field to
Merge. It does a HTP merge for the whole universe.
If you want to be able to control from MagicQ or from the other console then in Patch set all channels to over-ride. When those
channels are used in MagicQ playback/programmer they will be controlled by MagicQ, otherwise they will be controlled by the
oher console. (i.e. MagicQ over-rides the other console)
Note that the MagicQ MQ500M is capable of merging 256 universes - but this means 256 universes output and 256 universes
input. This means that you need 512 universes on the network, which can be achieved on a 100M network - but there will be a
fairly high network utilisation.
To minimise network load we recommend disabling any unused universes.
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Visualiser universes should be set to MagicVis when not used. Any universes set with the Visualiser field to WYSIWYG in DMX
I/O will output network traffic since MagicQ is unable to detect the presence of WYSIWYG and therefore always sends data.
Visualiser set to Capture/MagicVis is ok as MagicQ only sends if there is a connection to the Visualiser.
Note that if you use HTP merging you need to ensure that any LTP channels (such as Pan/Tilt) are set to 0 on the consoles when
not being used - otherwise they will not be fully controlable from the active console.

50.5 Wing Settings

ChamSys manufacture the following wings that connect to PCs, Macs and consoles via USB

Table 50.10: Wings

Product No of Playbacks Playback nos. No of DMX No of wings

supported per PC /
console
Mini Connect 10 Main (1-10) 1 1
Compact Connect 10 Main (1-10) 2 1
Stadium Connect 10 Main (1-10) 4 1
Extra Wing 24 1 * Wing Playbacks None 8
MQ500M Wing 30 2 * Wing Playbacks 4 1 (MQ500M only)

50.5.1 Connecting a Mini Connect, Compact Connect or Stadium Connnect

These products do not require any special drivers.

To enable the wing ensure that Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ Wings & Interfaces is set to "Yes (auto DMX)".
The following short-cuts make programming on MagicQ PC Wing easier. The short cuts also work on MagicQ console.

Table 50.11: Programming Wing Shortcuts

Hold ALL and press a playback Select Selects groups 1 to 10

Hold POS and press a playback Select Selects position palette entry
Hold COL and press a playback Select Selects colour palette entry
Hold BEAM and press a playback Select Selects beam page or beam palette entry
Hold ALL and press Next Head Selects next group
Hold ALL and press Prev Head Selects previous group
Hold POS, COL, or BEAM and press Next Head Selects next range for last encoder changed
Hold POS, COL or BEAM and press Prev Head Selects previous range for last encoder changed

50.5.2 Connecting GeNetix nodes (via USB)

GeNetix GN2, GN5 and GN10 nodes can be connected via USB.
These products do not require any special drivers.
To enable detection of the GeNetix ensure that Setup, View Settings, Ports, MagicQ Wings & Interfaces is set to "Yes (auto
DMX)".
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50.5.3 Connecting Playback Wings and Extra Wings

To configure Playback Wings and Extra Wings open the Setup Window and choose View System, View Wings view.
In the Type field, choose "Playback / Extra Wing". When the console has detected the Playback wing it will show as "Fitted" in
the status field.
If you wish to connect more than one Playback or Extra Wing then enable the required number of Wings.
Make sure you enable enough or the same number of wings as you connect to MagicQ. Connecting more Wings to MagicQ than
you enable will cause unpredictable results.
Playback Wings and Extra Wings with Blue LCDs can have a Wing ID set for systems with more than one Playback or Extra
wing. Hold down the lower NEXT PAGE and PREV PAGE buttons when powering on the Wing to get into the Wing config
mode. From the menus you can then set a Wing ID.
In MagicQ, Setup, View System, View Wings you can configure which Wing IDs are expected.
The Playback Wing was last manufactured in 2016 and newer versions of software may not support it fully.

Table 50.12: Old Products

Product No of Playbacks Playback nos. No of DMX No of wings

supported per PC /
console
Mini Wing 10 Main (1-10) 1 1
PC Wing 10 Main (1-10) 2 1
Maxi Wing 10 Main (1-10) 4 1
Playback Wing 24 1 * Wing Playbacks None 8
Execute Wing 48 2 * Wing Playbacks None 4
Stadium Playback 30 2 * Wing Playbacks 4 1
Wing

50.5.4 Connecting a Mini Wing, PC Wing or Maxi Wing

Before you can use the MagicQ PC Wing the driver must be installed.
These wings are supported in the MagicQ PC standard panel modes. They are not supported in the Stadium panel modes.

50.5.5 Connecting an Execute Wing

The Execute Wing has 48 playbacks arranged as 12 fader playbacks and 36 button only playbacks. This corresponds to the 48
playbacks whereas with standard Playback Wings there are only 24 playbacks.
The upper 3 rows of playbacks control playbacks in the usual way. Note that as they do not have a fader, the value the attributes
that would normally be controlled by the fader (generally Intensity values) will automatically default to 100%. The Playbacks
can still have times in the normal way, so that Intensity values can be faded in and out.**
The Execute Wing was last manufactured in 2016 and newer versions of software may not support it fully.

50.5.6 Connecting MagicQ consoles together

It is possible to connect multiple MagicQ consoles together in order to control a larger number of Universes. The master MagicQ
console then outputs some channels which act like playbacks for the slave consoles.
On the slave consoles, one of the wings is configured as "DMX In" and select a range of channels for it to respond to. Note that
the universe that contains these channels must have input enabled in the "View DMX I/O" view. This causes the playbacks on
MagicQ User Manual 434 / 579

the wing to be controlled by up to 24 DMX channels received into the console. The level of the playback is determined from the
received channel.

50.5.7 Using an external DMX console for extra playbacks

It is possible to use an external DMX console to gain extra playback controls when using MagicQ consoles. This is not a
replacement for a MagicQ Playback wing with its electronic legending and Cue Stack controls.
On MagicQ PC this option is only available to control Playbacks PB1 to PB10 and is only enabled when a MagicQ Wing or
MagicQ USB Interface is connected. This feature allows synchronisation of MagicQ with other consoles.
Configure an unused wing to be "DMX In" and select a range of channels for it to respond to. Note that the universe that contains
these channels must have input enabled in the "View DMX I/O" view.
In order to allow use of FLASH buttons on the external DMX console, MagicQ uses the top 5% of the channel range as an
indication that a FLASH button has been pressed. On the external console the playback master fader should be configured at a
maximum of 95% with the flash master set to 100%. If it is not possible to set the master levels independently on the external
DMX console then set the grand maser on it to 95%.

50.6 Monitor Settings

50.6.1 MQ500(M) Operating System

On the MQ500(M) one external touch screen is supported up to 1920x1080 resolution. The MQ500(M) has a DVI-D connector
which supports connection to an external DVI Digital monitor via DVI. The DVI-D connector does not support the use of DVI-
VGA adapters.
In Setup, View System, View Monitors set Monitor 1 to the required resolution in the Resolution column, and enable it. You will
be asked to restart - confirm No and set up the Type field.

50.6.2 MQ250M Operating System

On the MQ250M one external touch screen is supported. The MQ250M has a DP connector (display port ), which
supports both direct Display Port monitors and HDMI monitors using a Display Port to HDMI cable (MQ250M consoles are
supplied with a Display Port to HDMI cable)
The MQ250M will auto detect supported monitors (note the use of HDMI/DP splitters/switchers with the console is not recom-
mended and may cause issues with the detection of the external monitor). In Setup, View System, View Monitors, the External
Monitor is shown as EXT1 DP++. The Status field will automatically change to enabled when the monitor is connected.

50.6.3 Compact (MQ50/MQ70) Operating System

On the MQ50 and MQ70 one external touch screen is supported up to 1920x1080 resolution - display via the HDMI connector
and touch via USB. The MQ50 and MQ70 will auto detect supported monitors
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50.6.4 MQ80 Operating System

On the MQ80 one external touch screen is supported up to 1920x1080 resolution. The MQ80 has a DVI connector which supports
connection to an external monitor via either DVI or VGA cable - unlike other MagicQ consoles you must configure which cable
you are using.
In Setup, View System, View Monitors set Monitor 1 to the required resolution in the Resolution column, and enable it. You will
be asked to restart - confirm No and set up the Type field.
Set the Type field to VGA or DVI depending on which input socket you are using on your monitor - VGA or DVI.
After configuring View Systems, View Monitor, the external monitor may still be showing as a clone of the internal monitor.
Power the console off and on for the changes to take effect.

50.6.5 Old Compact (MQ40N/MQ60/old MQ70) Operating System

On MQ40N consoles one external monitor (not touch screen) is supported. The monitor is always fully enabled on the MQ40N,
there are no settings to be set for this functionality.
On the MQ60 and MQ70 one external touch screen is supported. We recommend using a 1024x768 resolution monitor for best
performance.
Touch screens are supported but note that the Linux operating system on use on these consoles does not currently support multi
touch touch screens.

50.6.6 Monitor settings on MagicQ PC / Mac

When using multiple monitors on a PC first enable the monitors in Windows by putting the Windows desktop onto all the
monitors. Then start MagicQ PC and in Setup, View System, View Monitors enable the required monitors.
The first monitor is the main MagicQ Window and must always be enabled. Enable all the monitors that you wish to use for
Multi Windows.
From the Toolbar select View, External or press the EXT button to move a Window between the different monitors.
Sizing of Windows on the other monitors occurs just like in the Main Window – you can select full windows, half windows and
quarter windows.
The entire space on the other monitors is used for MagicQ Windows. When a Window is moved to another monitor the size is
kept the same – for example, if it was a quarter window on the Main MagicQ Window it will be a quarter window on the other
Window.
You can change the size on the other windows, just like on the Main MagicQ Window from the View menu on the Toolbar or by
using the SIZE button.

50.6.7 Moving Windows to the External Monitor

Press EXT to move a Window to the External Monitor. The window that is currently in focus is transferred to the external
monitor. Press EXT to return the window to the main monitor.
Press SHIFT + EXT to bring all windows to the internal monitor. On Compact consoles type 0 and press ALT MEDIA (EXT).
MagicQ includes an option to force a single window to one of the external monitor output(s). The Window will remain on
the external monitor except when a SHIFT CLOSE is performed. This option is set in the Setup Window, View System, View
Monitors Window in the Fixed Window column.
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50.6.8 Additional Cue Stack, Output, Programmer, Media, Execute, Group Windows

MagicQ supports additional windows - accessed by pressing CTRL and the Window button or by typing 2 and the Window button
to get the second window.
Up to four Output Windows are supported by pressing 2 OUT, 3 OUT and 4 OUT. Up to 3 Execute Windows are supported by
pressing 2 EXEC and 3 EXEC.
Up to three Group Windows are supported by pressing 2 GROUP and 3 GROUP.
For instance by using both the Outputs and the Outputs Info windows you can view both the plan view and the data values
simultaneously.
Similarly, the Cue Stack Info window is designed as a master window to keep track of the Cue Stack on the currently selected
playback. The columns have been rearranged so that the comment field is shown as one of the first columns.
This is ideal for theatre playback where the operator wishes to see notes about the Cues during playback – you could for instance
put a comment on a Cue "Call spots when actor enters stage right".

50.6.9 Additional external screens (Multi Windows) on consoles

The MagicQ Stadium, Compact, and older MQ100 consoles support an external monitor directly from the rear panel.
It is possible to connect more monitors using the MagicQ Multi Window Client application running on one or more external PCs
to display windows from remote MagicQ systems. These additional monitors can be touch screens if the PC supports them.
The MagicQ Multi Window Client application comes as part of the MagicQ PC installation.
The MQ500M supports up to 4 external monitors off one external PC, whilst other MagicQ consoles support 1 external monitor
on an external PC.
In order to enable Multi Window connection on MagicQ, enable the net monitor on the console in Setup, View System, View
Monitors.
Connect the MagicQ console to the PC/Mac using a network cable and ensure that both PC/Mac and MagicQ console are on the
same network IP address range (e.g. 2.x.x.x subnet 255.0.0.0).
On the PC or Mac, run the Multi Window Client application; it should automatically detect the console.
Note this function is not supported on the MQ40N console, and that the Curve editor and MagicHD windows are not supported.
MagicHD has its own networking capability in standalone mode.

50.7 Touch Screen Settings

On PC / Mac systems touch monitors are set up under the operating system, not under MagicQ.
MagicQ consoles support many different touch protocols - however we are reliant on the drivers available in Linux, so not all
touch screens will be supported. We strongly recommend you check the protocol is supported and test a sample with a MagicQ
console before purchasing a touch screen. We can not guarantee that any touch screen will work with MagicQ - the list below is
for guidance only.
We generally recommend ELO AccuTouch, ELO IntelliTouch and iiyama touch screens. ELO Acoustic Pulse Recognition (APR)
touch screens are NOT supported. We currently do not support touch screens with multi touch support on the MQ60 Compact
consoles.
For MQ500M, MQ500 and MQ80 the following touch screens have been tested and proven: Asus VT207N, Dell S2240T &
P2418HT, Hanns G HT225HPB, iiyama Prolite T2336MSC, iiyama T2235MSC-B1, Lenovo ThinkCentre TIO22 / TIO24 (gen
4) and Viewsonic TD2421 touch screens.
For MQ250M, MQ50 and MQ70 consoles the above monitors listed as supported on the MQ500M, MQ500 and MQ80 are also
supported with these consoles, in addtion the Acer UT220HQL is supported.
These monitors above are not supported on MQ60 or MQ100 Pro2010 consoles.
MagicQ User Manual 437 / 579

For MQ60 consoles we recommend the iiyama Prolite T1531SR-B1, or Iiyama Prolite T1561SR-B3 connected via RS232 serial
port for the touch - these monitors are not supported via USB on the MQ60. For USB connection on the MQ60, we recommend
the ELO1919L model no. E176026 and Viewsonic TD2210 touch screens.
MagicQ will show any detected touch screens in Setup, View System, View Monitors.
Tested another touch screen monitor with a MagicQ console? E-mail us at [email protected] with the make and model, so
we can add to the list of tested monitors.

50.7.1 Configuring an external Touch Screen

To configure an external serial touch screen:

• In Setup, View Settings, Ports set Serial Remote Protocol to one of Ideal Touch, Pro Touch, A1 Touch, Elo Touch.
• In Setup, View Settings, Ports set Serial baud rate, parity, data bits, stops buts. If in doubt set baud rate to 9600, data to 8 bits,
stop bits to 1 and no parity.

• Select the Serial Touch Monitor to the monitor the serial touch is associated with.
• Press ALT + CNTRL + SHIFT together to enter board test mode. Moving a finger around the edge of the screen should report
increasing/decreasing X,Y values in the Status Window.
• Exit board test mode (ALT + CNTRL + SHIFT).

• Go to Setup, View Settings and select Calibrate Touch. Press 1 to confirm.

• Now press the X on the external touch screen in the four different positions as requested. Do not press on any other monitors
except the one being calibrated.

To configure an external USB touch screen:

• Set up the Touch Type in Setup, View Settings, Monitors. Start with Normal or eGalax.
• If a touch screen is detected then it will show up in the Touch Status field.
• Press ALT + CNTRL + SHIFT together to enter board test mode. Moving a finger around the edge of the screen should report
increasing/decreasing X,Y values in the Status Window.
• Exit board test mode (ALT + CNTRL + SHIFT).
• Go to Setup, View Settings and select Calibrate Touch. Press 1 to confirm.
• Now press the X on the external touch screen in the four different positions as requested. Do not press on any other monitors
except the one being calibrated.

If the Touch Screen shows a status but does not give consistent values in Board Test then try a different Touch Type.
If the Touch Screen shows consistent values in Board Test but does not respond correctly then recalibrate the touch screen.

50.8 Mode & Security Settings

The Settings View of the Setup Window uses tabs to group similar settings together.
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50.8.1 Country

The country setting determines the locale of the installed MagicQ system. Currently MagicQ supports: UK, US, F (French),
D (German), E (Spanish), P (Portuguese), I (Italian) and NL (Dutch). When selected, menu items will be displayed in the
appropriate language.

50.8.2 Time Zone

The time zone setting determines the current global time zone offset of MagicQ for systems where the system time zone is
configured as UTC but the system time is set to local time.
The time zone setting is used when programming with scheduled events based on sunset and sunrise times.
For MagicQ PC versions, your system will be likely configured to the correct local time zone, and this setting should be set to
"0.0". For MagicQ consoles where the system time matches your local time, configure the time zone value to be the offset from
your local time to UTC.
Enter the time zone offset in relation to UTC in decimal hours. For example, if 8 hours behind (West Coast US) enter "-8". For
time zones using fractional hours, enter these as decimals, so UTC+5:30 should be entered as "5.5".

50.8.3 Latitude

The latitude setting determines the current latitudinal position of the installed MagicQ system.
The latitude setting is used when programming with scheduled events based on sunset and sunrise times.
Enter the latitude in decimal degrees, e.g. "50.91". Positive values are North and negative values are South.

50.8.4 Longitude

The longitude setting determines the current longitudinal position of the installed MagicQ system.
The longitude setting is used when programming with scheduled events based on sunset and sunrise times.
Enter the longitude in decimal degrees, e.g. "-1.41". Positive values are East and negative values are West.
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50.8.5 Console Mode (advanced settings)

This setting defines the operational mode of the console. The options for console mode are: "Normal", "Simple" and "MQ500M
Banking".
When this option is set to "Simple", some of the more advanced settings are hidden to simplify the user interface.
The "MQ500M Banking" is for use with MQ250M and Stadium Connect. When set, it uses MQ500M Banking - i.e. 15 playbacks
per bank rather than the default 10 playbacks per bank.
In versions prior to v1.8.7.3 there was an option "MQ500 as MQ100" which has now been removed. Playbacks can now be easily
moved around in the Playbacks Window, View All.
Default: Normal

50.8.6 Programming

This setting enables and disables the recording of show data. When set to "disabled", show data can not be recorded, moved,
copied or updated, preventing the show from being changed.
Parameters of Cue Stacks and Cues such as Chase Speed, Shape Size and times can still be modified.
Default: Enabled

50.8.7 Modifications

This setting enables and disables modifications of Cues and Cue Stacks.
Parameters such as Chase Speed, Shape Size and times can not be modified, ensuring Cues and Cue Stacks are played back
exactly how they were programmed.
Default: Enabled

50.8.8 Test Mode

The Test Mode setting enables and disables the testing of Cues, Cue Stacks, Playbacks and Patched heads from the Cue, Cue
Stack, Playback and Patch windows respectively. It also disables play back of Cues and Cue Stacks from the Execute window.
Use this setting to avoid accidental testing of programmed show elements.
Default: Enabled

50.8.9 Macros

This setting enables and disables Macros.

Use this setting to turn off Macros where they have been mistakenly assigned to keys or other show programming elements.
Default: Enabled

50.8.10 Automs

This setting enables and disables Automs.

Use this setting to disable all Automs. When disabled, the Autom window indicates Automs are disabled in the title bar.
Default: Enabled
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50.8.11 Visualiser

The Visualiser setting determines how heads are inserted and operated within the Visualiser
When this option is set to "Disabled", heads are not auto inserted and the user is prompted when patching the first head within a
show.
When this option is set to "Auto Insert Into Visualiser", heads are auto inserted into the visualiser upon patching within a show.
When this option is set to "Auto Insert, Auto Previs", heads are auto inserted and Cue previsualistion is enabled by holding the
playback S buttons.
When this option is set to "Auto Insert, No Patch Offsets", heads are auto inserted but no patch offsets are added to the Output of
MagicQ (both normal and Vis).
Default: Disabled

50.8.12 Start mode

The Start Mode setting determines how MagicQ should operate when the software is started.
When "Splash Screen" is selected, MagicQ will display an image splash screen when the software is launched.
When "None" is selected, MagicQ will return to the last show loaded into the console.
When "Choose demo show" is selected, MagicQ will present the user with options to load the last show or a selection of preset
and demo shows.
When "Visualiser" is selected, MagicQ will display the visualiser when launched.
When "Remote Control" is selected, MagicQ will launch in remote control mode.
When "Net sessions Slave" is selected, MagicQ will start up as a Slave console. The console will prompt for which Net Session
to connect to and if Users are in use on that session then a User login.
When "Multi Window" is selected, MagicQ will launch in Multi Window mode and await for another MagicQ system’s connec-
tion.
Default: Choose demo show

50.8.13 Run in Execute Window

This forces the Execute window into full screen mode when the system starts up.
When set to Cur Grid then MagicQ will start using the current Grid.
When set to Grid 2 to 10 then MagicQ will start using that Execute Grid.
See Execute Window
Default: No

50.8.14 Auto Backup

This setting enables the console to create automatic backups of your show file.
When this option is set to "No", no backups will be saved. "No" is recommended during playback of very large show files to
avoid slowing the response of the console.
When this option is set to "On Changes", MagicQ will only back up your show file after changes are made. The backup is
scheduled up to 60 seconds after the change. "On Changes" is recommended when programming to avoid loss of show data.
When this option is set to "Always", backups will be made every 60 seconds.
Default: On Changes
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50.8.15 Keep a backup archive

This setting enables the console to keep periodic archives of previous auto backups created. If the Auto Backup setting is set to
"No" then no archives will be made.
See archive.
Default: Yes

50.8.16 Show file path

This setting defines the location of saved show files and backups.
Users can save show files in custom-named folders, this may be useful within the education environment to separate different
users.
Default: "show" (Recommended)

50.8.17 Show file format

This setting defines the format of saved show files.

When set to "High Res FX", MagicQ will use an improved file format capable of saving higher resolution timing values.
When set to "Normal", MagicQ will use a slightly smaller file format, excluding the higher resolution timing values found in
"High Res FX".
When set to "High Res FX & Reduced Size", MagicQ will use a compressed file format designed for larger show files.
Default: High Res FX

50.8.18 Extras file create mode

This setting defines when the show extras file is generated

When set to "On show save", the show extras file will be generated when the user explicitly selects SAVE SHOW or SAVE
SHOW TO USB.
When set to "Manual", then the show extras file will only be generated when selecting Shift + SAVE EXTRAS in the Setup
window.
Default: On show save

50.8.19 Personality file format

This setting defines the format for loading personality files.

When set to "Original", the personality files are expanded from the heads.all file when updated.
When set to "Unexpanded", the personality files are read directly from the heads.all file, without expanding.
Default: Original

50.9 Programming Settings

Programming settings are automatically changed when you select the mode – Normal, Theatre non-tracking, Theatre Tracking
or Hog II Warp.
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50.9.1 Activate Chans/Head

This setting determines what is activated in the programmer when you perform a change on an attribute of a Head.
"Chans" only activates the actual channels of a modified attribute within a head.
"Heads" activates all channels within that head whenever any attribute is modified.
"IPCB" activates all the attributes of the IPCB type that is being modified - for example if a position (P) attribute type is changed
such as pan, then all other position attributes such as Tilt, Pos Speed are activated.
"IPC" activates all the attributes of the type that is being modified except that Beam (B) attributes are modified individually.
"Col" activates all Colour attributes whenever any Colour attribute is modified.
"IPC B Split" activates Intensity, Position and Colour as per the IPC option, then Beam is split.

• Gobo 1 + Gobo 1 Rotate

• Gobo 2 + Gobo 2 Rotate
• Gobo 3 + Gobo 3 Rotate

• Prism + Prism Rotate

• Focus + Zoom
• All 8 frame attributes

Default: Chans

50.9.2 Programmer Tracking

Turns the overall function of tracking On or Off for any future programming once the setting is changed. It does not change any
previously programmed items. Tracking can still be modified on a cue by cue basis within the cue stack, via the "Track" column.
When set Yes, then only attributes that have been modified since the Cue was recorded are stored into the new Cue.
Attributes are determined as modified if their value had been changed using an encoder, using keypad entry, using a range button,
using a palette or by a locate Head. Note that modifying an attribute to a new value and then returning it to its old value counts
as modified.
When set No, then the entire contents of the programmer is recorded into Cues regardless of whether attributes have been change
since the last Cue was recorded.

50.9.3 Unused Chans return to defaults

When set to "Yes, all heads" this forces all LTP channels to return to their defaults when not controlled by a playback or in the
programmer. The default returned to will be the Default Cue if it exists, otherwise the default value from the Head personality.
When set to "Heads without Intensity only" it only returns to defaults for heads that do not have an Intensity attribute and do not
have a VDIM applied.
When set to "No" then no channels return to their defaults.
Note that some channels can be specified in the Head personality not to have a default - in this case those channels never return
to defaults.
Default: The default is dependent on the programming mode chosen - in Normal mode it is set to "Heads without Intensity only".
In other modes it is set to "Yes, all heads".
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50.9.4 Programmer overrides HTP

Determines whether the programmer overrides HTP (intensity) values on playbacks.

When set to "All Playbacks" any HTP channels on Playbacks are overriden by their levels in the programmer.
When set to "Playbacks except Above Programmer" then it as for "All Playbacks" unless a Playback is set to "Above Program-
mer" in the Cue Stack, Advanced, Playback Priority setting.
When set to "All Playbacks except HTP base" then any HTP channels with a base value in the programmer will overide the base
values from Playbacks. HTP channels that have only an FX but no base in the programmer can be affected by Playbacks if the
"Intensity (HTP) FX can add,subtract" is set.
When not set, the highest value of the channel from the Playbacks and the Programmer is output.
Default: All Playbacks

50.9.5 Programmer overrides FX

Allows the programmer to override FX on active playbacks. When set to Yes, any channels that have base levels in the program-
mer ignore FX for those channels from any active playbacks.
Default: No

50.9.6 Highlight mode

Changes the function and operation of highlight mode when trying to work with a specific Head within a group of Heads.
"Dims non selected" - the intensities of the selected heads are reduced except for the one (or ones in Odd/Even mode) that are
being sub selected.
"Highlight/Lowlight" uses the highlight and lowlight levels from the Head personality and as overriden by the user in the High-
light and Lowlight Cues in the Cue Window.
"Highlight Only (no lowlight)" is the same as Highlight/Lowlight but no Lowlighting occurs.
"High/Low no Reset" is the same as Highlight/Lowlight, but Highlight mode is only exited when you press Highlight again -
pressing CLEAR does not exit Highlight mode.
"High/Low no Beam" is the same as Highlight/Lowlight, except that no changes to Beam attributes are made - this enables
overiding of any Zoom/Gobo Higligh/Lowlight set in the Head Personality or Highlight/Lowlight Cue.
Default: Highlight/Lowlight

50.9.7 Fan Mode

This setting determines the fan mode.

"Normal" is a latch type operation where the user has to turn Fan on and off manually. "No Toggle" is a momentary type
operation. "Pan Only No Tilt" allows fanning of all attributes except for Tilt.
Default: Normal

50.9.8 Select Multiple Groups

This setting enables multiple groups to be selected without pressing SHIFT. To deselect all groups press the DESELECT ALL
soft button in the Group window.
"No" allows the user to choose between only being able to select one group at a time.
"Multiple in one go" allows the selection of multiple groups at one time. The selection resets after an attribute has been modified.
"Multiple always" is the same as above but does not reset.
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50.9.9 Recording to Palettes

This allows either all heads, only the selected heads, or only the sub selected heads to be recorded into Palettes
Default: Only selected heads

50.9.10 Record merge overrides times

When set "Yes" then Record Merge allows the time currently in the programmer to be merged into the Cue being updated
When set "No" Record Merge will not modify existing times in the merged Cue.
Default: Yes

50.9.11 Update Clears Programmer

When set the programmer is automatically cleared after using Update.

Default: No

50.9.12 Update default

The options are Cues, Palettes or Cues + Palettes.

By default the Update only action highlights Cues for updating rather than Palettes. This setting enables Palettes to be the
defaulted highlight. If a Cue uses a Palette then updating a Palette will update the Cue as well regardless of this setting. It
sometimes may desirable to Update both Palettes and Cues - for instance when updating a Position palette but also adding zoom
directly into the Cue.
Default: Cues

50.9.13 Undo mode

Allows the user to choose between two levels of Undo - "Undo Programmer" and "Undo Programmer and Actions".
Undo Programmer is any changes that have modified values in the programmer such as locating Heads, clearing, setting intensi-
ties, choosing palettes, or using encoder wheels to change programmer values.
Undo Actions include changes to show data such as recording, moving, copying, and naming.
When set to "Undo Programmer, Action via Ctrl" then pressing Undo by itself will only undo the Programmer. Press CTRL +
UNDO to undo action.
Default: Undo Programmer and Actions

50.10 Keypad / Encoder Settings

50.10.1 Auto enter on keypad intensity set

This setting determines whether the user is required to press ENTER when defining head intensity via the keypad. If set to Yes,
then intensity levels are set immediately when 2 digits or "FULL" have been keyed in after "@". e.g. "1 THRU 4 @ 50" or "1
THRU 4 @ FULL".
Default: Yes.
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50.10.2 Auto cursor down on enter

When set, pressing ENTER in a Spreadsheet view will auto cursor down to the item below.
Default: No.

50.10.3 Select heads on keypad intensity set

This setting determines whether the current head selection is modified when setting intensities via the keypad. When set to "No"
the intensities are set without modifying the head selection. When set "yes" the intensities are set and then the head selection is
modified, for example:
"1 THRU 4 @ 50" sets heads 1 to 4 at 50% intensity and selects heads 1 to 4.
"+5 @ FULL" sets head 5 to 100% intensity and adds it to the current selection.
Default: Yes.

50.10.4 Select Heads and Palettes from keypad

When enabled, select heads by typing the head selection and then pressing the appropriate Colour, Beam or Position window
button. For example. . .
"1 THRU 4 COL" selects heads 1 through 4 and opens the colour window.
"1 THRU 4 COL 5" selects heads 1 through 4 and selects colour palette 5.
This option also enables copying of head data.
Default: Yes.

50.10.5 Select heads on include

This setting determines whether heads with levels in a cue or palette are automatically selected when including these cues and
palettes into the programmer.
Default: Yes.

50.10.6 Keypad always selects heads

When set to Yes, entering head numbers on the keypad followed by the ENTER key always selects the heads, but some advanced
features of MagicQ are not available directly from the keypad. When editing numeric fields in the spreadsheet style windows in
this mode, the operator must use the SET button rather than editing the field directly.
Setting the "Strict" option means it is not possible to toggle or choose items simply using the ENTER key. You will always need
to use SET first.
Default: No (Window items)

50.10.7 Keypad Syntax - Theatre Patch

This setting adjusts the syntax used for patching Heads. With this option set to No, the syntax for patching is <number of heads>
@ <dmx address>. When set to Yes, the syntax is: <head number> @ <dmx address>.
Theatre Patch supports patching multiple DMX addresses to one head when using Theatre Patch syntax. For example, to patch
Head no.10 at DMX addresses 1, 2 and 3, enter "10 @ 1 + 2 + 3". There is a maximum of 6 DMX addresses per Head.
In Theatre Patch it is also possible to re-patch dimmer channels. If the head is already unpatched then just enter the new address
– e.g. to repatch head number 20 to DMX channel 25, type "20 @ 25". You can also re-patch to multiple DMX addresses – e.g.
to repatch head number 20 to DMX channel 25 and 26, type "20 @ 25 + 26".
Default: No (live mode) or Yes (theatre mode).
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50.10.8 Encoder Mode

In "Normal" the encoder wheels function according to the currently active window. For example, when you change to the Colour
window, the encoder wheels control colour attributes.
"Maintain Pos, Col, Beam" - The Position, Colour and Beam buttons will act as "Hard Buttons", meaning the encoders will be
maintained on Position, Colour or Beam even when the Group, Output or Plot windows are opened. At any time the encoders
can be forced to their default settings for the Window by pressing SHIFT and the window button – e.g. SHIFT + GROUP. In
addition, the "Intensity" attribute will also appear on Encoder F in the Position window if that encoder is not already in use.
"Intensity on X" - When setting an intensity level from the keypad, MagicQ will open the Intensity Window and the X encoder
will control intensity.
"Pos, Col, Beam, Int X" - MagicQ performs both the above options.
"Intensity always on X" - Once the Group or Intensity windows are opened then Encoder X will remain as Intensity until a
window is opened using SHIFT and the window button, forcing the normal encoder assignment.
"Keep as Window" - MagicQ will maintain the current window when NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD are used, rather than
jumping into the Position window.
"Maintain Hard Keys" - This is the same as "Maintain Pos, Col, Beam" and "Keep as Window" combined - so the Pos, Col, Beam
encoders are maintained, but NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD do not open the Position window.
Default: Normal (live mode) or Intensity on X (theatre mode)

50.10.9 Encoder Sensitivity

When set to "Normal" encoders operate at their normal rate.

When set to "Slow" the encoders are slower than normal - i.e. they are less sensitive - a larger encoder change is required to make
the same attribute change.
When set to "Slow" (Med Fine) the encoders operate as normal, but when SHIFT is pressed they operate at medium fine instead
of fine. This option is provided for users who are used to using SHIFT for fine, but who want the fine to be a bit more sensitive.
When set to "Remote Slow" the encoders operate as normal, except when controlled from MagicQ Remote Control on a remote
PC such as a MS Surface. This enables greater sensitivity when using the remote control. Note that this only affects MagicQ
Remote Control, it does not affect the MagicQ Remote app on iOS/Android.
The default is "Normal".
Note that this option does not affect attributes set as Slow Encoder in the personality such as gobo wheels and stepped control
parameters - they continue to operate as slow encoders regardless of this setting.

50.10.10 Swap pan and tilt encoders

This setting swaps over the pan and tilt encoders. By default, the X encoder is pan and the Y encoder is tilt.
Default: No

50.10.11 Swap Encoder direction

This setting changes the directions for adjusting values with encoders.
Default: Normal
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50.10.12 MagicQ keyboard mode

These options set the function of the keyboard.

In "Normal" the keyboard is used for naming items and selecting heads.
In "Programming shortcuts" the keyboard is set up for shortcuts to programming keys.
In "Playback shortcuts" the keyboard is set up for shortcuts to playback keys.
In "CTRL + Keys for Windows" the keyboard is works as per "Normal" mode, except when CNTRL is held, the keyboard is used
to open windows. List of window shortcuts can be found in the Programming shortcuts section
Default: Normal

50.10.12.1 Programming shortcuts

Windows are opened using CTRL and the alphanumeric keys

CTRL A CTRL D CTRL E Execute CTRL F Fx CTRL G Group CTRL H Help CTRL I Intensity CTRL J Beam CTRL K Colour
CTRL L Cue Stack CTRL M Media CTRL N Macro CTRL O Outputs CTRL P Position CTRL Q Cue CTRL R Programmer
CTRL S Setup CTRL T Patch CTRL U Page CTRL V Playback CTRL W Cue Stack Store CTRL X Cue Store CTRL Y CTRL
Z
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50.10.12.2 Playback shortcuts

1 to 0 Select playbacks 1 to 10
Q to P GO button playbacks 1 to 10
A to ; STOP button playbacks 1 to 10
\ to Toggle test playback on at 100%. In Swap mode releases
all others tested playbacks
` Add / Swap mode
SPACE Manual GO
# Manual STOP
[ Next page
] Prev page
- Release

Note that in playback shortcuts mode many programming options will not work as expected because the keyboard keys are used
for busking.
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50.10.13 Map Keys to THRU, @, FULL

This setting allows the THRU, @ and FULL keys to be mapped to different keys on the keyboard. This is useful in some countries
where the normal mappings (>, @ and #) are not easy to select. To set this setting, press the 3 keys you want to map to these
functions, followed by ENTER.
Default: None set.

50.10.14 Enable Mouse to control pan/tilt

This setting enables a mouse or trackball to control pan and tilt. The sensitivity can be selected by choosing any of the "Enabled
Div 2" through "Enabled Div 9" options.
Mouse control of pan/tilt is only supported on fully unlocked MagicQ PC systems (Unlocked Mode)
Default: Disabled

50.10.15 Intensity Wheel

Determines the function of the Intensity Wheel on the MQ500, MQ500M, MQ250M and Stadium Connect.
When set to "Intensity" it controls Intensity of the selected Heads.
When set to "Intensity - Require ALT key" then holding ALT and turning the encoder will control Intensity in the Programmer.
This is useful in high bass environments where the wheel could get accidentally nudged.
When set to "Sel PB Speed" it changes the Chase Speed or FX Speed of the currently selected Playback
When set to "Playback Rate" it controls the Playback Rate of the selected Playback as per the Playback Rate on soft button X in
the Playback Window.
When set to "Global Rate" it controls the Global Rate as per the Global Rate on soft button Y in the Playback Window.
When set to "Audio Volume" it controls the master audio volume.
When set to "Scroll window" it scrolls the top (focused) window.
When set to "No function" it is disabled.
Default: Intensity

50.11 Windows Settings

50.11.1 Colour Scheme

This setting defines the colour scheme of the installed MagicQ system.
"Dark" uses a mostly black colour scheme with grey and purple highlights.
"Black" turns the MagicQ interface completely black with grey option boxes and white text.
"High Contrast" sets the MagicQ background to black (On Windows, Mac & Linux) but the central programming area to a lighter
grey with black text.
Default: Dark

50.11.2 Big Text Mode

Big Text Mode defines how text is displayed throughout MagicQ.

"ALL CAPS" displays all text in CAPITALS.
"First Letter" capitalises the First Letter Of Every Word.
"Large", much like "ALL CAPS", displays all text as CAPITALS but at a much larger font size.
Default: No
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50.11.3 Icon Size

The Icon Size setting defines the size of all icons used throughout MagicQ.
"Small" will ensure icons only take up a portion of the window item.
"Large" sets icons to fill the whole window item.
"Large when no name" sets icons to "Large" but only where there is no text present within the same window item.
"Auto" allows icons to be auto-sized and auto-generated throughout MagicQ.
"Auto no Snapshot" disables Visualiser snapshotting when recording Cues, Cue Stacks and Playbacks.
"Auto no group / snapshot" disables Visualiser snapshotting and the generating of auto-group icons.
Default: Small

50.11.4 Col Tags

The Col Tags setting allows colour tags to be displayed, identifying different heads throughout MagicQ.
"None" disables the use of colour tags throughout the software.
"Head Types" separates Heads into colour groups depending on their type (Wash, Spot etc).
"Attach Objects" defines Heads based on the object they’re attached to within the Visualiser.
"Groups" separates Heads depending on their current group within the Group window.
"Multi Console Control" separates Heads depending on their current console control.
"Parked" colours parked Heads to separate them from unparked Heads.
"Patch" defines separate Heads depending on their sorting within the Patch window.
"Uni Zones" separates Heads to signify which Uni zone they are assigned to.
"Universes" separates Heads to signify which universe they are patched in.
"Users" separates Heads based on the current user.
Default: None

50.11.5 Playback Col Tags

The Playback Col Tags setting allows the RGB LEDs found in the Stadium range to indicate the different Playback functions.
"Default" sets MagicQ to use the default colour set for different types of Cue Stack. Standard Cue Stacks are blue, LTP faders &
Group masters are allocated different colours.
"Cue Stack" uses the colour tag set by the Col tag setting in Cue Stack, View Options, Function. Unused Playbacks are blue.
"Cue Stack (dim unused)" is the same as "Cue Stack" except that unused Playbacks are dimmed so that it is easier to identify free
Playbacks.
Default: None (Cue Stack on Stadium consoles)

50.11.6 Speed Display

This setting determines how speed values are displayed throughout the installed MagicQ system. The options are seconds, BPM
or frames.
When set to "Normal" MagicQ will determine the appropriate metric for that specific parameter.
Default: Normal
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50.11.7 Attribute Display

This setting determines how attribute values are displayed throughout MagicQ.
When set to "Normal" MagicQ will display the attribute with the normal expected metric.
When set to "16bit" MagicQ will display all attribute values in 16bit format.
When set to "Percent" MagicQ will display all attribute values as percentages.
When set to "P/T Percent" MagicQ will display only pan and tilt attributes as percentages.
When set to "DMX Values" MagicQ will display attributes in DMX 0..255 values. 16bit attributes will be shown as two 0..255
values separated by a dash.
Default: Normal

50.11.8 Units of measurement

This setting defines which unit of measurement MagicQ uses throughout the installed system.
When set to "Imperial" MagicQ will accept measurements of feet, inches and pounds.
When set to "Metric" it is still possible to input measurements in feet using the ‘ or / separator - e.g. enter "12/" for 12 ft and
"12/4" or "12’4" for 12 ft 4 inches.
Default: Metric

50.11.9 Column Sizing

The Column Sizing setting determines how columns within windows are displayed.
When "Auto Size" is selected, MagicQ will auto size columns and hide any that are unused.
When "No sizing/hiding" is selected, the columns are set to a fixed width and are always present.
When "Hiding only" is selected, are fixed width, but are hidden if not used.
Default: Auto Size

50.11.10 Num Boxes Wide

This option is used to force the number of boxes wide for all box windows such as Group, Position, Colour, Beam, FX, Page, Cue
Store, Stack Store, Macro. This can be used to ensure that the layout of items in windows remains consistent between different
console types - particularly useful for the Group window.
It does not affect spreadsheet views.
Note that the per monitor, number of boxes wide in Setup, view System, View Monitors when set to anything other than "Default"
takes priority over this setting.
Default: Default

50.11.11 Auto Row Ordering

This setting determines how rows are ordered within the Output, Programmer and Cue windows. The currently selected heads
appear at the top of the window.
When this option is set to "No" the rows of the aforementioned windows are ordered according to the Sort option within the
Patch window.
Default: Yes
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50.11.12 Confirmation requests

This setting determines how confirmation requests are displayed and utilised throughout the installed MagicQ system.
When "Confirm (default no)" is selected, MagicQ will continue to confirm core functions with a default value of no.
When "Confirm (default yes)" is selected, MagicQ will continue to confirm core functions with a default value of yes.
When "Confirm critical only" is selected, MagicQ will confirm only critical functions with a default value of no.
When "Confirm critical (default yes)" is selected, MagicQ will confirm only critical functions with a default value of yes.
When "Never confirm" is selected, MagicQ will never ask for confirmation.
Please note: "Never confirm" should be used with great care.
Default: Confirm (default no)

50.11.13 Scroll bars

The Scroll Bars option determines how scroll bars are displayed throughout MagicQ.
When set to "Normal scroll bars" scroll bars are set to their standard width and appear on all scrollable windows.
When set to "No scroll bars", scroll bars are hidden throughout all windows and selection boxes.
When set to "Wide scroll bars" the scroll bars are set to a larger width and appear on all scrollable windows.
When set to "Extra Wide scroll bars" the scroll bars are set to their largest width and appear on all scrollable windows.
Default: Normal scroll bars

50.11.14 Help Mode

Determines whether Tips are shown for settings.

When set to "Mouse Tips" MagicQ shows tips when the mouse is placed over settings fields in the first column of the Setup and
Cue Stack windows.
When set to "Dialog Tips" MagicQ shows option details in the select Dialog box.
When set to "Mouse + Dialog Tips" both the above are shown.
When set to "Mouse + Dialog Tips (Menus English)" both the above are shown in the language set by the Country, but Menus
are kept in English.
Default: Mouse + Dialog Tips

50.11.15 Layout buttons always active

This settings determines whether the 12 available layouts are always visible on screen.
When set to "Yes", MagicQ will display the 12 layout selection buttons above the display’s top soft buttons.
When set to "No", MagicQ will hide the available layouts, only visible by pressing the CTRL key.
Note that on MQ500(M) the layout buttons are shown on the left side of the main display regardless of this option - therefore this
option should be set to "No".
Default: No
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50.11.16 Always show Record Options

This setting determines when the record options, include options and copy options toolbars are displayed.
If set to "Yes", MagicQ will always display the record options toolbar whenever the RECORD button is pressed. The include
options toolbar will be shown when INCLUDE is pressed and the copy options toolbar when the the COPY button is presed.
If set to "No", MagicQ will display the full record options when SHIFT + RECORD is pressed. The full include options are
shown when SHIFT + INCLUDE is pressed, and the full copy cptions when SHIFT + COPY is pressed.
Default: No

50.11.17 Plan Intensity type

This setting has been moved to the Grid Options in Output Window, View Plan.

50.11.18 Message Window

This Message Window setting determines where and how the message window box is shown.
When this is set to "Main" messages will only appear on the console’s main screen.
When this is set to "2nd Display" or "3rd Display", MagicQ will only display messages on the defined external monitor.
When this is set to "Main No Net", "2nd No Net or "3rd No Net", MagicQ (when connected to a net session) will only display
messages on the main monitor of the current console.
When this is set to "Net only", MagicQ will display messages to all other consoles within the net session but not the current
console.
When this is set to "Net Session", all consoles, including the current console, will receive messages throughout the net session.
When this is set to "Main no flash", "2nd Display no flash" or "3rd Display no flash", MagicQ will display messages on the
defined monitor without flashing.
Default: Main

50.12 Cue Storage Settings

50.12.1 Remove Cues when remove Cue Stacks

This option allows you to force Cues to be removed when the Cue Stack(s) that use them are removed.
Default: No

50.12.2 Remove Cue Stacks on remove Playbacks

This option allows the user to force Cue Stacks to be removed when Playbacks are removed.
Default: No

50.12.3 Use first free Cues, Stacks, Palettes

By default when making new Cues, Cue Stacks or Palettes, MagicQ will use the lowest free item to save it to.
When set to No, it will record these in the first free item after the last one that was saved
Default: Yes
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50.12.4 Copy mode (linked/unlinked)

This setting determines how copies of your Cue Stacks are either linked or unlinked to the Cues that make up that Cue Stack.
When linked, changes you make to the copied Cue will carry through to the original Cue.
When unlinked, changes to the copied Cue do not update the original Cue.
When set to linked, this setting can be overriden using SHIFT + COPY.
The "unlinked, no state" option specifies that when Cues are copied within a Cue Stack only the "delta" values are copied not the
state of the Cue at that step.

50.12.5 Copy heads

This setting determines if data recorded to playbacks is ignored when copying data between heads (when set to Prog only).
Default: Prog + Playback

50.12.6 Derive settings from previous Cue

This setting specifies how MagicQ sets the Cue settings for new Cues recorded on a Cue Stack.
When set to No, MagicQ derives cue setting from the Default setting found in Options, View Defaults.
When set to Yes, MagicQ will use the settings found in the previous Cue in the Cue Stack.
Default: Yes

50.12.7 Hide Cue Store Ids (Qids)

MagicQ supports two different ids for Cues – the Cue Id of the Cue within the specific Cue Stack, and the Qid of the Cue within
the Cue Store.
When set to Yes, this will hide the Qid found in the Cue Store from the Cue Stack and Cue windows, only showing the Qid of
the Cue within the Cue Stack itself.
Default: No

50.12.8 Hide Vdims

This setting allows Virtual Dimmers to be hidden from the Patch Window. Vdims are still denoted by a +V next to the head
number.
Default: No

50.12.9 Expand Heads in palettes

This setting allows the building of a palette with one head type to then be expanded to all patched heads of that same type.
It can also be configured to expand to All Heads - it first creates a Default Palette from the existing Heads in the Palette and then
uses this to expand the Palette for all Heads.
It is possible to choose just Colours and Beams to be expanded or all Palettes.
The options are

• No
• Same Head Type, Col & Beam
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• Same Head Type, IPCB

• All Heads, Col & Beam
• All Heads, IPCB

Palettes are expanded when patching a new head, when recording palettes, and when setting this setting.
Default: No

50.12.10 Auto Create Default Palettes

This setting allows enabling and disabling of the creation of Default Palettes.
When Palettes are created and updated default palettes will be created for the specified palette types.
The options are

• None

• IC
• IP
• IPC

• IPCB

Default: IPCB

50.12.11 FX Palettes

This option determines the behaviour of FX palettes.

When set to "Normal" or "Changes unlink FX palettes" the FX Palettes link into the Cues and any updates to the FX Palette cause
the Cues to be updated.
When set to "Disabled" there are no links between the FX Palettes and the Cues.
When set to "Changes unlink FX palettes" any updates to the FX in the Prog Window or Cue Window cause the link back to the
FX Palette to be broken.

50.12.12 Heads moved aside are unpatched

This setting determines that heads are unpatched rather than moved aside when repatching and morphing at an address with an
existing head.
Default: No

50.12.13 Default mark/move when dark time

This specifies the default value for Mark cues and Move when dark.
Default: 3.00s
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50.12.14 Group Cues

This setting determines whether Group Cues are used when programming. The options are Disabled, Prefer Group Cues, Prefer
Group Cues (Warn) and Group Cues Only.
See the section on Group Cues for more info.
Note that shows programmed with Group Cues can not be loaded directly into older MagicQ software versions - first in v1.9.2.0
or above, convert the shows to individual Head Cues and save the show, before trying to load into older software versions.
Default: Disabled

50.13 Playback Settings

50.13.1 Grand Master function

By default the Grand Master controls levels of channels from both the Playbacks and the Programmer.
The options enable changing the Grand Master to control only the level of preset faders, only the level of Programmer data, or
both. In each of these configurations it does not control Playbacks or Add/Swap levels, as it does by default.
See programmer data, playbacks and add/swap levels for more info.
When set as Cue Stack 1 it controls Cue Stack 1 from the Cue Stack Store, providing an extra Playback fader.
Default: Grand Master

50.13.2 Sub Master function

The Sub Master can be configured to control playback faders only, add/swap buttons only, or both (the default). It can also be set
as a programmer master, a preset master or both.
When set as Cue Stack 2 it controls Cue Stack 2 from the Cue Stack Store, providing an extra Playback fader.
Default: Playback Master

50.13.3 Crossfade Master function

Configures the Crossfade master in different ways as described below:

• "Manual Crossfade" - The Manual Crossfade function enables you to advance Cues within a Cue Stack using the Crossfader
by holding the SELECT or SHIFT buttons and moving the Crossfader. The display window will show "pickup" until the
crossfader level matches the current position in the fade - it will then change to "manual".
• "Busking Rate Master" - In this mode the sub-master fader moves between 0 and 10 seconds. This rate is shown in the bottom
right of the Status Display. The time is applied to selection of palettes and intensities.
• "Sub Master" - Sub Master is useful on consoles which do not have a separate sub master fader. When set to sub master, the
Sub Master function above determines its function.
• "Cue Stack 3" - When set as Cue Stack 3 it controls Cue Stack 3 from the Cue Stack Store, providing an extra Playback fader.
• "Tap to Time SP1", "Tap to Time SP2" or "Tap to Time SP3" - the fader and buttons control the rate for the associated Speed
Master.

The Crossfade master also has a number of rate master configurations. See manual control, rate master for further details.
Default: Manual Cross-fade Master
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50.14 Crossfade button function

This option determines the function of the GO buttons in the crossfade master section.
When set to "Default" the function of the GO button is determined by the Crossfade Master function option.

• For "Global Rate" and "Club Master" the button is set to Tap to Time for the active playbacks
• For "Rate" and "Busking Master" it is set to Tap to Time for the selected playback.
• For all other options it is set to the normal "Go/Back" function.

When set to "Tap To Time selected" the GO button affects the absolute rate of the currently selected Playback.
When set to "Tap to Time active" the GO button affects the absolute rate of all active Playbacks.
When set to "Tap to Time SP1", "Tap to Time SP2" or "Tap to Time SP3" the GO button sets the rate for the associated Speed
Master.
When set to "Go/Back" this takes priority over the Crossfade Master function, with the master GO, BACK, BCK and FWD
buttons all controlling the currently selected Playback.
Default: Default

50.14.1 Split Crossfade

Used to set up split crossfade functions, as below.

When set to any of the dual playback options, the two playbacks become Crossfade Masters for manual Fade in and out. Pressing
the Pause button on either of the playbacks brings the current playback under manual. The faders can then be used to fade in
each new Cue with separate control for fade in and out. Pressing the Go button on either Playback returns the current playback
to normal Cue execution. When enabled, both playbacks can not be used as normal playbacks.
The "Stadium Split" option is used on MQ500(M) systems to set the two 100mm faders as split crossfaders - by default they are
a crossfader and sub master. This option only takes effect if the Crossfade Master Function is set to "Manual Crossfade".
The PB2 option is designed for Theatre use with the main Cue Stack on PB1 and the crossfader on PB2.
Default: No

50.14.2 Crossfade controls Playback

This setting enables is designed for theatrical use where one playback is the master Cue Stack.
The user can lock the manual playback section of MagicQ to Playback Fader 1, 2, 9, 10 or 15 regardless of the currently selected
Playback.
Default: Selected

50.14.3 Wing Crossfade Master function

Sets the function of the crossfaders on the MQ500M Wing and Stadium Wing. The options are:

• Manual Crossfade (Performs same as when main crossfaders are set to Stadium Crossfade
• Rate Masters (X1 is Cue Stack rate master, X2 is rate master (FX) for selected playback
• Global Rate Masters (X1 is Global Cue Stack rate master, X2 is Global rate master
• Cue Stack 4 and Cue Stack 5 (operates in similar way to CS1-CS3 on the other masters)

Default: Manual Crossfade

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50.14.4 DBO function

This setting determines the function of the DBO button.

"DBO Momentary" and "DBO toggle" cause all intensity channels on the output to be set to 0%.
"No FX Momentary" and "No FX toggle" cause all FX size to be reduced immediately to zero size.
When set to "Tap to Time selected", the button sets the rate for the currently selected playback.
The "Flash taps when DBO held" option enables setting of speeds to playbacks by holding DBO and then pressing the flash
button of the relevant playback.
When set to "Tap to Time active", the button sets the rate for all active playbacks.
When set to "Tap to Time SP1", "Tap to Time SP2" or "Tap to Time SP3" the button sets the rate for the associated Speed Master.
Default: DBO Momentary

50.14.5 TAP function

This setting determines the function of the TAP button.

When set to "Tap to Time selected", the button sets the rate for the currently selected playback.
When set to "Tap to Time active", the button sets the rate for all active playbacks.
When set to "Tap to Time SP1" through "Tap to Time SP15" the button sets the rate for the associated Speed Master.
Default: Tap to Time selected

50.14.6 Stomp Playbacks

This option enables Stomping, the automatic releasing of Playbacks when they are fully overriden by other Playbacks.
When set to "Yes (LTP)" then when all the LTP channels on a Playback are overidden by other Playbacks then the Playback is
released.
When set to "Yes (HTP and LTP)" then when all the channels (both HTP and LTP) on a Playback are overidden by other Playbacks
then the Playback is released.
See Playback Stomping.
Default: No

50.14.7 Intensity (HTP) FX can add,subtract

This sets whether one Playback intensity level can subtract from another Playback’s level.
When set to "yes", FX on one Playback can subtract from the level on another Playback.
When set to "no", MagicQ performs pure HTP – i.e. the highest level (including FX) from all the Playbacks is output.
Default: No

50.14.8 Go reasserts channels

This setting determines which channels are reasserted when the Go button of a Playback is pressed.
When set to "All inc tracked", then pressing GO on the Playback will reassert channels that are tracking through the Cue Stack
even if they were being controlled by another Playback.
"All no fade" forces an immediate change of the channel values controlled by the Playback.
When set to "Non tracked", only channels that are recorded as "hard values" in the current Cue will be reasserted.
When set to "Non tracked, Step then reassert", then the Cue any Cue Stack macros are executed before the channels that are
recorded as "hard values" are reasserted, thus ensuring that it is possible to execute macros to release other playbacks first.
Default: All inc tracked
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50.14.9 Fader off zero reasserts channels

This setting is used to reassert channels using the fader. When set to Yes, faders reassert the Playback when the level leaves zero.
The setting "Go reasserts channels" specifies how the channels are reasserted.
Default: No

50.14.10 Fader mode

This setting defines the operation of faders. When set to Original they operate as before with physical fader levels and fader
levels from automations and Execute being treated separately. When set to Combined the physical fader level and the levels from
automations and Execute are combined together so that when a Playback is triggered by an automation, the physical fader is set
to that level and the level can be adjusted directly using the physical fader. On non motorised systems the fader level must be
matched by moving the fader before it can take control.
When set to Auto Motor Moves the automations and Execute will cause the physical faders to move to the level of the automa-
tions. This option is not recommended for shows which make heavy use of macro and automations changes of playback levels
as it may cause unnecesary wear on the motorised faders.
Default: Original

50.14.11 Motor faders release to zero

This setting defines whether or not motor faders will drop to zero when releasing playbacks.
Default: No

50.14.12 Next Page changes to next used

This enables page changes using the Next Page and Prev Page buttons to only access programmed pages rather than changing
through all pages, including blank ones.
Other pages can still be accessed using the Page Window.
Default: No

50.14.13 Current Playback follows last touched

This setting makes the Current Playback follow the last Playback fader to be raised. If set to No then the Current Playback is not
changed when faders are raised - it is only changed when SELECT buttons are pressed.
Default: No

50.14.14 Playbacks S + GO = PAUSE

This setting changes the function of S + GO on Playbacks to be a PAUSE function. This is useful on wings that do not have
physical PAUSE buttons. When set to "No", S + GO steps to the next step without time.
Default: No

50.14.15 Tap to Time buttons

Enables the SELECT, GO and PAUSE buttons, or a combination, to be set to Tap to Time for Playbacks.
There is also an option to use ALT + FLASH as Tap to Time.
Default: None
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50.14.16 Int Master applies to LTP chans

This option makes Intensity Masters control any LTP channels that are recorded in the master Cue, rather than just HTP (Intensity)
channels. This applies to existing masters, as well as newly created ones.
Default: No

50.14.17 Activate playbacks on start

This option enables one or more playbacks to be activated on startup. The options are:

• PB1
• Last Active
• Wing PB1
• Cue Stack 1
• Macro 1
• Lamp On all

When set to "Last active" then after a reset, MagicQ will reactivate Cue Stacks that were running when the console was powered
down or reset. MagicQ will start the Cue Stacks from the step that they were previously on.
All options are Locked on MagicQ MagicQ PC systems in Demo mode.
Default: None

50.14.18 Playback Go/Pause use Exec Grid

Enabling this option allows the GO and PAUSE Playback keys to control the first two rows of Execute grid 1, 2 or 3. The GO
keys will activate items on the first row, while the PAUSE keys will activate items on the second row.
Default: No

50.14.19 Playback holdover mode

This setting is used to enable Two Page Holdover mode, allowing Playbacks to be active on two different pages simultaneously.
When set to "Default" Playbacks can only be active one page - changing page causes the Playback to hold over active.
Default: Default

50.15 Network Settings

50.15.1 IP Address

The IP address of the console ethernet network interface. This is stored as part of the console configuration; loading a new show
does not change this setting.
On PC/Mac this must match the IP address of the network interface you are using. Double click on it to show the available
network interfaces.
On PC/Mac you must also set the IP address of your adaptor in Windows Control Panel or Mac System Preferences.
For communicating with Art-Net the IP address is usually set to a number in the 2.x.x.x or 10.x.x.x range (e.g. 2.0.0.10) using
subnet mask 255.0.0.0.
When using a PC or Mac with a Stadium Connect, Compact Connect or Mini Connect then the network port on the Connect
product appears as a network port on the PC. If you wish to use this network port you must set up the IP address of this port in
Windows Control Panel or Mac Preferences. This port must be in a different IP address range to any other network port on the
PC/Mac.
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50.15.2 Subnet Mask

The subnet mask for the console ethernet network interface.

On PC/Mac this must match the network interface you are using.
For communicating with Art-Net the Subnet Mask is usually set to 255.0.0.0.

50.15.3 Gateway address

This can usually be set to 0.0.0.0.

If used, it must be either in the primary or control net subnet.
Default: 0.0.0.0

50.15.4 Net host options

When set to "Normal", lighting protocols such as Art-Net are sent to the IP address specified in Setup, View Settings, Network,
IP Address. If this network is not available then the lighting protocols will be sent to any other host adaptor found regardless of
IP address range.
When set to "Strict", lighting protocols will only be sent to the IP address specified in Setup, View Settings, Network, IP Address.
When set to "Normal + Loopback IP" or "Strict + Loopback IP", lighting protocols are sent to the IP address as above, but also
to the loopback IP address 127.0.0.1. This enables connection to apps on the same PC - e.g. sending Art-Net / CITP to Capture.
Loopback IP is only valid for PCs and Macs only – it is ignored on MagicQ consoles. "Normal" and "Strict" apply to all systems.
This setting used to be called "Send to applications on this PC", and has now been renamed and expanded to include the Strict
options.
Default : None

50.15.5 Art-Net Type

When set to "Normal" MagicQ transmits Art-Net protocol v3. MagicQ receives any Art-Net protocol. This is recommended
when the universe count on the network is low.
When set to "V4 Unicast" MagicQ transmits Art-Net protocol v4 via unicast, but also broadcasts packets on every universe once
a second. This enables other Art-Net sources to determine that there is a transmitting Art-Net controller already outputting on
that universe. This is the recommended protocol when using 32 or more Art-Net universes on the network.
When set to "V4 Unicast only" MagicQ transmits Art-Net protocol v4 via unicast only and does not broadcast any Art-Net
packets.
When set to "V4 Sync" or "V4 Sync Unicast Only" MagicQ sends Art-Net sync packets after it has sent all the Art-Net DMX
data packets. Art-Net sync enables synchronisation of multiple DMX lines across multiple different Art-Net to DMX nodes.
When set to any of the V4 modes, MagicQ reports the full set of Art-Net universes that are enabled and configured with Art-Net
inputs using the V4 bind index messaging. When set to "Normal" MagicQ replies to the Art-Net poll with a single V1 reply
indicating the status of the first 4 universes.
Default : Normal

50.15.6 sACN Type

When set to "Sync" MagicQ sends sACN sync messages. MagicQ uses the first enabled universe outputting sACN as the sync
universe.
Default : Normal
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50.15.7 sACN transmit priority

This is the sACN transmit priority.

If MagicQ receives sACN from more than one source to the same universe it will choose the highest priority source. If multiple
sources have the same highest priority then the data will alternate between the various sources - avoid this.

50.15.8 RDMNet IP address

This is the IP address of the broker in RDMNet.

This should always be set 0 unless RDMNet is being used.
MagicQ RDMNet implementation is still under test.
Default: 0

50.15.9 RDMNet Port

This is the TCP port of the broker in RDMNet.

This should always be set 0 unless RDMNet is being used.
MagicQ RDMNet implementation is still under test.
Default: 0

50.15.10 Network Switch

This controls the operation of the internal network switch (on MQ500M, MQ500, MQ250M and later revisions of MQ50 and
MQ70).
When set to "Enable IGMP Snooping" the network switch will only pass multicast messages on a particular network port when
a device connected to the network on that network port has joined the multicast network.
When set to "Disable IGMP Snooping" the network switch will pass all multicast messages through the network switch regardless
of whether any devices on the network have joined the multicast group. This is the recommended setting, except for systems
with very large numbers of universes.
When set to "Original" the network switch operates as set in the hardware and is not changed by MagicQ. MagicQ hardware
defaults to enable IGMP Snooping.
"Disable IGMP Snooping" can be useful when connecting to some sACN devices that are not correctly joining the multicast
group.
Default: Disable IGMP Snooping

50.15.11 IGMP Querier

This setting can be used to disable or force enable the IGMP Querier within MagicQ.
When set to "Normal" the IGMP Querier is enabled on MagicQ consoles and disabled on MagicQ PC systems. This is the
recommended option in most systems.
When set to "Force Enabled (PC Only)" the IGMP Querier is also enabled on MagicQ PC systems.
When set to "Disabled (external Router is Querier)" MagicQ disables the IGMP Querier. This option should only be used where
there is an external router with IGMP Querier enabled - for example where there is a Luminex Gigacore with IGMP Querier
enabled. If the Querier is disabled on a network without another Querier enabled then sACN, ChamNet and other multicast
protocols may not pass through the network correctly.
Default: Normal
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50.15.12 Control net mode

Static IP - manually specify and IP address, subnet mask, and gateway.

Dynamic (DHCP client) - automatically obtain an IP address, subnet mask and gateway.
DHCP Server - Same as Static IP, but automatically issue IP addresses to other devices in the network.
Default: Disabled

50.15.13 Control net IP address

A secondary network interface can be created on consoles using a USB ethernet adaptor.
This IP address and subnet must not overlap with the primary and wifi interfaces.
Default: 192.168.250.10

50.15.14 Control net subnet mask

Subnet mask for the Control net IP address.

Default: 255.255.255.0

50.15.15 Control net firewall

Affects the control net only, not the primary interface.

Firewall Disabled - don’t restrict incoming connections.
Allow Remote only - only allow MagicQ Remote app and MagicQ Remote Control to connect to this console.
Block all - don’t allow any incoming connections.
The console can still make outbound connections to other devices, regardless of this setting.
Protocols such as Art-Net and sACN can only be used on the primary interface.

50.15.16 Visualiser IP address

This IP address is used to specify an IP address for the Visualiser when sending Art-Net or sACN direct to an external Visualiser.
This can be used to send data from Slave consoles to their own Visualisers when using Net Sessions. It can also be used to send a
dedicated Visualiser feed from the Master console in Net Sessions that does not contain any channels controlled by other Slaves.
It is also required on MagicQ PC in Stadium modes to output to a 3rd party Visualiser over Art-Net or sACN.
This field is only valid when one or more universes in Setup, View DMX I/O have the Visualiser field set to Art/sACN (Same
PC) or Art/sACN (remote) and those universes Out Type are set to Art-Net or sACN.
Visualiser data is always unicast direct to the Visualiser IP Address - it is never broadcast or multicast. Broadcast and multicast
addresses can not be entered in this field.
Visualisers may still receive broadcast or multicast data from other consoles on the network - so it is important to ensure that the
protocol and universes used are unique to the Visualiser.
Note that on MagicQ PC when running Stadium panel mode, MagicQ runs in a PreVis mode where the normal Art-Net and
sACN outputs are inhibited. In order to use external visualisers in this PreVis mode, the Visualiser IP address must be set up to
the IP address of the external visualiser and the Visualiser fields in Setup, View DMX I/O set to Art-Net or sACN.
Default: 0.0.0.0
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50.15.17 Visualiser Type

This is used to determine the protocol used for unicasting the console output data to a Visualiser direct from the console. This
is useful if you wish to use a different protocol or different universes for your Visualiser from those being used to output to the
lighting rig.
MagicQ User Manual 465 / 579

Use DMX I/O Unicast to the Visualiser IP address using the protocol and
universes as specified in DMX I/O.
Art-Net DMX I/O Unis Unicast to the Visualiser using Art-Net but using universes
as specified in DMX I/O.
sACN DMX I/O Unis Unicast to the Visualiser using sACN but using universes
as specified in DMX I/O.
Art-Net Seq Unis Unicast to the Visualiser using Art-Net using universes
0..255
sACN Seq Unis Unicast to the Visualiser using sACN universes 1..256

When set to "Use DMX I/O", MagicQ does not output direct to the Visualiser if the console is already outputting broadcast Art-
Net or multicast sACN to the network as the Visualiser will already receive this data. It will output if the universes are disabled
(e.g. on Slave consoles), or if the Art-Net or sACN is being unicast (DMX I/O unicast fields set or Art-Net v4).
When set to all other types, MagicQ will always output direct to the Visualiser, regardless of the enabled/disabled state of the
DMX I/O universes.
Default: Use DMX I/O

50.15.18 Visualiser Offset

This is an offset that can be used to offset the Art-Net / sACN universes sent to the Visualiser.
It applies to all Visualiser Types.
If Visualiser type is set to any of the Types with "DMX I/O" then the offset is applied to the Art-Net / sACN universe specified
in DMX I/O.
When Visualiser type is set to the Types with "Seq Uni" then the offset is applied to the console universes starting from Art-Net
0 and sACN 1.
Default : 0

50.15.19 Ethernet remote protocol

Enables transmit and receive of ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol (CREP) for communication over Ethernet (UDP/IP) with
external 3rd party systems.
When using network sessions or multi console operation this option should be set to None.
There are options to enable tx, rx and both tx and rx. There are also options to use ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol without
the header. Note that on receive (rx) MagicQ auto detects whether a header is present so can accept data CREP data with our
without a header regardless of the header setting.
When set to rx echo then any received data is processed and then transmitted back out (echoed).
If set to None then any data received is ignored. When transmit (tx) is enabled, data can be transmitted from the Macro field of
Cue steps in the Cue Stack.
See ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol and Multiple Consoles for more details.
Default: None

50.15.20 Playback Sync Port

It is possible to configure the port used for synchronisation of playback between multiple MagicQ consoles. If this port interferes
with other equipment for any reason then it is possible to change it.
Note that this port is also used for Net Sessions - so it must be the same on all systems using Net Sessions.
Default : 6553
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50.15.21 Custom TCPIP type

This is used for custom connections to external 3rd party equipment over TCP/IP.
The options are None, TCP and UDP.
When set to TCP or UDP then the "Y" Cue Stack macro sends messages over this connection instead of over ChamSys remote
protocol.
Messages received from the remote equipment are logged as Custom TCPIP log messages and can be viewed in VIEW LOGS in
the Help window.
Default : None

50.15.22 Custom TCPIP IP address

The IP address for the Custom TCPIP. When Custom TCPIP Type is TCP then this is the IP address that MagicQ connects to.
When Custom TCPIP Type is UDP then it it the IP address MagicQ sends to. The IP address can be a broadcast IP address.
Default: 0

50.15.23 Custom TCPIP port

The TCPIP port number for the Custom TCPIP connection or messages.
Default: 0

50.15.24 Web Server

This is used to enable the in-built Web server which enables remote access to the console functions from other equipment using
web browsers.
The option "Enabled CSS" uses improved CSS style sheet web pages.
Default: Disabled

50.15.25 Web Server Port

The port used by the web server.

Default: 8080

50.15.26 OSC Mode

The options are Disabled, Tx, Rx, Tx and Rx.

Default: Disabled

50.15.27 OSC Tx Port

The UDP port used for messages transmitted from MagicQ to external systems.
Default: 9000

50.15.28 OSC Rx Port

The UDP port used for messages received from MagicQ to external systems.
Default: 8000
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50.15.29 OSC tx IP (0 = broadcast)

The IP address to send OSC messages to. When set to 0 the OSC messages are broadcast on the network.
Default: 0

50.15.30 Tracker rx

Enables connection to a remote tracker system. Remote tracker protocols are only supported on MagicQ consoles and MagicQ
PC systems connected to MagicQ wings and interfaces or Rack Mount Dongle.
The options are None, DMX Input, MQ Track, PSN/SpotMe, Generic XYZ Tracker, Internal and Simulator.
When set to DMX Input, MagicQ receives tracker data for each Head directly on the DMX input corresponding to the output -
for example if a Head is patched to Universe 1 channel 1 with pan and tilt on channels 10 and 12 respectively, then it will take
the tracker data input for pan and tilt from input channels 10 and 12.
When set to MQ Track, MagicQ receives tracker data over a simple UDP protocol on UDP port 6549.
When set to OTP, MagicQ receives tracker data over Object Transform Protocol (OTP). The OTP function setting must be set to
Tracker (rx).
When set to PSN/SpotMe, MagicQ receives tracker data from Robert Juliat tracking system.
When set to Generic XYZ Tracker the XYZ track information is received from a patched Generic XYZ Tracker head.
When set to Simulator, MagicQ generates a test pattern on the x and z positions of Trackers 1 and 2 in opposing directions for
testing purposes. The simulator does not require MagicQ hardware.
When set to Internal, MagicQ does not receive tracking from any external devices, but it enables tracking from internal Trackers
and MagicVis objects. When set to None, then Tracking is not enabled at all, even from internal Trackers and MagicVis objects.
The current value of received trackers can be seen in the Macro Window, under View Autom.
When tracker data is active MagicVis shows the tracker points as a green cross within the 3D space. If the tracker data is lost
then the cross will turn red, and then after 2 seconds of not receiving any tracker data for that tracker the cross will disappear
altogether.
The information from Trackers can be used by Palettes set as Track and also by Tracker Automations.
Default: None

50.15.31 Tracker tx

Enables transmitting of Tracker information to remote systems. Remote tracker protocols are only supported on MagicQ consoles
and MagicQ PC systems connected to MagicQ wings and interfaces or Rack Mount Dongle.
The options are None, MQ Track, OTP, and Generate Track1, Generate Track2.
When set to MQ Track, MagicQ transmits tracker data over the MQ Track protocol whenever data for a Tracker changes. MQ
Track protocol is a simple UDP protocol on UDP port 6549.
When set to OTP, MagicQ transmits tracker data over Object Transform Protocol (OTP). The OTP function setting must be set
to Tracker (tx).
When set to Generate Track 1 or Generate Track 2 MagicQ transmits the respective Tracker only over MQ Track protocol.
Generate Track 1 and Generate Track 2 can be used on secondary MagicQ consoles / systems to send the Focus Hold XY
position from the Plot view to a primary MagicQ console (using MQ Track protocol), thus enabling separate operators to control
the tracking points in real time.
Default: None
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50.15.32 OTP function

MagicQ supports E.159 Object Transform Protocol (OTP) for transmit and receive of tracker data and for transmitting and
receiving MagicVis object position and rotation data.
When set to "Tracker (rx)" MagicQ receives Tracker data over OTP and acts as an OTP consumer. MagicQ assumes OTP System
1, Group 1 with the Point number mapping to the Tracker ID in MagicQ.
When set to "Tracker (tx)" MagicQ transmits Tracker data over OTP and acts as an OTP producer. MagicQ transmits OTP System
1, Group 1 with the Point number mapping to the Tracker ID in MagicQ and the name set to the relevant tracker - for example
"Tracker 1".
When set to "MagicVis object (rx)" MagicQ accepts position and rotation data for the MagicVis objects modifying their position
and rotation accordingly. MagicQ assumes OTP System 1, Group 1.
When set to "MagicVis object (tx)" MagicQ transmits position and rotation data for all the MagicVis objects and acts as an OTP
producer. MagicQ transmits OTP System 1, Group 1 and Points starting from 1. MagicQ transmits the name for each point as
the name of the object within MagicVis.
Receiving and transmitting Object Transform Protocol data is always supported on MagicQ consoles. On MagicQ PC and Mac
systems it is only supported when unlocked with a MagicQ or SnakeSys interface.

50.16 WIFI Settings

50.16.1 Wireless mode

Some consoles have an inbuilt wireless access point for remote control from an iOS or Android tablet. Set to "Access Point" to
enable.
This is only supported on MQ50, MQ70 and MQ250M. It is an option on Pro 2010 and Pro 2014 consoles via a USB adapter.
On all other consoles and PC/Mac this setting must be set to "Disabled" - on these systems you can use an external wireless
access point.
Default: Disabled

50.16.2 Wireless IP address

IP address of the console when using the inbuilt wireless access point. Must not be in the same range as the wired network
address in the "Network" tab.
Default/recommended: 192.168.200.1

50.16.3 Wireless subnet mask

Subnet mask of the console when using the inbuilt wireless access point.
Default/recommended: 255.255.255.0

50.16.4 Wireless channel

Wireless channel (frequency) of the inbuilt wireless access point.

It is recommended to use either 1, 5, or 11.
Default: 1
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50.16.5 Wireless SSID

Wireless network SSID (name) of the inbuilt wireless access point.

This will be the name that appears in the list of wireless networks on a device.

50.16.6 Wireless encryption

Wireless encryption type of the inbuilt wireless access point.

Should be set to WPA2. All other options are deprecated and are not supported on new consoles.
Default: WPA2

50.16.7 Wireless key

Wireless password of the inbuilt wireless access point.

Must be at least 8 characters.

50.16.8 Wireless DHCP Server

When enabled, MagicQ will automatically assign IP addresses to devices connected to the inbuilt wireless access point.
Default: Yes

50.16.9 Android tethering support

This feature is deprecated and should be set to "No".

50.17 Port Settings

50.17.1 MagicQ Wings and Interfaces

No - MagicQ will not connect to USB wings, interfaces or SnakeSys network products.
Yes - MagicQ will connect to all available USB wings and interfaces, and SnakeSys network products.
Yes, auto DMX - MagicQ will automatically output DMX starting universe 1 on the physical outputs, but only if there is nothing
set to "MQ Direct" (consoles) or "MQ Wing" (PC/Mac) in DMX I/O.
On Mac, you can also choose to use just Virtual COM Port (VCP) devices (PC Wing Compact) or just FTDI devices (all other
MagicQ USB wings and interfaces).
This option does not affect MagicDMX.
Default: Yes - auto DMX

50.17.2 MagicDMX mode

The options are None, DMX Out or DMX In. This option defaults to DMX Out.
Setting the Out Type of Universe 1 in Setup, DMX I/O to MagicDMX will automatically set this option to DMX Out.
Note that DMX In is not available on the MagicDMX Basic version.
Default: DMX Output
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50.17.3 Audio input

MagicQ supports 14 bands of audio analysis - 7 frequencies each on a received left and right channel.
On MagicQ consoles with inbuilt audio ports use "Internal sound card". On the MQ250M there are two possible audio inputs.
The S2L input uses hardware to analyse the incoming audio system - to use this select "ChamSys Audio Interface". The audio
input uses software to analyse the incoming audio - to use this select "Internal sound card".
When using an external USB sound card with a MagicQ console, use "External USB sound card".
On PC or Mac when using a sound card use "Internal sound card". Audio input on PC/Mac is only supported when the system is
unlocked by a MagicQ Wing or Interface or SnakeSys device.
The options "Energy only ChamSys audio", "ChamSys Audio Interface" and "ChamSys audio left only" relate to the ChamSys
USB Audio interface.
"ChamSys Audio Interface - Energy only" analyses the 14 channels received and creates a single energy channel which is then
copied to all the other channels. "ChamSys Audio Interface - Left only" copies the data received on the left channels to the right
channels.
"Audio output loopback" will analyse the current audio stream being played back from MagicQ.
See Audio for full details on audio input.
Default: None

50.17.4 Audio input device

The specific audio device to use for audio input. This will show all compatible audio inputs available to MagicQ from the system.
This option is only available on PC systems.
Default: N/A

50.17.5 Audio min level

The minimum levels of the audio input. The minimum is used to adjust for noise.
When set to a non zero value any levels below the minimum are ignored and the levels above the minimum are scaled appropri-
ately.
See Audio for full details on audio input.
Default: 0

50.17.6 Audio max level

The maximum level of the audio input. Useful if the audio signal is particularly weak.
When set to a non zero value any levels above the maximum are ignored and the levels below are scaled appropriately.
See Audio for full details on audio input.
Default: 0

50.17.7 Audio output

On MagicQ consoles with inbuilt audio ports use "Internal sound card".
When using an external USB sound card with a MagicQ console, use "External USB sound card".
On PC or Mac when using a sound card use "Internal sound card".
Default: None
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50.17.8 Audio output device

The specific audio device to use for audio output. This will show all compatible audio outputs available to MagicQ from the
system.
This option is only available on PC systems.
Default: N/A

50.17.9 Audio output volume %

The audio volume from 0% to 100%.

Default: 100%

50.17.10 Audio output mute

Options are "Not Muted" and "Muted".

Default: Not Muted

50.17.11 Remote trigger type

This setting specifies how the remote input port on MagicQ consoles, MagicQ PC Wings and MagicQ Maxi Wing works.
It can be set to None, Make, Break or Make + Break.
It can also be set to MIDI Beat, MIDI Beat Half and MIDI Beat Qtr for triggering from the MIDI Beat Clock instead of from the
remote input.
Default: None

50.17.12 Remote trigger action

This setting specifies specific actions to be taken on a remote trigger input. The options are:
The options are:

• None
• Current Playback GO
• Current Playback FLASH

• Add/Swap
• Swap
• DBO
• Wing1 PB1 GO

• Wing1 PB1 FLASH

• Wing1 PB12 GO
• Wing1 PB12 FLASH
• PB10 GO

• PB10 FLASH
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• Audio Bump
• Tap to Time selected playback
• Tap to Time active playbacks

• Tap to Time SP1

• Tap to Time SP2
• Tap to Time SP3

• Emergency

The remote trigger can be used on a per Cue Stack basis by setting the Halt field of Cue step in the Cue Stack to "Remote". This
is independent of any global action specified by the Remote trigger action setting.
Audio bump simulates audio received at full level. It is processed by MagicQ just as if the "bump" had been received from the
audio port or the MagicQ Audio Interface, bumping any Cue Stacks set to Audio Bump.
Default: None

50.17.13 10Scene

This setting enables use of 10Scene Ports on consoles. Gateways and the 10Scene Remote app.
When set to Inbuilt enabled 10Scene ports on consoles only.
When set to Inbuilt & Gateway enables 10Scene ports on Console & Gateway Interfaces
When set to Inbuilt, Gateway, Remote enables 10Scene ports on Consoles, Gateways and the 10Scene Remote App.
Default: Disabled

50.17.14 10Scene action

Specifies what 10Scene is controlling.

When set to "PB 1 to 10" All 10Scenes control PB1 to PB10
When set to "Execute 1" All 10Scenes control Exec Grid 1, items 1 to 10
When set to "Exec 1 Multi" 10Scenes with Zone IDs 1 to 10 control Exec Grid 1, Zone ID1 controls item 1 to 10, Zone ID2
controls 11 to 20, etc. . .
When set to "Exec 1 Groups" 10Scenes control Exec Grid 1, items 1 to 10, but using Groups named with the Zone ID to determine
which heads they control.
When set to "Exec Grids" 10Scenes control Exec Grids - Zone ID 1 controls Exec Grid 1, Zone ID2 controls Exec Grid 2, etc. . .
When set to "Custom" The action for each zone is configured separately using the Type, P1 and P2 fields in Macro, View Zone
Default: PB 1 to 10

50.17.15 Serial COM port

MagicQ supports one serial port for remote connections. On MagicQ consoles select COM1.
On MagicQ PC select a COM port from COM1 to COM8 depending on which COM port you wish to use.
Default: COM1
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50.17.16 Serial baud rate

MagicQ consoles support baud rates from 300 to 57600. Baud rates supported on MagicQ PC will depend on the PC.
Default: 9600

50.17.17 Serial parity

MagicQ PC supports None, Odd, Even, Mark and Space. MagicQ consoles only support None, Odd, Even.
Default: None

50.17.18 Serial data bits

Data bit sizes of 4,5,6,7 and 8 are supported.

Default: 8

50.17.19 Serial stop bits

MagicQ PC Supports 1,1.5 or 2 stop bits. MagicQ consoles support 1 or 2 stop bits.
Default: 1

50.17.20 Serial remote protocol

Determines what protocol is used on the serial port. If set to "None" then any data received is ignored. Data can be transmitted
from the Macro field of Cue steps in the Cue Stack.
The other protocols are:

• CRP & Automs

• MagicWand
• MagicWand II

See Controlling MagicQ using the serial port for more details.
Default: None

50.17.21 Monitor Settings

The Monitor settings have been moved to Setup, View System, View Monitors.

50.18 MIDI / Timecode Settings

50.18.1 Timecode frame type

The timecode type can be set to EBU 25, SMPTE30, NTSC30 and Film 24.
When enabled the Status Display will show the current timecode being received from the module.
Default: EBU 25
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50.18.2 Timecode continue frames

When MagicQ is set to external timecode and the external timecode source is temporarily lost MagicQ automatically continues
to increment the timecode. This parameter specifies how many frames MagicQ continues generating for before it stops. After
this number of frames the timecode will be frozen until a signal is received again.
Default: 50

50.18.3 Timecode jump detect frames

The timecode jump detect parameter is the number of frames that MagicQ waits before performing a jump. This allows spurious
timecode values to be ignored.
Default: 10

50.18.4 Timecode decode

This option controls which external source is used for timecode input.
The main options are None, LTC, MIDI, Art-Net, Winamp, Virtual (USB) MIDI, TCNet, and Internal MagicHD.
LTC and MIDI are for use with the inbuilt LTC and MIDI ports on MagicQ consoles and when connecting to a ChamSys
MIDI/SMPTE interface.
Art-Net enables receiving timecode over Art-Net protocol whilst Winamp is received from a Winamp instance running on the
same PC and Virtual (USB) MIDI receives from any USB MIDI device or another application on the same PC with virtual MIDI.
Internal MagicHD receive directly from MagicHD when it is running as part of the same MagicQ application.
The options "LTC+Art-Net" and "MIDI+Art-Net" provide resilience where the LTC or MIDI is the primary source, but if this is
not available then MagicQ will fall back to using received Art-Net timecode.
When set to "None" then timecode is not accepted from any source.
When this option is set to anything other than None, then timecode generation (below) should be set to either "None", or "Art-Net
(retransmit)".
On MagicQ PC/Mac systems Winamp, Art-Net timecode and Virtual (USB) MIDI are only available when the system is unlocked
via a MagicQ USB Wing or Interface, or a SnakeSys device.
Default: None

50.18.5 Timecode generation

The options are None, LTC, MIDI, Art-Net (retransmit) and Virtual (USB) MIDI.
When set to LTC or MIDI the MagicQ system generates timecode. The timecode values can be set be initialised, reset and
modified using Cue Stack commands W and Q. W1 to enable, W2 to disable. Q Timecode where Timecode is value in frames.
Art-Net (retransmit) causes any timecode received via sources other than Art-Net to be retransmitted on the network as Art-
Net timecode. This allows resilience to be built up in multi console systems where timecode is received into multiple MagicQ
consoles and forwarded over the network using Art-Net timecode.
Virtual (USB) MIDI allows 3rd party USB or Virtual timecode interfaces to be used, note the interface must first be configured
under the Tools > Virtual (USB) MIDI setup.
When this option is set to LTC or MIDI, then timecode decode should be set to None.
Default: None
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50.18.6 Timecode backward jumps

The options are Normal, Adv backward Jump, Backward Jumps > 1 second.
Normal is the original MagicQ backward jump handling.
Advanced is the handling that was previously available on a debug option.
Backward Jumps > 1 second ignores backward jumps unless they are greater than 1 second - this option may help with some
systems which can send small backwards jumps when they stop.
Default: Normal

50.18.7 Timecode activate/release

The options are Normal, Activate/Release TC Playbacks and Activate/Release TC Playbacks at Full.
When set to either of the Activate/Release options TC Playbacks will automatically activate when the TC value for the first cue
is received and release after the last cue TC value is received.
The Activate at Full option can be used to ensure that the Playback activates at Full, ignoring the physical fader level on the
console.
Default: Normal

50.18.8 MIDI In Type

Setting for determining how MIDI channel messages are processed. The options are None, Any Channel or Requested Channel.
When set to Any Channel MagicQ will process MIDI notes received on any MIDI channel.
When set to Requested Channel then MagicQ will only process MIDI notes received on the MIDI In Channel that is set.
This option can be used at the same time as timecode in / timecode generation.
Default: None

50.18.9 MIDI In Chan

The MIDI Channel that MagicQ will listen to. When set to 0 it accepts MIDI commands on any MIDI channel.
Default: 0

50.18.10 MIDI Out Type

Setting for determining how MIDI channel messages are sent.

The options are None, Any Channel or Requested Channel.
When set to Any Channel MagicQ will send MIDI notes on the channel specified in the macro field in the Cue Stack.
When set to Requested Channel then MagicQ will always send the MIDI notes on the MIDI Out Channel that is set regardless of
the channel specified in the macro field in the Cue Stack.
This option can be used at the same time as timecode in / timecode generation.
To send notes from the macro field in the Cue Stack:
<note on/off> <note> <velocity>
For example, to send a note for middle C set the macro field to the following:
N144,60,127 // Note 60 on velocity 127
N128,60,0 // Note 60 off
Default: None
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50.18.11 Midi Out Chan

The MIDI channel that MagicQ will send out on.

When set to 0 it outputs on the MIDI channel specified in the Cue Stack macro field. When set to non zero it overrides the MIDI
channel.
Default: 0

50.18.12 MIDI Show Control Type

The options are Normal, Cue Stack 1, Playback 1 and None. This determines which Cue Stack is triggered when MIDI Show
Control (MSC) commands are received.
In Normal, MSC commands with two parameters (Q number, Q list) will trigger Cue Stacks in the Cue Stack Store. MSC
commands with one parameter (Q number) will trigger Cues in the Cue Store.
When set to None, MagicQ does not process MIDI Show Control Messages internally, enabling the messages to be handled by
automations.
Default: Normal

50.19 Multiple Console Settings

50.19.1 Enable remote control

Enables devices and consoles to remote control MagicQ using the MagicQ remote control feature.
This setting must be set to Yes for remote controlling one MagicQ console from another, when using external Multiwindow and
when using the MagicQ Remote App.
Default: No

50.19.2 Enable remote access

Enables other devices or consoles to communicate with MagicQ over the network.
This option must be set to Yes when using Net Sessions, Show Sync, remote file access, and when using MagicQ Remote apps.
It must also be set when operating a MagicQ console with the stand alone MagicVis.
Default: No

50.19.3 Net Session Mode

Enables network sessions, allowing multiple consoles to communicate show and playback information over a network. The
options are:

• "None" - No network communication or show/playback sync is allowed to or from this console.

• "Manual Takeover" - Show and playback Sync will be allowed with Consoles in the same session. However, the console will
not take over outputting DMX if the master is lost, until told to do so by the user.
• "Auto Takeover" - Show and playback Sync will be allowed with Consoles in the same session. The console will automatically
take over outputting DMX if the master is lost after a period of time without any interaction from the user.

In most situations we recommend "Manual Takeover" as it gives most control to the operators. "Auto Takeover" is designed for
situations where there is no operator.
See Multiple Consoles for full details on using multiple MagicQ consoles in a network.
Default: None
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50.19.4 Net Session ID

For use in Network Sessions to specify the current session the console is a member of.
Consoles in a session should be set to a number other than 0 when using net sessions, to avoid an unconfigured console attempting
to join a session when it is started.
Default = 0

50.19.5 Playback Sync Slave Mode

When Network Session Mode is set then this specifies whether the Slave synchronises its playbacks to the Master.
When set to "PB Sync" the Slave playbacks are synchronised to the Master playbacks. Pressing playback buttons or changing
fader levels on the Slave has no effect.
When set to "PB Sync, multi control" the playbacks on the Master and Slave are synchronised together, with either console being
able to make changes via playback buttons and fader levels.
When set to "Inhibit PB Sync" the Slave playbacks are not synchronised – this is useful during the programming phase when
creating a show using multiple consoles.
When set to "Inhibit, sync on swap" the Slave playbacks are not synchronised, but the Slave stores the Master state and if the
Slave swaps to become the Master then it starts from the stored state.
For show playback, the Slave playbacks are normally synchronised to the Master.
Default: Inhibit PB sync

50.19.6 Programmer sync mode

When Network Session Mode is set then this specifies whether the Slave synchronises its programmer to the Master.
When set to "No Sync" the Master and Slave consoles operate separate programmers. Any changes in the Programmer on the
Master are completely independent to changes in the Programmer on the Slave. Each console can record, and update different
Cues independently.
When set to "Sync Programmers" the programmers are synchronised - any changes in either programmer immediately modify
the other programmer. This allows to operates to control different lights but to record and update the same Cue at the same time.
When a Cue is recorded or updated the complete programmer is used for the record or update.
Default: No Sync

50.19.7 Hot Takeover Mode

When using multiple ChamSys consoles this option is now superseded by the Network Session Mode. For manual configuration
of this option see Manual Configuration of Multi Console.
This option may still be useful when configuring for an install with 3rd party consoles, and for emergency hot takeover.
The options are:

• "Split Unis" – Universe enable/disable is controlled independently on each console, allowing each console to send a specific
set of universes.
• "Equal" – Each Console has equal Priority to be a master or slave, the first console to start will be the Master.
• "Manual" – Hot takeover will only enabled/disable universe when told to do so by the user.
• "Prefer Master" – This console will always be designated the master in a multi console network.
• "Prefer Slave" – This console will always be a slave in a multiconsole network unless no other consoles are found then it will
promote itself to master when alone.
MagicQ User Manual 478 / 579

• "Inhibit Outputs" – Prevents any console in the system, master or slave, from outputting DMX. This can be used to disable the
data from a system when a "Guest" console is being used.

Default: Split Unis

For Emergency Hot Takeover, the Hot Takeover Mode must be set to either Split Unis, Equal or Prefer Slave. Emergency Hot
Takeover will not work if this option is set to Manual or Inhibit.

50.19.8 Hot Takeover Detect Time

When Network Session Mode is set to "Auto Takeover", this setting specifies how long after a Slave detects there is no Master
on the network that it takes over control as Master.
Default: 5.00 sec

50.19.9 Hot Takeover Fade Type

When Network Session Mode is set to "Auto Takeover", this setting specifies when a Slave becomes a Master, whether the output
state is held or an automatic fade is carried out to the output of the new Master.

• "Automatic" - Loads a snapshot of the last data from that universe into the Programmer and then automatically clears the
programmer using the hot takeover fade time.
• "Manual" - Loads a snapshot of the last data into the Programmer. The universe will be completely controlled from within the
Programme. The operator can then set up the playbacks as they wish and then clear the programmer to change to this new
look. Clearing the programmer with time enables the operator to specify a fade time to the new look.

Default: Automatic

50.19.10 Hot Takeover Fade Time

When Network Session Mode is set to "Auto Takeover" and Hot Takeover Fade Type is set to "Automatic", then this setting
specifies how long it takes to fade the output when a Slave becomes a Master.
Default: 3.00 sec

50.19.11 Playback Sync Type

This option is now superseded by the Network Session Mode.

For manual configuration of this option see Manual Configuration of Multi Console.

50.19.12 Playback Sync IP

This setting is now superseded by the Network Session Mode which automatically configures this setting.
For manual configuration of this option see Manual Configuration of Multi Console.
When set to 0, playback sync is accepted from any MagicQ console on the network.
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50.19.13 Show data Sync Type

This setting is now superseded by the Network Session Mode which automatically configures this setting.
For manual configuration of this option see Manual Configuration of Multi Console.

• “Archiver” - checks for other consoles on the network and grabs the show files that are running on those consoles. When this
feature is used to back-up multiple consoles, it is important that different show file names are used on each of the other consoles
– otherwise files from different consoles will overwrite each other. Files will only be copied from consoles that have the “auto
backup” option set to “yes” or “on changes”.

• "Grabber" - works as Archiver, but also run the show file, rather than just storing it.

50.19.14 Show data Sync IP

This setting is now superseded by the Network Session Mode which automatically configures this setting.
For manual configuration of this option see Manual Configuration of MultiConsole.

50.20 Hardware Settings

50.20.1 Level above 0 to activate LTP

This setting can prevent playbacks being triggered in error by reducing their initial sensitivity. Setting this to a level above 0 (e.g.
5) may remove any accidental triggers.
Default: 000

50.20.2 Hysteresis on fader / encoder moves

In some circumstances where faders or encoders have become faulty and generate excess noise, setting this to a level above 0
(e.g. 5) may remove the noise.
Default: 000

50.20.3 Encoder Damping

Use this option on a MagicQ PC Wing to improve the performance of the encoder wheels. This option does not have any effect
on MagicQ consoles.
Default: Damped

50.20.4 Touch Screen

The console touch screen can be disabled with this setting for cases where it may be faulty and causing issues.
Default: Enabled

50.20.5 Encoders

The encoders can be disabled for cases where they may be faulty and causing issues.
Default: Enabled
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50.20.6 Faulty Faders Mask

The faders can be disabled for cases where they may be faulty and causing issues.
The following values can be used:

• Set to 1 to disable the main faders.

• Set to 2 to disable Wing 1 lower faders.
• Set to 4 to disable Wing 1 upper faders.
• Set to 8 to disable Wing 2 lower faders.
• Set to 10 to disable Wing 2 upper faders.

Default: 00000000

50.20.7 Motorisation

Define whether fader motorisation is enabled on supported consoles.

Default: Enabled

50.20.8 Faulty motor mask

The fader motors can be disabled for cases where they may be faulty and causing issues.
Default: 00000000

50.20.9 Faulty wing motor mask

The fader motors can be disabled for cases where they may be faulty and causing issues.
Default: 00000000

50.20.10 Power fail detection

This setting disables power fail detection for the current session in case the console has developed a fault and is falsely reporting
power fails.
This setting will return to default upon a reset / power on.
Default: Enabled

50.20.11 Screen save

This setting can be used to disable screen save for the current session.
This setting will return to Enabled upon a reset / power on to protect display life.
Default: Enabled

50.20.12 Close display action

This setting can be used to select the operation when the display is closed on the MQ250M.
The options are Screen Save, Lock, and No Function.
When set to Lock the console will automatically lock and screen save when the display is closed. When it is reopened the screen
save will be cancelled, but user will need to unlock the console to use it.
Default: Screen Save
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50.20.13 Reduced rate output

This setting determines how output of Lighting data is sent over the network (Artnet/sACN), it does not affect direct DMX
outputs on Consoles, Wings or MagicDMX’s.
When set to "Continuous" MagicQ outputs data regardless of whether it is changing. This can cause high network loads.
When set to "Changes only" MagicQ only outputs data only on changes, except once per second where it will send regardless of
whether data has changed. This means that when data is not changing it reduces the output data from 39 frames a second down
to 1 frame.
When set to "Mixed" MagicQ interleaves the output frames from the different universes so that network devices with small
buffers will still be able to decode the correct universes on heavily loaded networks.
When set to "Mixed and Changes only" this has the benefit of both above options - this is the recommended setting.
When set to "M+C Repeat" it is the same as "Mixed and Changes only" except that after data changes MagicQ sends the data
one extra time after it changes to give the network device two chances of seeing the change.
When set to "M+C No Broadcast" it is the same as "Mixed and Changes only" except that MagicQ never broadcasts Art-Net
packets.
When set to "Reduced" MagicQ outputs at half the normal frame rate. This option does not affect the DMX frame rate of direct
DMX ports or of external DMX nodes. It only affects the output of network DMX via Art-Net, sACN, Pathport and ShowNet.
The "M+C, Direct C" and "No Seq" setting should not be used unless directed by ChamSys customer support.
Some older DMX equipment is not able to work at full DMX speed. In these cases, use the "Reduced rate output" to reduce the
DMX data and/or refresh rate. This option reduces the rate of data MagicQ sends over the network or via USB to the interface.
It may not affect the actual DMX rate as this may be controlled by the interface itself.
Some older DMX equipment may not be able to receive full DMX packets at the required rate. If less than 120 are used in the
Patch then the "Short packet (120 chans)" option can be tried - this only affects Lumen Radio. All other DMX ports will send
512 byte packets.
Data packets sent to MagicVis, WYSIWYG and Capture are sent only when the data changes. The reduced rate options do not
affect the MagicVis, WYSIWYG or Capture data.
Default: Mixed + Changes only

50.20.14 DMX Frame Timing

This setting determines the timing for the direct ports.

This setting only applies to the MQ250M, MQ80, MQ70, MQ50 and Stadium Connect. The setting will have no affect on other
MagicQ consoles.
When set to "Maximum (default)" the console will output direct DMX512 data at its fastest speed. The break will be 100 µs, the
mark after break (mab) will be 12 µs, and the slot time will be 50 µs giving an inter-byte time of 6 µs.
The "Fast" and "Slow" settings can help when some heads flicker due to missed frames as they can’t keep up with the defalt
frame timing.
When set to "Fast" the console will output direct DMX512 data with a break of 150 µs, mab of 50 µs, and a slot time of 53 µs
giving an inter-byte time of 9 µs.
When set to "Slow" the console will output direct DMX512 data with a break of 250 µs, mab of 100 µs, and a slot time of 56 µs
giving an inter-byte time of 12 µs.

50.20.15 Display Edge

The MQ50 and MQ70 consoles are designed for minimum size to fit in hand carry restrictions and therefore the display edge is
closer to the surrounding bezel than on other MagicQ consoles. The display edge option enables the window edge to be modified
so that they are more visible.
Default: 0
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50.20.16 Movie Buffer frames (0=use default)

MagicQ uses buffering for Movie clips. By default (when this is set to 0) MagicQ uses a buffer size of 128 frames. MagicQ will
always use a minimum of 128 frames regardless of this setting.
On consoles using a solid state drive, this setting won’t make a significant difference.
Default: 000

50.20.17 Debug Mode (Must be 0)

For ChamSys internal debugging only. Must be set to 000.

Default: 000

50.20.18 Standard Logging

This option should always be enabled, except when directed by ChamSys support.
Default: Yes

50.20.19 Extended Logging

This option allows extended logging to be enabled. ChamSys support may request that Extended Logging is enabled in order to
investigate any issues.
Default: No

50.21 General Settings

50.21.1 Splash screen image

Users can add their own splash screen by copying their splash image named usersplash.bmp, usersplash.png or usersplash.jpg
into the MagicQ folder. This will be used in favour of the default splash.bmp on start up and when locking the console.

50.22 Individual Playback Settings

Settings for individual Playbacks (Cue Stacks) are configured from the View Options and View Defaults views in the Cue Stacks
Window.

50.23 Calibrating the touch screen

If the touch screen does not respond accurately to the position that you are pressing on the screen then you may need to re-calibrate
the touch screen. Don’t be afraid, this is a painless exercise!
In the Setup Window press the Cal Touch button - use the physical button rather than the pressing the touch screen. This puts
the screen into calibration mode. To calibrate the touch screen simply press the screen in the bottom left corner of the screen and
then the top right corner of the screen. Press the screen on the corners where the displayed graphics starts/ends.
It does not matter which order you press the screen in. If you feel you have pressed the wrong bit of the screen just press the
screen again in the correct position.
When you are satisfied you have pressed the correct position then press Cal Touch button to leave the calibration mode. Make
sure you use the physical button rather than pressing the touch screen, as pressing the touch screen messes up the calibration.
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You should now find that the touch screen is more accurate. If you continue to have problems then try pressing the screen with a
small blunt object, but don’t use a sharp object as it may damage the touch screen.
When calibrating external touch screens calibrate only 1 touch screen at a time. Pressing in more than one screen will cause
unpredictable results.

50.24 Displays brightness and contrast

To modify the brightness of the main display, press CTRL and adjust the bottom right encoder.
To modify the brightness of the LCD displays on the wing, press CTRL and adjust the next encoder up on the right.
To turn all the displays off press CTRL and the button associated with the bottom right encoder.
To turn off the all the lights on the console (i.e. the displays, the console lights and the LEDs) press CTRL and the "All Lights"
off button.
To modify the contrast of Playback wings use the Wing Contrast encoder.
When multiple Playback wings are connected press CTRL and the Next Page button of the Wing you wish to change the contrast
on.

50.25 Console lamp brightness

To modify the brightness of the console lamps press CTRL and adjust the top right encoder. To turn all console lamps on or off,
press CTRL and the button associated with the top right encoder.

50.26 Button LED brightness

To modify the brightness of the LEDs on the buttons, press CTRL and adjust the bottom left encoder.
Note that the brightness of the LEDs can only be adjusted from full to dim - they can not be turned off completely. This ensures
that there is always an indication that the console is powered.

50.27 Controlling console lamp from the programmed show

The console lamp brightness, display brightness and LED brightness can now be controlled as a Head within the programming
of the show.
Patch one "Generic MQlamps" at any free address. The Head can be unpatched to ensure that it does not affect any real channel
outputs. The Head has the following attributes:

• activate set to 255 to take control of the console brightness

• master master level for brightness
• white lamp brightness
• blue lamp brightness
• main display brightness of display – 0 is off
• wing display
• led brightness of the LEDs

Note that the screen saver will still blank the display.
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50.28 Locking the console

The console supports a simple locking mode to avoid accidental button presses affecting the output or programmed data. Press
CTRL and the button associated with the top left encoder to lock / unlock the console.
Alternatively hold CURSOR LEFT and CURSOR RIGHT and press CURSOR UP to lock and unlock the console.
The console will not accept any button presses, fader moves, encoder moves or touch presses while it is locked.
When Users and passwords are configured in Setup, View System, View Users then login with user and passwords will is required
before the console is unlocked.
When a user splash screen has been set up then the lock screen will show the user splash screen. To add a user splash screen add
the image file as usersplash.bmp, usersplash.jpg or usersplash.png in the main MagicQ folder.

50.29 Button test mode

The console supports a button test mode for checking suspect buttons and faders. To enter button test mode on MQ100/200/300
consoles press the two SHIFT buttons either side of the touch screen together (i.e. hold one down and press the other).
To enter button test mode on Compact consoles MQ40/60/70, press CTRL + ALT + SHIFT together to enter and exit board test
mode.
In button test mode the buttons do not have their usual function - instead when pressed a message will be displayed in the status
display indicating which button has been pressed. Faders and encoders also can be tested in a similar way.
In button test mode the Window shows a map of all the buttons, encoders and faders. When a button is pressed the map turns
green to indicate that the button has been pressed and released o.k.
For encoders it turns green when the encoder has been turned both ways. For faders it turns green when the fader has been
lowered to 0 and raised to full.
To test LEDs, enter button test mode and then press CTRL 1 and CTRL 2 to test the different colour LEDs. Press CTRL 0 to go
back to normal state of the LEDs.
Button test mode is exited in the same way that it is entered.
On MagicQ PC to enter button test mode type "test" on the keyboard then hold SHIFT and CONTROL. Hold SHIFT and press
CONTROL to exit button test mode.
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Chapter 51

System Management

51.1 Starting Up

On PC and Mac systems click on the MagicQ application icon. On MagicQ console systems hold the power button on for 1
second.
On first start up an introductory window is displayed on the screen. You are prompted to choose demo shows or to continue the
last show. It is possible to turn this option off so that MagicQ automatically starts into the last show.
When MagicQ starts up it loads the last show file that was saved – either a file explicitly saved by you, or the last backup file it
automatically saved.

51.2 Shutting Down

To shut MagicQ down, press the QUIT soft button in the Setup Window. When asked for confirmation, select yes. MagicQ
consoles automatically power off when the shutdown sequence is complete.

On MagicQ consoles the console must be shut down correctly to avoid damage to their storage media. Removing power to the
console when it is running may cause problems with the file system. Normally this will only result in a subsequent slow start-up
whilst the system repairs the disk – however in certain circumstances the file system may become corrupted. If you always follow
the instructions for shutting down you will have no problems.
CONSOLES THAT ARE NOT SHUTDOWN IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE ABOVE INSTRUCTIONS WILL INVALIDATE
THEIR WARRANTY.
For situations where users regularly just disconnect the power from the console rather than shutting it down correctly it is possible
to force a fast shut down on power fail. If the empty file "fast_power_fail.txt" is placed in the main MagicQ folder (up one from
the show folder) then when power is lost the console will only wait 10 seconds for a user cancel before auto shutting down. This
will help to avoid the battery going flat and the potential damage to the file system.

51.3 Saving Shows

When you are programming a show the show is stored in memory. In order to store your show on the disk you need to press the
SAVE SHOW soft button in the Setup Window.
Whilst programming, you should regularly save your show, so that if the unexpected happens and the power fails your show data
is not lost. You can chose any filename. The console will automatically set the file extension to .shw.
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By default, MagicQ saves a backup of your show to disk shortly after you make changes – you will see it show "AutoS" in the
Status Display. It uses the same show name but with the file extension .sbk.
It is a good idea to save your show to different file names so that you have various points you can back-track to if things go
wrong. For example, save the show as myshow-patch.shw after you have patched and then as myshow-final.shw after you have
finished programming.
When you shut down MagicQ through the QUIT soft button in the Setup Window, it automatically saves a backup copy of your
show with a .sbk extension. When you subsequently restart MagicQ this file will be re-loaded. This ensures that MagicQ starts
up as it was when the QUIT soft button was pressed.
The Setup Window indicates when the show has not been saved (or autosaved) for over 10 minutes.
MagicQ consoles have a large hard disk to enable storage of a virtually infinite number of shows.

51.3.1 Show file name auto increment

MagicQ supports auto incrementing show file names. To start an auto incrementing show file, save a show file with the last part
of the name set as _001. When you next press SAVE SHOW, MagicQ will suggest saving to _002. Press ENTER to accept, or
edit the name to save to a different name.
Note that in order to avoid accidentally saving to incrementing files, all 3 digits must be present - _1 or _10 is not supported.
When the number _999 is reached MagicQ will not auto increment and will request a new name.
Please note that over use of the auto increment feature will lead to high disk usage. It is important to clear out old versions once
the show is finished.
To delete all old revisions of the current show file, go to File Manager, and press SHIFT and REMOVE OLD REVS. This will
remove all revisions of the current show file that have a lower revision number. It will not remove the current show file.

51.4 Backing up to an external system

It is a good idea to back up your show to an external system. This ensures that should the unexpected happen you can transfer
your show to another console. In a touring environment where the console is being moved every day we recommend you back
up your show to an external system before moving the console.
You can either backup by transferring files over network or via USB memory stick. To backup to USB memory stick, first insert
a USB memory stick into the USB slot in the front or the back of the console then press the BACKUP TO USB soft button in the
Setup Window.
The USB memory stick should be formatted for a standard Windows file system (FAT32) – they generally come like this. This
enables the memory stick to be used in both the console and standard PCs running Windows.

51.5 Loading Shows

You can load a show that you have previously saved using the LOAD SHOW soft button in the Setup Window. If you load a new
show it will erase any existing programming. The console will prompt you for confirmation.
Be careful to choose which type of show file you want to load – the .shw files are the ones you saved, whilst the .sbk ones are
auto backups.
When MagicQ saves a show file it saves the show data, the show settings and the console settings. By default when a show is
loaded, only the show data and settings are loaded – the console settings are not loaded – so the console settings are not affected.
To force loading of the console settings from a show file, hold SHIFT and press LOAD SHOW+CON. A list of Load Options is
shown enabling the user to choose which console settings they wish to load.
C ONSOLE S ETTINGS

• Wing Settings
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• Remote Settings
• Mode Settings
• Network Settings

• Media Server Settings

• MIDI SMPTE Settings
• Port Settings

• Multi Console Settings

• Hardware Settings

Selecting all the options loads the complete console settings and show settings – enabling the complete cloning of a console.
Note that the console settings include the network settings and IP address – so if 2 cloned consoles are used on the same network
then the IP address should be manually set to different addresses.
Any show created on a MagicQ or QuickQ console can be loaded, but you need to be aware of the number of universes in the
show. If the show uses more universes than configured on the console/PC you are loading on then the data for the heads on the
excess universes will not be loaded. See Loading a show onto a smaller console.
From v1.8.7.6 MagicQ PC supports up to 256 universes - set the number of universes required in Setup, View DMX I/O. SET
UNIVERSES before loading the show. Note that the more universes are set, the more memory is required on the PC - so for
older PC/Macs we recommend limiting the number of universes to those required.

51.6 Erasing

To erase the entire show from memory, go to the Setup Window and press the NEW SHOW (was ERASE SHOW) soft button.
You will be asked to confirm by selecting YES. You will then be asked for which initial mode you want the console to be set up
for, Normal, Theatre Non Track, Theatre Tracking or Hog II Warp. If in doubt, select Normal.
Erasing a show clears all patching, all programming and all palettes. It does not clear console settings such as the configuration
of the DMX outputs or the calibration of the touch screen.

51.7 Show extras file

In order to allow MagicQ shows with additional media such as icon snapshots, image files and audio files to be transferred onto
other MagicQ systems, MagicQ uses a separate show extras file with the extension ".xhw". If a show contains extra data such
as icon snapshots, image files or audio files, then when the show file is saved using SAVE SHOW or SAVE TO USB, the show
extras file is saved at the same time.
The show extras file contains only the icon snapshot data, image files and audio files used in your show - it does not contain the
main programming of your show. If you wish to use your show on a different system then you need to copy both the ".shw" and
".xhw" files to the new system. When loading a new show MagicQ automatically checks for the presence of a ".xhw" file and
extracts the required media from that file into the relevant folders on the MagicQ system.
The show extras file is not saved during auto saves and is only loaded (extracted) when the user loads an existing show using
LOAD SHOW.
If the show file contains a lot of audio files, or particularly large audio files, then the generation of the show extras file can
sometimes take some time to process. In this situation, smaller compressed audio files can be used as MagicQ supports both
lossy and lossless audio codecs, or alternatively the automatic generation of the show extras file can be disabled by changing
Setup, View Settings, Extras file create mode to Manual. If the show extras file is needed, then this can be generated by pressing
Shift + SAVE EXTRAS in the Setup window.
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51.8 Import and Export of Show Data and Show Merging

MagicQ supports advanced features for merging shows together, taking selections from particular shows and adding them to
other shows.
A selection of Heads, Cues, Cue Stacks or Pages can be exported from a show file to a new file. Only the show data that uses
those selected Heads, Cues, Cue Stacks or Pages is present in the new show file. The new show file can then be merged into other
show files, with MagicQ repatching the data as required.

51.8.1 Exporting Shows

Press SHIFT and SAVE SHOW (EXPORT SHOW) to export part of the current show. Only the currently selected heads are
exported. All groups, palettes, cues and cue stacks that contain one or more of the selected heads are exported – but only with
the data from the selected heads.
If no heads are selected then MagicQ looks for items that are selected in the Page, Stack Store, and Cue Store windows. Use
SHIFT + the cursor keys to select items in these windows. Complete pages can be exported using the Page Window, complete
Cue Stacks (including the Cues they use) from the Cue Stack Store or individual Cues from the Cue Store.

51.8.2 Merging / Importing Shows

Select SHIFT + IMPORT SHOW to merge or import a show. MagicQ gives you a simple menu of Entire Show, Palettes, Show
Structure or Advanced.
Entire Show loads the entire show as separate heads, i.e. adding the loaded show to the existing show.
Palettes allows just palettes to be loaded from the imported show file. There are further options for choosing just some head types
and whether to load Positions, Colours and Beams.
Show Structure loads the show with the Groups, Palettes, FX library, Cues and Cue Stacks but without the Patch or any program-
ming in the Cues.

51.8.3 Advanced Merging

With Advanced Merging the imported data can be specified, including Settings, Patch, Palettes, FX Library, Cues, Cue Stacks,
Playbacks, Grids, Curves are Vis data.
Settings includes show settings, layouts, key macros and automations.
Additionally you can determine how the data is merged into the current show data.
If the Merge Heads option is selected then MagicQ merges programmed data from the new file into the heads that match in the
original show.
If the Merge Heads is not selected then MagicQ adds the channels to the new show. Channels from the imported show keep their
DMX address unless they clash with channels in the original show – in which case they are moved to the first free location.
If the Merge Palettes option is selected then any Palettes at the same Palette ID with the same name are merged together. If the
Palettes at a particular ID do not match names, or the Palette is not programmed in the original show then the new Palette is
added.
If the Merge Cues option is selected then any Cues at the same Cue ID in the Cue Store with the same name are merged together.
If the Cues at a particular Cue ID do not match names, or the Cue is not programmed in the original show then the new Cue is
added.
If the Merge Pages option is selected then Playback assignments are kept on the same Page as they were in the imported show –
but they may be moved onto higher Playbacks (e.g. Playback wings) on the same page if the same playbacks are used.
It is also possible to load the data for only selected head types from the imported show file - the optiosn are All, Chosen or None.
All merges all Heads from the file. Chosen opens a list of the Head Types in the file.
None is similar to the Show Structure option in the main merge menu except that it gives more control on the items that are
loaded. When using None, Import Patch should not be selected.
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51.8.4 Merging in part of another show file

If you wish to merge in only specific items, such as Cues, Cue Stacks or Palettes, or just selected heads then you can use Setup,
SHIFT + IMPORT SHOW and select Advanced as above.
If you wish to merge in only some Cues, Cues Stacks or Pages then you must first create another show file with only these items
before importing it into your current show file.

• Save your current show file to a name different to the import show file.
• Open the import show file and cursor select the items in the Page, Stack Store or Cue Store windows you wish to export.

• Press SHIFT + EXPORT SHOW to export the show to a new file name - e.g. partial.shw.
• Reload your original show file.
• Import the partial show file using SHIFT + IMPORT SHOW and selecting ENTIRE SHOW.

51.8.5 Merging different versions of the same show

To merge two versions of a show together select Advanced and then Merge Heads.
MagicQ will merge in Cues and Cue Stacks from the selected show file that are different to the Cues and Cue Stacks in the
original show. Note that for this to work you should ensure that the Cues and Cue Stacks that are different in the two show files
have different names.
The heads must be the same type in both versions - it is not possible to merge between different head types. If the two versions
you wish to merge have different head types then you must first morph the heads in one of the versions to be the same as the
other.

51.8.6 Importing Cues from a different version of the same show

To import a newer version of a Cue from another show file go to Cue Stack Window and press SHIFT IMPORT CUE or to the
Cue Store Window and cursor select one or more Cues and press the IMPORT CUE soft button.
Import Cue gives options of choosing only selected heads and whether to merge into or replace the Cue in the existing show file.
Only the selected Cues will be imported from the new show file. The Cues must exist (at the same QId in the Cue Store) and
have the same name in the import file.
Note that if you want to add new Cues that are not in the current show file then you must use Setup, Import Show and then select
Import Cues only.

51.8.7 USITT ASCII file import

MagicQ supports import of dimmer patch, group, cue level and timing information from USITT ASCII files. In the Patch
Window, View Chans, Import USITT.
MagicQ does not support import of non dimmer parameters or more complex heads as this is manufacturer specific and not
specified in the USITT ASCII format. We will be happy to investigate whether we can add import from the format of your
console.
Note that when importing USITT files with both patch and cues, MagicQ expects the PATCH section of the USITT file to be
before the CUE section. A few consoles write the PATCH section at the end of the USITT file - for these cases it is necessary to
edit the USITT file before importing, to move all the PATCH commands before the CUE Commands.
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51.8.8 Importing Patch

A patch can be imported into a show to change the DMX addresses of the patched Heads. MagicQ matches the Head Nos and
repatches to the new DMX addresses.
First create a .csv file of the required patch. This can be created from another show file by loading the show, and then in Patch,
View Chans press EXPORT HEADS. This will create a .csv file in the show folder of the patch.
Load the show file to repatch. Then in Patch, View Chans press IMPORT HEADS, select the .csv file, and select Readdress.
Note that the Head Numbers must match in the .csv file to the show file.

51.8.9 MVR file import

MagicQ supports importing patch and fixture position information from My Virtual Rig (MVR) files. Currently, importing scene
objects is not supported.
To import an MVR file, open the file manager (see below), and select the MVR file to import. The heads in the file will be added
to the current show’s patch. GDTF files contained within the MVR file may be imported; MagicQ will default to using it’s own
head files for a fixture if they are available. See the section on importing GDTF files for more information.

51.9 Saving and Loading Settings

You can save your favourite show settings to a file. Settings include the options from the Setup Window, the defaults from the
Cue Stack Window, the Layouts you have recorded and keyboard macros.
Once you have become familiar with the console, it is a good idea to save your preferred settings to a file so that then when you
start a new show you can load your settings in.

51.10 File Manager

You can organise you show files using File Manager in the Setup Window. File Manager supports renaming, moving, copying
and deleting of files.
All show files are located in the show directory. The show directory has sub directories for fx, heads and icons.
File manager can operate on both the internal hard disk and external USB memory sticks. To copy a file to the USB stick:
Select HARD DRIVE soft button.
Press COPY and then select the file you wish to copy.
Select USB DRIVE soft button
Select the "." entry.
Moving is done in a similar way using the MOVE action button. Renaming and deleting use the NAME and REMOVE action
buttons respectively.
It is also possible to load shows, settings, icons and new software by clicking on items in the File Manager window.

51.11 Transferring files over network

The console supports remote file system access over the network. Files can be accessed whilst the console is running and
outputting Art-Net thus allowing, for instance, users to set up automatic show back-ups to an external server.
Connect the console to the PC or Mac using a network cable.
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Configure the IP addresses of the PC / Mac and the console so that they are all on the same IP sub-net. For instance if the console
is set to IP address 2.9.200.5, subnet mask 255.0.0.0 then set the host system to IP address 2.9.200.6 subnet mask 255.0.0.0.
You can force Windows to find the console by using Search and searching for a computer – enter the IP address of the console.
On a Mac connect using Finder and selecting the console.
Log in as user magicq with password magicq.
On some Windows systems you may need to create a user account magicq with password magicq to enable Windows to connect
to the console.
You can then transfer files between the host and the console. Show files, personality files, FX files and Patch files can all be
transferred in this way.
If you have problems putting files onto the console then try pressing the Set Rem Access soft button in the File Manager window.

51.12 Storage of MagicQ user files on PC/Mac

MagicQ now has an option to change where the user data files are stored.
Older installations of MagicQ stored show, head, log and other user data files in the Application folder. Windows and OSX now
make it difficult for users to access the Application folder - either forcing files into a Virtual Stores or preventing write access.
This data can now be stored in the User Documents folder which is fully accessible. It is possible to revert back to using the
Application folder at any time.
From the top toolbar select Tools, Change Files Location.

51.13 Reports

MagicQ supports printing of the contents of any window to a printer or a pdf file. On PC/Mac select File, Print Window. For
spreadsheet views, MagicQ defaults to selecting the most commonly used columns from the window in order that they fit easily
on a printed page width. It is possible to modify the column selection as required.

51.14 Status Window

There is a status window in the Setup Window, View System. This shows data associated with the console and with the currently
loaded show. This includes show size, data used, last saved times.
The status window also shows all the MagicQ consoles on the network, and all the Art-Net devices on the network.

51.15 Backup Archives

By default the console stores an archive of the show files for every quarter of an hour of the day, and for every day of the week.
This enables the user to revert to a previous copy of their show.
Archive files are only made when the console auto saves. If auto saves are disabled then no archive files will be generated. If the
console is set to "auto save on changes" then archive files will only be stored when changes are made. To revert to an archived
file press SHIFT and LOAD SHOW in the Setup Window.
Archive files are stored in a special directory that should not be modified by the user. When the user re-loads an archived backup
file, the backup file is restored into the standard show directory.
Archive files have the name "backup0530.sbk" to indicate the show file that was recorded just before 5.30am. Daily files are also
stored – "backupfri.sbk" indicates the show file that was recorded at the start of Friday. Archive files are overwritten every 24
hours, except for the daily files which are overwritten every 7 days.
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51.16 Using shows on different MagicQ products and show versions

In general MagicQ show files are backwards and forwards compatible so you can load any show into any version of software.
Loading shows created and modified on newer software versions into older software versions may result in some features not
being supported or not working exactly as expected.
MQ500M supports 256 universes, MQ500 support 64 or 200 universes. MQ250M supports 64 universes expandable to 128.
MQ80 supports 48 universes. MQ70 supports 24 universes expandable to 48 and the MQ50 supports 6 universes.
From July 2020 MagicQ PC / Mac and Linux software supports up to 256 universes for previsualisation (only 64 for output).

51.16.1 Loading a show onto a smaller console

Note that the limit of number of universes/channels refers to both patched and unpatched channels - i.e. any heads that have
programming within the console. Therefore unpatched heads in a show still take up channels from the total number of universes
supported on the console - MagicQ just allocates them to unused addresses.
VDIM channels are unpatched channels and therefore may also be above the universe limit of the smaller console.
The number of universes used by a show is reported in Setup, View System, View Status on the Show Data tab, Highest Universe.
Unpatched channels can be forced onto lower universes by temporarily patching them and then unpatching them. For example,
set the unpatched heads to +1-1. This will patch them onto the first free channels starting from Universe 1. Then unpatch the
channels again.
If you try to load a show with more channels used than the MagicQ console supports then it will ignore any channels above the
number of supported universes and will save the show using a default show name rather than the original show name to avoid the
ignored heads being removed from the original show file.
We recommend that when loading a show into a console with less universes the show should first be reduced to the number of
universes used by the smaller console. For example when transferring a show from a MQ100 Pro 2014 to a MQ60 the show
should first be reduced to 12 universes. This show can be reduced on the Pro 2014 or using MagicQ on a PC or Mac.
Note that unpatched heads may affect the highest universe depending on which universe they were last used and how many heads
you have in your show. Either remove unpatched heads or repatch them down to a universe below the total number of universes.

51.16.2 Configuring number of Universes

To change the number of configured universes go to Setup Window and VIEW DMX I/O and select "SET NUM UNIVERSES"
soft button. It is necessary to restart MagicQ before the changes take effect.
Show files are compatible – except that it is not possible to fully load a show using more universes than the console is set to. So,
if a show has with channels patched to universes 13 is loaded in a 12 universe console then any heads on the 13th universe will
not be loaded.
Current consoles

Console Number of Universes

QuickQ 10 1
QuickQ 20 2
QuickQ 30 4
MQ50 8
MQ70 24, (option to 48)
MQ80 48
MQ250M 64 (option to 128)
MQ500 64 (option to 200)
MQ500M 256
MagicQ PC, Mac, Linux 256 previs, 64 output
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Old consoles

Console Number of Universes

MQ40,MQ40N 4
MQ60, Old MQ70 12
MQ100 Pro-E 12
MQ100 Pro 2010 32
MQ100 Pro 2014 64

ChamSys does not guarantee performance if consoles are set to support higher numbers of universes than the hardware supports.

51.17 MagicQ Profiles

MagicQ supports different profiles – a profile is the entire set-up of the console including the console specific settings (like IP
address, media settings etc. . . ) and the show file.
Profiles enables the console to be used to control different venues with easy swapping between venues.
It is possible to set the console to request profile selection on start-up. This is useful in a studio environment where MagicQ can
control any one of several studios over Art-Net from a central control booth. When you start up the console you choose which
studio to control.
Profiles have a similar effect to using LOAD SHOW + CONSOLE but with a simpler interface. We recommend to use LOAD
SHOW + CONSOLE for general purpose moving between venues, and Profiles where multiple studios are controlled from one
console.
Profiles are loaded and saved from the Setup Window – in View Settings, press SHIFT and LOAD PROFILE or SAVE PROFILE.
Profiles are saved to .mpr files in the show folder – note that the profile does not contain the show data – it only references it – so
if you are backing up you need to store both .shw files and .mpr files.
To enable profile selection on start up put an empty text file "selectprofile.txt" into the main MagicQ folder (MagicQ PC on
MagicQ PC). On start-up the console will then request which profile you wish to use before it loads the show and enables the
outputs.

51.18 User management

MagicQ supports user management. This enables users to be set up with restricted access. Users can be set up to have full access
to all the console channels, or to a group of channels only, or to all channels except a group of channels. Users can be set so that
they can only "Operate" or "Program" the console without options to change settings. Execute pages can be assigned to specific
users.
Users can have passwords set for their accounts.
The current user is displayed and selected in Setup, Soft button C. Note that on MagicQ consoles the Set Time function previously
on Soft button C has been moved to soft button D and Set Date to SHIFT and soft button D.
Users are managed in Setup, View System, View Users. When no users are configured the "Default" internal user is used and all
MagicQ features are exactly as in previous versions.
Users are stored as show settings, not as console settings.
One of the Users in the User List can be set to be the Start User so that the console always start up into a restricted user. It can
also be set so that the console starts locked and the user/password must be selected before the console can be accessed.
MagicQ provides a flashing warning "User" when a show is loaded with a User with restricted access.
Users apply to both Master and Slave consoles when using Net Sessions. On a Slave, selecting a User with reduced permissions
will make that Slave only have access to the allowed channels. The Slave can control the output using Multi Prog Sel Chans, but
is restricted to the allowed channels. There is a "User" option in the Multi Prog Sel Chans which sets the Slave to control the
output of all the channels that it is allowed to.
MagicQ User Manual 494 / 579

51.18.1 Passwords

When passwords are set then changing users requires entry of the password.
To force user selection and password entry on startup, set up the Start User for one of the users to "Yes (locked)".
To lock the console open the Setup Window and pres soft button C, "User" and from the menu of users select the "Lock" option.
The console will be locked and changes to show the Locked Screen. Any key press will return to the User selection where it is
necessary to select a user and enter a password in order to unlock the console.
If Users with passwords are set, then when locking the console using the lock shortcut (hold CURSOR LEFT and CURSOR
RIGHT and press CURSOR UP) will require selection of user and password entry to unlock.
Locking a console stops access to the console, but does not stop the operation of the console - the console continues running in
the background with the current user. To leave a Net Session completely, go to Setup, View Settings, Multi Console and set the
Net Session Mode to "None".
This also applies to loading shows so it is possible to protect show files by setting a User and Password within them, making it
impossible to access the show file on a MagicQ console or MagicQ PC without first entering a valid password. When loading a
show with user passwords set, if an incorrect password is entered then the show is not loaded.
If passwords have been set on a show file and then forgotten please contact ChamSys support.

51.18.2 User Types

When at least one "Super User" is created then the Default User is no longer accessible and user management is in full operation.
Users with type "Super User" have full access to all console features and settings without restriction.
Users settings can only be edited when using the "Default" user or by a user with "Super User" permissions.
"Programmer" can record, remove and modify show data but can not change Users.
"Operator" cannot record anything or modify settings.
Users that are "Disabled" are ignored.

51.18.3 Start Options

One of the users in the list can be set to the Start User with the additional option of Locked or Unlocked.
When a console starts, a show is loaded, or a Slave connects to a Net Session with a show that has users configured then this
user is automatically selected. This immediately determines what channels are blocked from the Output according to the selected
user.
The Start User can be set to be "No", "Yes (Locked)" or "Yes (Unlocked)". When set to "Yes (Locked)" the user must be selected
and password entered before accessing the console.
This also applies to loading shows so it is possible to protect show files by setting a User and Password within them, making it
impossible to access the show file on a MagicQ console or MagicQ PC without first entering a valid password.
Note that in order to protect show files with user passwords from being opened on previous versions of software any show files
created in 1.9.2.2 or above that have user passwords can not be opened on software versions prior to 1.9.2.1. The user passwords
must be first removed in 1.9.2.2 or above and then re-entered once the show is loaded in the older software version.
When using the 10Scene Remote app connecting to MagicQ with user passwords set (and no individual 10Scene zone passwords),
version 1.5 of the app is required in order to use the automatic QR code to log onto the password protected zones. Older versions
of the 10Scene Remote app will not be able to use the automatic QR logon, although manual entering of the password is supported
on all versions.
MagicQ User Manual 495 / 579

51.18.4 Access to console channels

Users can be configured to have type of "Group Only". This allows access to only the channels in the specified Group.
Users can be configured to have type of "Exclude Group". This allows access to all channels except those in the specified Group.
Users with "Superuser" permissions have access to all channels. User with "Group Only" or "Exclude Groups" can only select
heads from their allowed channels and can only record and edit Cues and Groups with their allowed channels. They can not
record over, merge into or remove any Groups or Cues that contain disallowed channels.
If the option "Block Output" is set then Users with "Group Only" or "Exclude Groups" can not affect the output of heads outside
of their allowed channels - these heads will remain at 0 intensity and default LTP values.
If a user is created as Include Group without a Group set then they will not have access to any channels - they must chose a new
user (and enter a password if set) to get access to the channels.

51.19 Restricting Remote App Access

If the option to "Enable Remote App" is set to "Yes" (the default) then the app user has full access from the iOS/Android MagicQ
Remote App. "Yes (Exec Only)" will only allow access to the Execute Window, this option can be used in installs (formerly
called Install Mode). "No" will disable MagicQ access from the MagicQ Remote app.

51.19.1 User Settings

Users can be configured so that they automatically load user settings for that user when switching users. For each user in Setup,
View System, View Wings, View Users, set the "Load Settings" field to "Yes".
When changing user the settings for the old user are saved and the settings for the new user are loaded.
When the Load Settings is set for a user, MagicQ stores the current layout and the programmer contents as well as the show
settings. When changing to a different user their layout will be opened and the progammer contents included.
When changing users, MagicQ saves the current layout and programmer contents for the old user before loading the settings for
the new user. MagicQ uses free layouts and free Cues to store the Layout and programer contents starting from the highest free
Layout or Cue. The Layouts and Cues are named User X: YYYY where X is the user number and YYYY is the user name.
MagicQ adds and removes these Layouts and Cues as required without any user interaction required.
The programmer contents contains all the information that would be recorded into a Cue including values, times and FX. Note
that head selection and selection order is not saved into Cues and therefore is not saveed in the user settings.
When changing users there is a Logoff option. This logs the user off the console returning the console to the default user and
locking the console. The Layout and programmer contents are automatically saved before logging out the user.
Software prior to v1.9.3.0 only stored settings, not Layouts or the programmer. In these versiosn the settings were stored in
settings files named user_xxxxxx.set where user is the user name.

51.20 Security

Lighting consoles are designed to be used on private networks which are assumed to be secured. Where consoles are used
remotely over the internet we recommend the use of secure network tunnels to protect the lighting network from access from the
internet.
ChamSys explicitly denies any responsibility for security of MagicQ consoles or their use in safety critical roles. Users must
assure themselves of the security of their networks - if in doubt ensure the WIFI options are disabled and do not connect to the
console network ports.
In situations where the network is not secure then we recommend ensuring that only the required network protocols are enabled
in order to reduce the likelihood of unauthorised access. In particular the following options should be set:
MagicQ User Manual 496 / 579

51.20.1 Multi console settings

• Enable remote control = No

• Enable remote access = No
• Net Session mode = None
• Programmer Sync Mode = No Sync
• Playback Sync Type = None
• Show data sync type = None

51.20.2 Network settings

• RDMNet IP address = 0.0.0.0

• Ethernet remote protocol = None
• Web server = None
• Control net IP Address = 0.0.0.0
• OSC Mode = None
• Track rx = None
• Track tx = None
• OTP function = None
• Custom TCPIP = None

51.20.3 WIFI settings

• Wireless mode = Disabled

• Android tethering support = No

51.20.4 DMX I/O settings

• In Type should be set to None for all universes

• Visualiser should be set to MagicVis for all universes

51.21 Saving Support files

If you encounter a problem in the operation of the console then please report it on the ChamSys bugtracker at https://secure.chamsys.co.uk
bugtracker/bug_report_advanced_page.php and upload your show file and log files.
MagicQ stores log files in the log folder. Each log file corresponds to a session when MagicQ is started, runs and then is closed.
If the console resets for any reason then the log file closes and a new log file is started. The file is named according to the time
and date that MagicQ started, and the file modification date is the time that MagicQ closed.
For example, the file Tue_Dec_07_19_15_11_2021.log indicates MagicQ started at 7:19:15 on Dec 7th 2021. The file modifica-
tion time will tell when MagicQ was closed.
If a console has reset then the important log file is the one opened (and named) prior to the time of the reset. If in doubt then
provide all the log files from the day when the reset occurred.
MagicQ User Manual 497 / 579

It is easy to create and save to USB a single Support file to help ChamSys support and distributors to recreate and understand
problems. This file includes the show file, the session log and the log files from the last seven days. In Setup, View System, View
Status press the SAVE SUPPORT soft button.
This saves a file named support_XXXXXXX.zip into the log folder, where XXXXXXX is the date and time. A prompt is given
to enable saving to a USB Stick. Alternatively in the MagicQ File Manager you can copy the file manually to a USB stick. On a
PC system you can access the file directly from the log folder.
The older option SAVE TO LOG which saves just the session log file has been moved to SHIFT and SAVE LOG. This has been
superceded by the SAVE SUPPORT function. The SAVE LOG creates a much smaller file so may still be useful in situations
where it is not possible to transfer and upload larger files.
Log files are automatically deleted after 1 month to minimise disc usage.

51.22 Commands and Logs

The Help Window in addition to VIEW MANUALS also contains VIEW COMMANDS and VIEW LOGS. Press CTRL and
HELP to open the Help Window directly in the VIEW COMMANDS / VIEW LOGS views.
VIEW COMMANDS shows the user commands and responses. Commands include those entered via the console buttons, the
keypad and also those entered via the touch screens.
VIEW LOGS shows all the functions that are logged on the console into the log files including button presses, fader movements,
encoder usage, touch screen presses and events generated internally or from external inputs. It also shows general system logs
and errors.
Both views automatically update as the commands are entered and logs records are generated. The windows can be locked so
they do not update using the LOCK soft button. The SEARCH, SEARCH FWD, and SHIFT + SEARCH BKWD soft buttons
can be used to search for events.
In VIEW LOGS it is possible to filter the log records shown by log class. Press the FILTER CLASS soft button.
The Event class includes MIDI, MIDI SYSEX, MIDI OSC, ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol (CREP), Scheduled events and
Automations.
Log records of the Event class are only generated when Extended Logging is set to Extended & Events. Events of this class can
occur very frequently which could create very large log files. On systems with a lot of automated events we recommend only
enabling Extended & Events during programming and when fault finding.
Set the Extended logging via the LOGGING TYPE soft button, or from the Setup Window, View Settings, Hardware tab.
On system start the commands and logs are the current commands and logs. Using soft button A the previous log files can be
viewed to look at commands and logs from previous sessions - i.e. from before the current console start / reset. The title bar
shows the file name of the current log file being viewed.
Press soft button B at any time to return to the current commands and logs.
On MagicQ PC it is possible to examine log files from other consoles. From the top toolbar under Tools, select Log Viewer. This
opens a standard system file selection dialog box to enable selection of a log file from any folder on the PC/Mac. MagicQ opens
the Help Window in the VIEWLOGS view showing that file. Use Next/Prev on soft button A to examine other files from within
that same folder.
On system installs where the system is expected to run for many days, months or years the Help Window should be closed when
not in use to prevent system degradation over time as the log files increase size.
MagicQ User Manual 498 / 579

Chapter 52

Software & Firmware Upgrade

MagicQ software versions are fully compatible and show files can be created and loaded into any software version.

52.1 Changing MagicQ Console Software

MagicQ consoles store all versions of software that have been loaded onto the console allowing easy changing between different
versions. To change software version go to Setup, View System, View Status, Change Software. It is also possible to enter the
software utility by pressing ENTER during boot up when prompted to enter the software upgrade utility.
To upgrade to a new version of software, download the software file from ChamSys web site and store it onto a USB stick (FAT32
Formatted, up to 16GB).

MQ50, MQ70, MQ250M .cdz

MQ40*, MQ40N*, MQ60*, old MQ70*, MQ80, MQ500 .cdc
Stadium, MQ500M Stadium, Pro 2014*, Expert 2014
Pro 2010 .cdx
pre Pro, Expert, rack mount .cde (versions 1.5.6.0 and above not supported)

Note that MQ40, MQ40N, MQ60, old MQ70 and Pro2014 consoles support software versions up to v1.9.3.8 only, they cannot
be upgraded past this version.
If you are downloading using a Mac then you need to be aware that OSX often creates additional files with an underscore "\_" at
the start when it attempts to copy files to USB drives. For example, if you are copying magicq_v1_6_7_0.cdc to a USB drive it
may also make a file ._magicq_v1_6_7_0cdc. At first glance this file looks the same, but it contains file information only and can
not be loaded into a MagicQ console. It is easy to tell the files apart as the real MagicQ software file is around 100MB whereas
the underscore file is only a few bytes. Make sure to use the file without the underscore at the start.
Ensure you have saved your current show file to a USB memory stick or to an external computer via network before you change
software version. Also, ensure any personalities that you have customised have been saved to a different file name of your choice
- the new software will install the latest version of the standard personalities. We recommend you only upgrade to new versions
of software when you have plenty of time to recover the system - we don’t recommend you change it two minutes before doors!
On the MagicQ console select Setup, File Manager and change to USB DRIVE. Click on the software version, then confirm the
update. The console then automatically upgrade the software.
It is also possible to copy the software directly via networking to the magicq folder on the MagicQ console and then to click on
the file in File Manager, HARD DRIVE.
In case of a problem where MagicQ can not be started or where it resets then the software upgrade utility can be entered on start
up, by pressing a key when prompted on the screen.
MagicQ User Manual 499 / 579

52.2 Console Kernel Update

It is not normally necessary to update the kernel version on MagicQ consoles. Below contains Kernel update instructions for
specific MagicQ consoles.

52.3 MQ80 Kernel v2 upgrade

This is recommended if using USB ethernet or USB audio devices.

Download this CDC file:
https://secure.chamsys.co.uk/bugtracker/download_file.php?file_id=209&type=doc
Copy to a USB stick and install on the console, by going to Setup, View Settings, File Manager, USB Drive and selecting the
file. The console will restart when completed successfully.
Go to SETUP → VEW SYSTEM → VIEW STATUS → System
Kernel version should contain 4.4.261.

52.4 Resetting a MagicQ console to factory defaults

The console software upgrade utility has two other functions - reset to factory defaults and erase console.
"Reset to factory defaults" changes settings back to factory settings but does not erase any user data. It is recommended that the
current show is saved to a known file name before carrying out a factory reset. As a consequence of the reset to factory defaults,
the console will reload the default show.
"Erase console" erases all user data and reloads the newest software on the system. All show data, custom personalities, and
settings will be erased. Ensure all user data is saved before carrying out this action.
To carry out the above functions on MagicQ consoles enter the software upgrade utility by going to: -Setup, View System, View
Status, Change software. -Select yes to enter the software utility. -Once in the software utility follow on screen instructions for
"Factory Reset" or "Erase All"
For "Factory reset" enter *999 followed by Enter.
For "Erase All" enter *777 followed by Enter and 1 followed by Enter to confirm.
Note once the Erase all is carried out user data e.g. show files cannot by recovered later. You must back these up if needed before
carrying out the "Erase all".

52.5 Firmware

Each panel and interface on a MagicQ console and MagicQ wing runs separate firmware files, separate from the main MagicQ
software.
It is not normally necessary to update firmware on consoles and PC Wings / Interfaces, unless advised by ChamSys support.
The latest firmware files are included in the latest MagicQ software release in the firmware folder.
In MagicQ, the currently installed firmware for each panel / interface can be viewed in the Hardware tab in Setup, View System,
View Status. If there is newer firmware available for an interface it will indicate there is a newer version available.
To upgrade a panel / interface to the latest firmware version place the cursor on the item and press the LATEST FIRMWARE soft
button.
A listing of the latest firmware version for each product can also be found in the firmware change log in the section below.
MagicQ User Manual 500 / 579

52.6 MQ50, MQ70 and MQ80 front panel firmware

MQ50, MQ70 and MQ80 Consoles all share the same front panel firmware. The firmware file name for these products starts
CH346. The firmware is also used for the MQ250M display controller and MQ500 and MQ500M MIDI interfaces.
For the original MQ50 and MQ70 (sold in 2015 or before) see Upgrading original Compact series as these do not use CH346
firmware for the above products.
The latest firmware is included with each MagicQ software release in the firmware folder under the name CH346_xxx.hex.
To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the Hardware tab. The Programmer
panel row will show the current firmware.
To upgrade to latest firmware put the cursor on the Programmer panel row and press LATEST FIRMWARE.

52.6.1 Pre v1.9.5.3 software

We recommend to upgrade the console software to the latest stable (which should be v1.8.9.0 or a higher version) before upgrad-
ing front panel firmware on these products.
To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the USB Links tab. The software
version is shown as the 7th number in the list of parameters as shown in the image below. The complete list of parameters is:
<link drops> <time link has been up> <tx packets> <rx packets> <tx errors> <tx retries> <sw version> <hw version> <build
number>

Some MagicQ installers will not include every version of the CH346 firmware, however a higher version will include fixes and
features of a lower version. i.e. CH346 V1.25 will include all fixes and features of the lower versions.
Note that versions equal to or above V1.20 can be installed on MQ80, MQ70 and MQ50.
Note, some early MQ80s had pre-production firmware versions left in the firmware folder. These can be identified as versions
prior to CH324_V0.25.hex or with a name such as CH342_V80.69. Do not select these versions - these were pre-production
firmware versions and are not compatible with the MagicQ software. They should be deleted from the firmware folder.
MagicQ User Manual 501 / 579

52.7 MQ250M Stadium firmware

The MQ250M Stadium console has four boards that firmware can be user updated.

Programmer panel Firmware 310-025_VX.YZ.hex via SPr USB link

Playback panel Firmware 310-022_VX.YZ.hex via SPb USB link
Motor board Firmware 310-021-VX.YZ.hex via SPb USB link
Display controller Firmware CH346_X.YZ.hex via S2Dsp USB link

Note that the playback panel and the motor board use the same USB link - the motor board is itself connected to the playback
panel. When upgrading the playback panel passes the motor firmware onto the motor board.
Where date is the date, e.g. CH355A_2017_05_23.hex and X.YZ is version number e.g. CH346_V0.33.hex.
The below image shows the firmware versions for each board highlighted.

To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the Hardware tab. For each panel/board
it shows current version, available highest firmware version and current update status.
It is possible to see more details in the USB links tab - the software version is shown as the 7th number in the list of parameters.
The complete list of parameters is:
<link drops> <time link has been up> <tx packets> <rx packets> <tx errors> <tx retries> <sw version> <hw version> <build
number>
The latest firmware versions for each board can be found in the firmware change log in the section below.

52.8 MQ500 Stadium firmware

The MQ500 Stadium console has four boards where the firmware can be user updated.
MagicQ User Manual 502 / 579

Programmer panel Firmware CH355A_date.hex via SPr USB link

Playback panel Firmware CH355B_date.hex via SPb USB link
MIDI controller Firmware CH346_VX.YZ.hex via Smidi USB link
Display controller SDsp USB link not user upgradeable. V2 of the controller
board can use Firmware CH346_VX.YZ.hex via S5Dsp
USB link

Where date is the date, e.g. CH355A_2017_05_23.hex and X.YZ is version number e.g. CH346_V0.33.hex.
To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the Hardware tab. For each panel/board
it shows current version, available highest firmware version and current update status.
It is possible to see more details in the USB links tab - the software version is shown as the 7th number in the list of parameters.
The complete list of parameters is:
<link drops> <time link has been up> <tx packets> <rx packets> <tx errors> <tx retries> <sw version> <hw version> <build
number>
The below image shows the firmware versions with each board highlighted.
Note the SDMX USB link is for the DMX Card which is not user upgradable and users should not attempt to firmware update
this card.

The latest firmware versions for each board can be found in the firmware change log in the section below.

52.9 MQ500M Stadium firmware

The MQ500M Stadium console has the following boards:

Programmer panel Firmware 310-023_VX.YZ.hex via SPr USB link

Playback panel Firmware 310-022_VX.YZ.hex via SPb USB link
Motor board Firmware 310-021-VX.YZ.hex via SPb USB link
MIDI controller Firmware CH346_VX.YZ.hex via Smidi USB link
Display controller SDsp USB link not user upgradeable. V2 of the controller
board can use Firmware CH346_VX.YZ.hex via S5Dsp
USB link
MagicQ User Manual 503 / 579

Hub controller SHub USB link not user upgradable

Note that the playback panel and the motor board use the same USB link - the motor board is itself connected to the playback
panel. When upgrading the playback panel passes the motor firmware onto the motor board.
Where date is the date, e.g. CH355A_2017_05_23.hex and X.YZ is version number e.g. CH346_V0.33.hex.
The below image shows the firmware versions for each board highlighted. Note the SDMX USB link is for the DMX Card which
is not user upgradable and users should not attempt to firmware update this card.

To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the Hardware tab. For each panel/board
it shows current version, available highest firmware version and current update status.
It is possible to see more details in the USB links tab - the software version is shown as the 7th number in the list of parameters.
The complete list of parameters is:
<link drops> <time link has been up> <tx packets> <rx packets> <tx errors> <tx retries> <sw version> <hw version> <build
number>
The latest firmware versions for each board can be found in the firmware change log in the section below.

52.10 MQ500M Wing firmware

The MQ500M Wing has the following boards:

Playback panel Firmware 310-022_VX.YZ.hex via SWPb USB link

Motor board Firmware 310-021-VX.YZ.hex via SWPb USB link
Hub controller SWHub USB link not user upgradable

Follow the same procedure as for the MQ500M console above except using the Stadium Playback, Stadium Wing base card and
Stadium Wing motor links.
The latest firmware versions for each board can be found in the firmware change log in the section below.
MagicQ User Manual 504 / 579

52.11 Compact & Mini Connect firmware

The Compact Connect used 310-028 Firmware and Mini Connect uses 310-033 firmware.
Latest firmware for these products is included with MagicQ PC and firmware is updated via MagicQ in the same way as updating
firmware for MagicQ Consoles

52.12 Firmware Change Log

52.12.1 CH346 Firmware (MQ50, MQ70, MQ80, MQ500(M) Midi Card, MQ500(M) V2 Display Controller
and MQ250M Display controller)

CH346_V0.25 Original Production firmware for MQ80

CH346_V0.32 Improvements to DMX, MIDI, LTC and faders. Upgrade to
this version if you are seeing periodic DMX flicks with
some fixtures such as SGM P5. Upgrade to this version if
you wish to use MIDI or LTC inputs.
CH346_V0.33 Fix for display not recovering from screen save
CH346_V0.35 No Changes - used for Production
CH346_V1.00 Support for RDM on the four DMX ports
CH346_V1.01 Fixes an RDM issue where the DMX port does not reset
correctly after a RDM discovery collision.
CH346_V1.20 Initial Support of MQ70 and MQ50 (2019).
CH346_V1.22 Added Fader and Encoder brightness adjustment for the
MQ70.
CH346_V1.23 Fixed DMX output stopping when MQ Direct is selected
for less than 4 ports.
CH346_V1.24 Fixes Midi show control and Midi System Exclusive
messages for the MQ500 Midi Card.
CH346_V1.25 Fixes Midi issues for MQ80 consoles, the Midi
communication issue was introduced in versions greater
than and equal to V1.00.
CH346_V1.30 Fixes direct RDM Break and MaB (MQ80/MQ70/MQ50).
Fixed RDM discovery times to help find large number
nodes (MQ80/MQ70/MQ50). Fixed front panel drop outs
when MagicQ is doing time consuming tasks
(MQ80/MQ70/MQ50/MQ500 Midi). Updates to low level
USB driver code from a third party
(MQ80/MQ70/MQ50/MQ500 Midi).
CH346_V1.40 MQ250M display PCB code added.
CH346_V1.41 MQ250M tilt sensor function added.
CH346_V1.42 DMX USB message alignment fix.
CH346_V1.43 Fix for intermittent firmware update failure.
CH346_V1.45 Added support for V2 MQ500(M) Display Controller, and
HW revision 3 of MQ250M Display Controller. These
require MagicQ 1.9.2.4 and above.
CH346_V1.46 Fixed the self test on the HW revision 3 of the MQ250M
Display controller not starting.
CH346_V1.47 Fixed issue with MQ250 Displays not turning on
sometimes when lid is opened.
CH346_V1.48 Updated MQ250 startup sequence to blank the smaller
screen until MagicQ starts.
CH346_V1.49 Updated MQ250 display board firmware to match tilt
sensor hardware change.
MagicQ User Manual 505 / 579

CH346_V1.50 Updated MQ250+MQ500 display board firmware to turn

off the backlight until MagicQ starts.
CH346_V1.52 Rebuild for compiler change.

52.12.2 CH310-021 Firmware (MQ250M & MQ500M Motor board)

310-021_V0.10 Initial release.

310-021_V0.11 Adds support of 12-bit moves to support cross fader
tracking, needs 310-022_V0.07 or greater on the Playback
board.
310-021_V0.13 Adds explicit reset for the capacitive touch sense on the
faders in cases where the console has failed calibration due
to faders being touched on startup.
310-021_V0.14 Improved fader positioning if fader belt contains more
slack.

52.12.3 CH310-022 Firmware (MQ250M & MQ500M Playback Panel)

310-022_V0.05 Initial release.

310-022_V0.07 Fixed Motor stats filling up MagicQ USB RX buffer. Adds
support of 12-bit cross fader moves for cross fader
tracking, needs 310-021_V0.11 or greater on the motor
control board.
310-022_V0.08 Fixed drop outs when MagicQ is doing time consuming
tasks.
310-022_V0.09 MQ250M Fader control added.
310-022_V0.10 WinUSB USB descriptors added.
310-022_V0.11 USB timeout fix.
310-022_V0.12 Fix for intermittent firmware update failure.
310-022_V0.15 Made changes to LED production tests. MagicQ v1.9.3.0
310-022_V0.17 Made changes to LED production tests. (dim down leds
etc)
310-022_V0.19 Rebuild for compiler changed.

52.12.4 CH310-023 Firmware (MQ500M Programmer Panel)

310-023_V0.03 Initial release.

310-023_V0.05 Fixed drop outs when MagicQ is doing time consuming
tasks.
310-023_V0.06 WinUSB USB descriptors added.
310-023_V0.07 USB timeout fix.
310-023_V0.08 Fix for intermittent firmware update failure.
310-023_V0.11 Made changes to LED production tests. (dim down leds
etc)
310-023_V0.13 Rebuild for compiler change.

52.12.5 CH310-025 Firmware (MQ250M Programmer Panel)

310-025_V0.04 Initial release.

310-025_V0.07 Made changes to LED production tests. (dim down leds
etc)
310-025_V0.10 Rebuild for compiler change.
MagicQ User Manual 506 / 579

52.12.6 CH310-028 Firmware (Compact Connect)

310-028_V1.01 Initial release.

310-028_V1.03 Resolved an issue with the keyboard locking up after a
long period of time.
310-028_V1.04 Fix for fader levels changing without moving faders.
310-028_V1.05 Fix for Compact Connect locking up when Flash toggles
was enabled
310-028_V1.06 Fix for an issue with the input levels on the S2L Audio
input.

52.12.7 CH310-033 Firmware (Mini Connect)

310-033_V1.01 Initial release.

310-033_V1.03 Resolved an issue with the keyboard locking up after a
long period of time.
310-033_V1.04 Fix for fader levels changing without moving faders.
310-033_V1.05 Fix for Compact Connect locking up when Flash toggles
was enabled
310-033_V1.06 Fix for an issue with the input levels on the S2L Audio
input.

52.13 Updating Firmware

52.13.1 Upgrading to latest firmware

The Hardware tab in Setup, View System, View Status shows available firmware versions and current update status.
The LATEST FIRMWARE menu option enables a hardware item to be updated to the latest hardware version without manually
selecting the file. Move the cursor to the required row and press LATEST FIRMWARE.
It is possible to press SHIFT and ALL FIRMWARE to upgrade all boards to the latest available firmware. A dialog gives the
option to force upgrade all boards, or to only upgrade boards that are at lower firmware versions.
Each board is upgraded in turn - the current board being upgraded shows as "upgrading" and the others show as "queued".
Sometimes it may be needed to run ALL FIRMWARE twice to ensure all boards get upgraded.
It is also possible to automatically change firmware direct from USB stick / firmware files copied to the console. In File Manager
click on the file and a dialog will appear to ask whether to update all boards that use that firmware type.

52.13.2 Manual firmware update

Before updating firmware disconnect any Wings and USB interfaces & drives from the console.
Press Setup, View System, View Status and change to the USB Links tab.
Put the cursor on the line for USB link to be updated. Press the CHANGE FIRMWARE top soft button and select the new
firmware file - e.g. CH346_V1.43.hex.
MagicQ will report "Starting firmware upgrade" then "Sent start upgrade".
Do not touch anything or power off the console whilst the update is in progress – interrupting the upgrade could leave the Console
in an unusable state and it will have to be returned to ChamSys for repair.
MagicQ will then display "Sent firmware 1000", "Sent firmware 2000" and so on, the front Panel playback LEDs will also light
in sequence to show the firmware update progress.
The console will report "Sent all firmware" and "Programmed Ok" once firmware has been updated.
Should the upgrade timeout or fail for the motor board the string "Boot" will appear after SMotor in the USB link, this indicates
it is in boot-loader mode. A retry of the firmware upgrade should rectify this.
MagicQ User Manual 507 / 579

52.14 Upgrading Legacy product firmware

52.14.1 Original Compact series MQ40/MQ40N/MQ60/MQ70 firmware

To check the version of firmware in use go to Setup, View System, View Status and select the USB Links tab. The software
version is shown as the 7th number in the list of parameters. The complete list of parameters is:
<link drops> <time link has been up> <tx packets> <rx packets> <tx errors> <tx retries> <sw version> <hw version> <build
number>
Alternatively check the front panel version field in Setup, View System, View Status, System tab.
To upgrade the MQ40/40N/60/70 front panel firmware you must first be running a software version higher then v1.5.9.9 MagicQ
software on the console. Do NOT use versions v1.7.0.1 to v1.7.0.4. Upgrade software to v1.7.1.0 or higher first.
Some consoles have front panel firmware have a file version 2.0 in the firmware folder. Do NOT use this version. Only use
version 1.0, 1.1 or 1.2.
Failure to update to a valid version before performing the firmware upgrade could result in the console needing to be returned to
ChamSys for repair. The latest MQ40/40N/60/70 firmware is included with each release in the firmware folder under the name
CH331_xxx.hex

CH331_V0 Original firmware

CH331_V1.0 Added audio support
CH331_V1.1 Added MIDI and LTC timecode support (MQ70 only - not
for MQ40/60)
CH331_V1.2 Fixed RS232 serial port communications

Disconnect any Wings and network devices and remove any USB drives from the console.
Press Setup, View System, View Status and change to the USB Links tab. If more than one USB device is shown then disconnect
all other MagicQ Wings and interfaces.

Put the cursor on the line for USB 1 as above. Press CHANGE FIRMWARE and select the new firmware file - e.g. CH331_V1.0.hex.
MagicQ should then say "Starting firmware upgrade" and then a few seconds later "Sent start upgrade".
MagicQ User Manual 508 / 579

Do not touch anything or power off whilst the update is in progress – interrupting the upgrade will leave the Console in an
unusable state and it will have to be returned to ChamSys for repair.
MagicQ will then wait between 5 and 10 seconds and then display messages "Sent firmware 1000", "Sent firmware 2000" and so
on up to about "Sent firmware 76000".

It will then briefly say "Sent all firmware" and "Programmed Ok".

If all is ok then it will say "Programmed OK" and you are ok to power off the Console and restart it. Note that the console front
panel is sometimes unresponsive at this point, so you may need to shut down from the touch screen using Setup, View Settings,
Quit. If there is no response at all then you will need to hold the reset button to power off the console.
If it gets stuck on "Fails to Load Firmware" and the console continues to loop in the Load firmware screen the console should be
powered off and will need to be returned to ChamSys UK for re-programming.
MagicQ User Manual 509 / 579

Chapter 53

Handy Hints

• Use the "Lamp On All" and "Lamp Off All" soft buttons in the Macro Window to make turning on/off an entire lighting rig
easier.
• Use a pan offset and/or tilt offset in Patch to adjust all the programming for some heads.
• Use SHIFT or CTRL and the cursor keys to carry out actions on multiple items in a Window.

• When recording items, type in a name for the item on the external keyboard before pressing the REC button.
• To force a minimum look on stage (e.g. during a changeover) whilst allowing full programming capability got to Intensity,
View Preset and set up a minium look.
• When using encoders, to bump to the next range value (e.g. next colour), press the button associated with the encoder. To
bump back, hold SHIFT and press the button.

• To modify a playback, press and hold the SELECT button associated with the playback and then use the encoders or key in
new values.
• If your CMY colours are coming out inverted – i.e. red is cyan, green is purple, blue is yellow, then you need to set the CMY
Invert option for that personality in the Head Editor.

• To restart the look in the programmer press BLIND twice.

• If you find yourself constantly changing Windows to perform an action, try sizing the required Windows and recording it as a
Layout.
• After you have cleared the programmer you can reselect the heads that were selected when you pressed CLEAR by pressing
the ALL button.
• To remove attributes from an entire Cue Stack (e.g. position information) activate those attributes in the programmer and use
the RECORD REMOVE option.
• To add attributes into an entire Cue Stack (e.g. position information) activate those attributes in the programmer and use the
RECORD MERGE option.

• To Record Merge the current contents of the programmer into the current Cue on a Cue Stack, press and hold the Select button
of the playback and press RECORD.
• Copy palettes to Playbacks to make Cue Stacks of palettes.
MagicQ User Manual 510 / 579

Chapter 54

MagicQ Shortcuts

Table 54.1: Saving / Loading

New show SETUP <View Settings> <New Show>

Save show SETUP <View Settings> <Save Show>
Load show SETUP <View Settings> <Load Show>
Save settings SETUP <View Settings> <Save Setting>
Load settings SETUP <View Settings> <Import Settings>
Save partial show SETUP <View Settings> <SHIFT + Export Show>
Merge in show SETUP <View Settings> <SHIFT + Import Show>
Load archived backup SETUP <View Settings> <SHIFT + Load Backup>
Export patch list PATCH <View Chans> <Export Patch>
Import patch list PATCH <View Chans> <Import Head>
Import ASCII file PATCH <View Chans> <Import USITT>
Reset console SETUP, <SHIFT + QUIT>
Save show to current show file name SHIFT + CTRL + REC

Table 54.2: Patching

Select head for patching PATCH <Choose Head>

Patch 1 head, next free address 1 <Patch It>
Patch 5 heads, next free address 5 <Patch It>
Patch 1 head, next free channel on universe 2 1@+2-1 <Patch It>
Patch 1 head at uni 1 address 1 1@1-1 <Patch It>
Patch 5 heads at uni 2 address 1 5@2-1 <Patch It>
Patch 5 heads at uni 2 address 1, head 100 5@2-1*100 <Patch It>
Patch 5 heads with offset 20 5/20 <Patch It>
Patch after uni 3 address 50 5@+3-50 <Patch It>
Reselect head Cursor to head <SHIFT + Choose Head>
Edit patched head Cursor to head <SHIFT + Edit Head>
Repatch selected heads without changing offset 3-1 / ENTER

Table 54.3: Select Heads

Select head 1 1 @@
Sub Select element 2 .2 NEXT HEAD
MagicQ User Manual 511 / 579

Table 54.3: (continued)

Select heads 1 to 4 1 THRU 4 @@

Select heads 1 to 10, not 5 1 THRU 10 – 5 @@
Deselect all heads 0 @@
Select all heads NEXT HEAD + PREV HEAD
Reselect last heads after CLEAR ALL
Select Group 1 1**
Select Groups 1 to 4 1 THRU 4 * *
Sub select 1st head 1 NEXT HEAD
Sub select 1st and 2nd head in selection 1 + 2 NEXT HEAD
Sub select 3rd, 4th and 5th head 3 THRU 5 NEXT HEAD
Sub select element 2 . 2 NEXT HEAD
Sub select pair SHIFT + SINGLE
Sub select heads using palette above 0% NEXT HEAD + Palette
Select all heads using palette ALL + <Palette entry>
Select heads active in Playback ALL + <S>
Select heads above 20% intensity 20 ALL + INT
Select all heads active in prog CTRL + ALL
Reselect last heads after CLEAR ALL
Change selection order Press and hold ALL
Pair Selection SHIFT + SINGLE
Invert current sub selection of heads 0 + NEXT HEAD

Table 54.4: Lamp On / Lamp Off / Reset

Lamp On entire rig MACRO <Lamp on all>

Lamp Off entire rig MACRO <Lamp off all>
Lamp On selected heads SHIFT + LOCATE
Lamp Off selected heads CTRL + SHIFT + LOCATE
Reset selected heads CTRL + LOCATE
Lamp on selected heads <select head> * + +
Lamp off selected heads <select head> * - -
Reset selected heads <select head> * / /

Table 54.5: Setting Intensities

Set head 1 to 100% 1 @ FULL (Also 1 FULL)

Set head 1 to 50% 1 @ 50 ENTER
Set heads 1 to 4 to 100% 1 THRU 4 @ FULL
Set head 1 +10% 1 @ + 10 ENTER
Set head 1 –1% 1 @ - 01 ENTER
Set head 1 at 50, all others at 0% 1 @ 50 - -
Set head 1 to 50% time 3 secs 1 @ 50 / 3 ENTER
Set 2nd element from head 1 to 50% 1 . 2 @ 50
Set 2nd element from head 1 to 10 to 50% 1 THRU 10 . 2 @ 50
Set element 2 and 3 from head 1 to 50% 1 . 2 THRU 3 @ 50
Heads 1 to 10, 100% split delays 4s to 1s, 1s fade 1 THRU 10 @ FULL / 4 THRU 0 / 1

PC Keyboard THRU = ‘>’ FULL = ‘#’

MagicQ User Manual 512 / 579

Table 54.6: FX

Add FX Select heads, FX <ADD FX>

Convert chase to FX CUE STACK <SHIFT + Make FX>
Force Cue to have no FX Select heads, <SHIFT + Add FX 0 Size>

Table 54.7: Playback

Step through Cue Stack >

Step back up Cue Stack II or also SHIFT + >
Go to next step without time >>
Go back a step without time <<
Reassert Playback S + FLASH button
Take manual control of Playback S + move manual fader
Change chase / FX speed live S + turn encoder X
Go to Cue ID 2 S 2 ENTER
Release Playback with 3 sec time S 3 REL
Release all Playbacks SHIFT + RELEASE
Release heldover Playbacks ALT + RELEASE
Release all test Playbacks/Cues/Cue Stacks CTRL + RELEASE
Enter/exit Blind with 3 sec time 3 BLIND
Make Cue Stack default all pages Change to Page 1, PLAYBACK, <Default Cue Stack>
Transfer a Cue Stack to other playback SHIFT + SEL select source > select target

Table 54.8: Loading Values into the Programmer

Default all attribs Select heads, LOCATE

Default position attribs Select heads <POS + LOCATE>
Default colour attribs Select heads <COLOR + LOCATE>
Default beam attribs Select heads <BEAM + LOCATE>
Default intensity attribs Select heads <INT + LOCATE>
Make active all attribs Select heads, <* + SET>
Make active pos attribs Select heads, <POS + SET>
Make active colour attribs Select heads, <COLOR + SET>
Make active beam attribs Select heads, <BEAM + SET>
Make active int attribs Select heads, <INT + SET>
Make hard all attribs Select heads, <* + MOVE>
Make hard pos attribs Select heads, <POS + MOVE>
Make hard colour attribs Select heads, <COLOR + MOVE>
Make hard beam attribs Select heads, <BEAM + MOVE>
Make hard int attribs Select heads, <INT + MOVE>
Load Cue from Playback INC <S>
Load Cue ID 2 INC 2 <S>
Load Cue ID 2 on current Cue Stack INC CUE 2 ENTER
Load Cue at 40% INC @ 40 <S>
Load Cue at current level INC @ <S>
Load entire state of Cue Stack ALL + INCLUDE
Load selected heads from Cue <* + INC> <S>
Load int from Cue INC INT <S>
Load pos from Cue INC POS <S>
Load colour from Cue INC COLOR <S>
Load beam from Cue INC BEAM <S>
MagicQ User Manual 513 / 579

Table 54.8: (continued)

Load FX from Cue INC FX <S>

Load heads from Cue 101 INC <S>
Load Group of heads from Cue GROUP 8 INC <S>
Load Group of heads from Cue ID 2 GROUP 8 INC / 2 <S>
Load from DMX Select heads, <CTRL + INC> ENTER
Snapshot output cues PROG, <Snapshot>
Snapshot active values THRU RECORD
Snapshot selected heads * + SET
Copy Heads <from Head No> COPY <to Head No> ENTER
Copy Groups of Heads GROUP <from Group ID> COPY GROUP <to Group ID>
ENTER

Table 54.9: Removing Values from the Programmer

Clear all values CLEAR

Clear with 3 sec time 3 CLEAR
Clear selected heads Select heads, SHIFT + CLEAR
Clear to default vals CTRL + CLEAR
Clear to 0 vals SHIFT + CTRL + CLEAR
Remove attrib <REM + turn encoder>
Remove attrib <soft button + REM>
Remove position attribs <POS + REM>
Remove colour attribs <COLOR + REM>
Remove beam attribs <BEAM + REM>
Remove intensity attribs <INT + REM>
Remove all attribs <* + REM>

Table 54.10: Recording Cues

Record Cue on Playback REC S

Record Cue ID 2.5 2.5 REC S
Record Cue to current Playback REC ENTER
Record to Playback 2 REC 2 ENTER
Record to Cue ID 2.5 Playback 2 REC 2 / 2.5 ENTER
Record to Cue ID 2.5 on current Cue Stack REC CUE 2.5 ENTER
Record sel heads only <SHIFT + REC> <Sel Only> S
Record sel heads only * + REC
Record sel attribs <SHIFT + REC>, select attribs, S
Record entire state of programmer ALL + REC
Record Cue Only / + REC
Record Snapshot THRU + REC

Table 54.11: Record Merging / Removing

Record Merge <+ + REC> S

Record Merge current Cue S + REC
Record Merge current Cue REC UPD
Record Merge selected head only Hold * and + and press REC
MagicQ User Manual 514 / 579

Table 54.11: (continued)

Record Merge all Cue Stack <SHIFT + REC> <Record Merge> S

Record Merge Cue Id 2 to 4 <+ + REC> 2 THRU 4 S
Record Remove ← + REC> S
Record Remove selected head only Hold * and - and press REC
Record Remove all Cue Stack <SHIFT + REC> <Record Remove> S
Record Remove Cue Id 2 to 4 ← - REC> 2 THRU 4 S
Record Select Heads * + REC
Record into current cue REC 0 ENTER
Set Head 2 at 50% into current cue S + <2 @ 50>
Set Head 2 at +10% into current cue S + <2 @ + 10>
Set Head 2 at 50% all cues S + <2 @ 50 THRU>
Set Head 2 at +10% all cues S + <2 @ + 10>

Table 54.12: Editing Cues

Edit in Programmer INC S, make change, UPDATE

Record merge current cue Change vals in Prog, <S> + REC>
Record Merge all cues in Stack <+ + REC><S>
Record Merge all cues in Stack <SHIFT + REC> <Rec Merge> <S>
Remove Cue Stack REM S
Remove Cue ID 2.5 REM 2.5 S
Remove Intensity from Cue Hold S + Enter Level e.g <S> 1 @ 20 ENTER
Remove Cue 2 from current Cue Stack REM CUE 2 ENTER
Move Cues Move CUE <Cue ID> @ <Cue ID>
Copy Playback COPY <source S> <dest S>
Copy Playback unlinked <SHIFT + COPY> <Unlinked> <source S> <dest S>
Copy Cue to end of Cue Stack COPY CUE <Cue ID> @
Copy Multiple Cues COPY CUE <Cue ID> THRU <Cue ID> @ <Cue ID>
Copy Heads in Cues <from Head No> COPY <to Head No> <S>
Copy Groups of Heads in Cues GROUP <from Group ID> COPY GROUP <to Group ID>
<S>
Copy Heads in Cues Hold + and COPY or SHIFT COPY select COPY HEADS
Replace Palette in Cues Hold - and COPY or SHIFT COPY select REPLACE
PALETTE

Table 54.13: Palettes

Record Palette Select heads, REC, select item

Palette using keypad POS <palette number> ENTER
Re-record Palette Select heads, REC, select item
Name Palette Type name, SET
Name Palette (no keyboard) SET SET, type name, sel item
Edit Palette Select heads, INC, select item, make changes, UPD
Copy Palettes to Playback <SHIFT + cursor> to select Palettes, COPY S
Set icon for a Palette SHIFT + SET

Table 54.14: Palette Times

MagicQ User Manual 515 / 579

Table 54.14: (continued)

Palette with 3 secs 3 select item

Palette with 3 secs fanned 3 * select item
Palette with 3 secs reverse fan 3 * / select item
Palette with 3 secs into centre fan 3 * + select item
Palette with 3 secs centre out fan 3 * - select item
Palette with 3 secs Random fan 3 * . select item
Palette with 10 secs total 2 secs per Head 10 / 2 * select item
Palette with 10 secs into centre total 2 secs per Head 10 / 2 * + select item
Use last fan timing *
Palette fan fade 0 to 3s 0 THRU 3 select item
Fan delay 0 to 3s, 1s fade 0 THRU 3 / 1 select item
Palette using keypad with time <Palette type - INT/POS/COL/BEAM/FX> <palette ID>
TIME <time> ENTER
Palette using keypad with time <Palette type - INT/POS/COL/BEAM/FX> <palette ID> /
<time> ENTER
Palette with 3 secs fade left to right across Group Grid 3 * . . select item
Palette with 3 secs fade right to left across Group Grid 3 * / / select item
Palette with 3 secs fade out to in on Group Grid 3 * - - select item
Palette with 3 secs fade in to out on Group Grid 3 * + + select item
Palette with 3 secs fade centre in to out on Group Grid 3 * + - select item
Palette with 3 secs fade centre out to in on Group Grid 3 * - + select item
Palette with 3 secs fade top to bottom across Group Grid 3 * . . . select item
Palette with 3 secs fade bottom to top across Group Grid 3 * / / / select item
Palette with 3 secs fade top out to in on Group Grid 3 * + + + select item
Palette with 3 secs fade top in to out on Group Grid 3 * - - - select item

Table 54.15: Information Windows

Additional Output Windows 2 OUT 3 OUT 4 OUT

Programmer Info Window CTRL + PROG or 2 PROG
Cue Stack Info Window CTRL + CUE STACK or 2 CUE STACK
Send text message ! delay , duration , ! message
Send text display 5 seconds ! 0 , 5 ! message
Send text stay visible ! message
Multiple Execute windows 2 EXEC, 3 EXEC
Multiple Group windows 2 GROUP, 3 GROUP

Table 54.16: Net Session

Resync SLAVE console Hold Cursor Left Right Down + SET

Table 54.17: Wing / Keypad short cuts

Select position palette <POS + S>

Select colour palette <COLOR + S> Select beam palette <BEAM + S>
Select position palette 4 POS 4 ENTER
Select colour palette 5 COLOR 5 ENTER
Select position 4 time 5 secs POS 4 / 5 ENTER
MagicQ User Manual 516 / 579

Table 54.17: (continued)

Select position 4 time 5 secs fan POS 4 / 5 * ENTER

Default intensity attribs <ALL + LOCATE>
Make active intensity attribs <ALL + SET>
Remove intensity attribs <ALL + REMOVE>
Enter/exit test mode PC/Mac Type test and press CTRL + SHIFT

Table 54.18: Console

Start up Start button on rear

Shut down SETUP, <QUIT>
Soft reset SETUP, <SHIFT + QUIT>
Calibrate touch screen SETUP, <View Settings> <Cal Touch> or CTRL + SET
Hard reset Hold rear reset button 5 seconds
Hard power off MQ100 MQ40/50/60/70 Hold rear reset button 15 seconds
Hard power off MQ80 Unplug powercon + Hold reset button 10 seconds
Shut down console CTRL + SHIFT + DBO
Lock/unlock console <CTRL + SOFT button Encoder A>
Console lights on/off <CTRL + SOFT button Encoder B>
Console screen save, stealth mode SHIFT + BLIND
Home on Compact consoles ALT + Lay 1
End on Compact consoles ALT + Lay 3
Home on Stadium consoles ALT + HEAD
End on Stadium consoles ALT + TIME
Enter/exit test mode MQ100 SHIFT + SHIFT
Enter/exit test mode MQ40/50/60/70/80 ATL + CTRL + SHIFT
Text Search in current window(consoles) CTRL + > (Right cursor key)
Text Search in current window(MagicQ PC) CTRL + F
Copy to Clipboard CTRL + COPY
Paste from Clipboard CTRL + UPDATE

Table 54.19: Cue Stack Macros

Activate Playback A <Playback no>

Activate playback at level A <Playback no> / <Level>
Run Keyboard Macro B <Macro no> (0 = stop all macros)
Release Playback R <Playback no> (0 = release this playback)
Release playback with time R <Playback no> / <fade time>
Release All Heldover Playbacks R1000
Release Heldover Cue Stack on this Playback R999
Activate Playback 100% T <Playback no>
Release Playback 0% U <Playback no>
Go on playback G <Playback no>
Go to Cue id on playback (when <preload flag> is set to 1, G <playback number> / <cue id> / <preload flag> / <fade
cue is preloaded) time>
Go on current playback when the MagicHD layer is the G 0 / 1 / <frames> / <layer>
given number of frames from the end
Stop Playback S <Playback no>
Choose Playback C <Playback no>
Set level last Cue Stack activated K <level> / <fade time>
Set level current Playback L <level> / <fade time>
Set level of this Playback M <level> / <fade time>
MagicQ User Manual 517 / 579

Table 54.19: (continued)

Jump to Cue id current Playback J <Cue Id>

Activate Cue Stack (Stack Store) E <Cue Stack ID from Stack Store>
Activate Cue Stack (Stack Store) at level E <Cue Stack ID from Stack Store> / <level>
Activate Cue Stack (Stack Store) at level and Cue E <Cue Stack ID from Stack Store> / <level> / <Cue ID>
Releases Cue Stack (Stack Store) F <Qid from Stack Store>
Activate Exec Grid item E 0/<Exec Page>/<Item>
Release Exec Grid item F 0/<Exec Page>/<Item>
Change Page P <Page no> (0 is next)
Open view (window layout) V <View no>
Set decoded time code O <Time code>
Enable/disable external time code gen W <Enable> (1 enable, 0 dis)
Set current time code (gen only) Q <Time code> e.g Q100
Set current time code (internal) I <Time Code> e.g. I100
Activate Playback 18 on wing 1 A1-18
Go on Playbacks 3 to 5 G3THRU5
Set the level of Playback 6 to 60% C6L60
Lamp on all heads H1
Reset all heads H2
Lamp off all heads H3
Cancel screen save H4
Enable Zone H5<zone number>
Disable Zone H6<zone number>
Trigger 10Scene - Zone id 1 to 20, Button id 1 to 10, State T0 / <Zone id> / <Button id> / <State>
is 0 for button release 1 for button pressed 2 for button
activate and 3 for release
Transmit data on the serial port X <Data>
Transmit data on the network port over ChamSys Remote Y <Data>
Ethernet Protocol
Transmit data over MIDI N <Data>
Transmit data over OSC K <Data>
Audio Command, supported commands are stop, close, D <Audio command>
jump, dev, Param1,g (gain)
Scheduled Events Date Z<DDMMYYYY>Z

Table 54.20: Window Control

Cue window positioned on attribute <S> + Pos Beam Col Int or FX button
Open Playback Cue Stack Window Double click S button playback
Open Playback Cue Stack Options Triple click S button playback
Open Cue Window current playback SHIFT + Double click S button playback
Close all Windows SHIFT + CLOSE
All Windows to internal screen SHIFT + EXT

Table 54.21: Stadium Shortcuts

Change Execute buttons function SHIFT+NEXT/PREV Page

Move windows between monitors ALT+SETUP
Change Faders mode Hold Faders NEXT/PREV Page button
Change Faders mode on PC SHIFT + Faders NEXT/PREV Page button
Page through one by one instead of pages SHIFT + NEXT/PREV Page button
Deactivate all faders for the mode across pages SHIFT + Big Pause button
MagicQ User Manual 518 / 579

Table 54.21: (continued)

Record current fader mode/state to an execute button NEXT/PREV Page + Rec

Next/Prev Bank ALT + NEXT/PREV Page
MagicQ User Manual 519 / 579

Chapter 55

Troubleshooting

55.1 No outputs

Check whether MagicQ is operating correctly by opening the Outputs Window and looking at the data in View Heads. If the
intensity or other attributes are not at their correct levels then check:

• Are the Grand Master and Playback Master faders up?

• Are Playback faders raised?
• Is there channel data recorded in the Cues on the playbacks?
• Is BLIND mode on?
• Heads and dimmers are patched to the correct universe?

If the Outputs Window shows correct values then check the Outputs are configured and enabled correctly in the View DMX I/O
view of the Setup Window. If you are using an Ethernet convertor box check that it is receiving data correctly. Check:

• Outputs are configured correctly

• Outputs are enabled
• Is test mode active in DMX/IO?
• If using network outputs check the IP address and subnet address are configured correctly

Try putting a test pattern on the entire DMX output - in DMX I/O set the test field to Ramp. The Outputs, View Chans, View
DMX shows exactly what is being output on each universe.

55.2 MagicQ not responding

Is the time changing in the Status Display? If so then MagicQ is running o.k. Check

• Master faders up
• Correct playback pages selected
• Playback has a Cue stored on it
• MagicQ is not locked (CTRL top left soft button)
• Is button test mode on (Press CNTRL+ALT+SHIFT or hold top left SHIFT button and press top right SHIFT button on older
MQ100 series consoles)

If the time is not changing then you will have to perform a hard reset on the console.
MagicQ User Manual 520 / 579

55.3 MagicQ responding slowly

Check memory usage in Setup, View System, View Status. Try

• Closing all windows (SHIFT + CLOSE)

• Ensure you have saved your show to hard disk not to a USB stick
• Remove any USB devices especially USB Sticks
• Disable network connections to media servers

55.4 Strange key presses, unexpected window changes

Enter board test mode to determine the cause of the fault press CTRL + ALT + SHIFT keys to enter and exit this mode. On older
MQ100 Series console press the SHIFT buttons either side of the display together.

• Check a button has not become stuck down

• Check nothing / no-one is leaning on the keyboard or other buttons
• Check a keyboard macro has not been accidentally recorded / played back

55.5 MagicQ console not booting

There are quite a few different reasons for the console not to boot - it could be a problem with the system operating system
software or a hardware problem.

55.5.1 MQ100 series console not booting

If the console is cycling the boot sequence continually or showing "kernel panic" then this normally indicates a hardware problem.
Get a qualified service technician to remove the rear panel and reseat cables and processor daughter card (transition card). On a
Pro 2014 console if the console is showing "lynxfb" then get a qualified service technician to remove the rear panel and remove
the graphics card from underneath the processor module.
Check out the Software Upgrade section for repair of the operating system.

55.5.2 MQ80 console blank screen and not booting

When the BIOS settings are lost on the MQ80 console the internal display will not function, this can also cause MagicQ to not
start correctly. An indication that this has happened would be when the console is powered on the blue soft button LEDs either
side of the display illuminate, but the console display remains blank. To reset BIOS settings on the MQ80 console an external
monitor and a USB keyboard connected to the lower Neutrik USB port are required.
Once connected:

• Start up the console and Enter the BIOS using the ‘Delete’ key on the external keyboard.
• Go to Advanced, Chipset Configuration
• Select the primary output to be the LVDS output
• Select the "1440x900 24bit 2ch LED" option for the resolution (should be one above the 1280x900 option near the middle.
• Select the secondary output to be HDMI
• Press F10 to save and reboot the console

Note these settings are for the MQ80 console only and should not be used on ANY other MagicQ console. A BIOS update is
available to default the correct settings if BIOS setting are lost in future - contact ChamSys support to obtain this.
MagicQ User Manual 521 / 579

55.5.3 MQ80 console MagicQ not starting

If the console is not correctly shutdown or for some reason MagicQ is not closed correctly (for example by using the reset button
on the console), the console may boot into the GNU GRUB display pictured below. To boot MagicQ when in this state a USB
keyboard is required, connect a USB keyboard to the console and select the top option MagicOS4 GNU/Linux using the cursor
keys on the keyboard and press Enter to select to boot this option. The console should then boot MagicQ and start correctly.
When the console has booted into the GNU GRUB display do NOT attempt to reset the console by power cycling or resetting the
console as this will cause damage to the consoles Solid State Drive.

55.5.4 MQ50 / MQ70 / MQ250M console MagicQ not starting

MagicQ MQ50, MQ70 and MQ250M consoles feature a Recovery Mode allowing for the operating system to be re-installed.
The Recovery button is located on the rear of the consoles. Recovery should only be used if the console is powering on, but
MagicQ is not starting. Note the use of Recovery mode may erase user show files during the process.
To use Recovery:

• Power off the console

• Hold down the recovery button on the rear of the console
• Power on the console while continuing to hold the Recovery button
• After ~20 seconds release the recovery button, console will boot into Recovery Mode
• Select System Format in the Recovery menu
• Select Restore Boot partition
• After this completes, select back and shutdown the console, then Power back on the console.

If console doesn’t boot into MagicQ after following the above these steps can be followed:

• Download the latest MQ50/MQ70/MQ250M software installer from the ChamSys website (.cdz file) and copy onto a USB
drive.
• Power off the console
• Hold down the recovery button on the rear of the console
• Power on the console while continuing to hold the Recovery button
MagicQ User Manual 522 / 579

• After ~20 seconds release the recovery button, console will boot into Recovery Mode
• Select System Format in the Recovery menu
• Select Format Internal Flash and Confirm, once complete select Back and shutdown the console
• Power on the console normally
• Console will boot automatically the MagicQ factory menu
• Select Update from USB stick and select the .cdz file on USB drive.
• Once complete console should then boot into MagicQ.

55.5.5 MQ40/60 console not starting

MQ40/60 series consoles feature an OS recovery mode. When powering on the console the s buttons should light in sequence
and then start flashing until MagicQ has started. If MagicQ does not start this may indicate a problem with the OS.
Recovery should only be used if the console is powering on, but MagicQ is not starting.
To recover the OS on these consoles:

• Power off the console

• Hold down || keys of playbacks 1 and 3, and > key of playback 2
• While holding down these 3 keys, power on the console
• Continue to hold these keys for around 30 seconds
• MagicQ should then recover and reload an older version of the MagicQ OS

If the console continue to not boot after this contact ChamSys Support

55.6 MagicQ console blank screen

If the screen is blank then this may be because of the screen saver. Try pressing SHIFT.
If the screen remains blank even after pressing buttons then try holding CTRL and pressing the X Encoder wheel soft button
(Illuminated button closest to the X encoder wheel) twice. This attempts to restart the screen backlight.
The screen may have been turned off and locked by a user. Press CTRL and the second soft button down on the left (soft button
B). If this does not help then press CTRL and the second soft button a second time.
If the screen still remains blank then try connecting an external monitor.
Avoid using the white reset button to shut down the console - hold down the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut
down the console.

55.7 MagicQ console white screen

MagicQ console white screen indicates that the display has power but no data signal. This could be because the main processor
has halted or because the display signal cable is broken/disconnected.
Try pressing S buttons. If the blue LED follows the S button then the main processor is running correctly - check display cable.
Get a qualified service technician to open the console to verify this.
If the S buttons are not responding then it is likely there is a bad connection in the rear panel. Get a qualified service technician to
remove the rear panel and reseat the power and disc cables and ensure processor daughter card (transition card) is firmly pressed
onto the processor card.
Avoid using the white reset button to shut down the console - use the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut down the
console.
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55.8 MagicQ console distorted screen

If the screen image is distorted, has multiple lines through it or has incorrect colours then this indicates that the graphics hardware
has not started correctly.
Hold the three cursor keys (< V >) and press DBO to shut down the console.

55.9 MagicQ console internal touch screen not working

• Try to calibrate the touch screen (CTRL + SET)

• Check it is giving correct values in board test mode (SHIFT + SHIFT)

• Check there is no dirt around the edges of the screen

• Check that liquid has not been spilt into the touch screen
• Check the metalwork is not catching on the screen

55.10 All 10 S buttons flashing blue

If all 10 S buttons are flashing blue this indicates that the console front panel is not communicating with the console main
processor.
This could be caused by a problem with the console main processor or the cable/connection between the console main processor
and the console front panel. If the main processor is running and showing MagicQ on the screen then the problem is with the
cable/connection.
It is possible to check whether the main processor is running:

• Is there any output on the main screen? Do you see the boot procedure?
• Connect an external monitor. Do you see anything on the external monitor during boot?
• Connect a keyboard. If you press CAPS LOCK does the LED on the CAPS LOCK key come on?

• Is the console fan running?

Note that on a MQ100/200/300 the touch screen is controlled through the front panel so the touch will not work in this situation.
Connect an external mouse to click items on the screen.
To shut down the console use a mouse, or if there is no output on the screen using the reset button.
As the front panel is not communicating with the main processor it will not be able to shut down using buttons on the front panel.

55.11 Fader, Encoder or Button not working correctly

• Go into board test mode (CNTRL+ALT+SHIFT or SHIFT + SHIFT) to test the hardware.

If none of the buttons and faders are working then check that the front panel is running ok. If there are no LEDs lit on the front
panel then it is possible that the front panel is not running correctly.
On MQ500, MQ100 series console and Playback and Execute Wings there are 4 LEDs underneath the arm-rest. The red LED
indicates power whilst the green LED should flash to indicate that the front panel CPU is running. The two yellow LEDS show
messages from/to the front panel. One of them should turn on when you move faders, the other should flash periodically when it
receives messages from the console main processor.
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55.12 Unable to save shows or patch heads after performing a *777 erase all on the
console

This is caused by using the *777 Erase all function on MagicQ console is versions prior to v1.5.9.2.
To fix:
Go to Setup, file manager and press the up dir soft button a number of times. This will then take you into the root folder (folders
will appear on screen). Find the folder called home go into it Create a folder called magicq. Using the Create Dir soft button.
Restart the console.

55.13 "MagicQ needs to write to the install folder. . . " message on Mac

If you get a message on Mac about incorrect permissions, please try the following steps:

1. Open the "Applications" folder in finder

2. Right click on the "MagicQ" folder and select "Get Info"
3. Click on the padlock in the bottom right corner and enter your password
4. If your username isn’t in the list of permissions, add it with the + button
5. Set the permissions of your username to "Read & Write"
6. Click on the settings icon underneath the permissions list, select "Apply to enclosed items. . . ", and accept the warning
message
7. Restart the Mac

If you still see this error message, perform a clean install of MagicQ:

1. Open the "Applications" folder

2. Delete the "MagicQ" folder
3. Open Finder, choose "Go" > "Go to folder" from the toolbar
4. Type in "~/Library/Application Support/"
5. If a "MagicQ" folder exists, delete it
6. Restart the Mac
7. Download the latest version from https://secure.chamsys.co.uk/download
8. Open the .dmg file. Hold down shift, right click on the MagicQ package, select "Open" and click "Open".
9. Follow the installer steps

55.14 Linux: MagicQ fails to start / libGL error

If MagicQ is failing to start on Linux, try running it from the command line (with /opt/magicq/runmagicq.sh). If errors appear
similar to the following:

libGL error: MESA-LOADER: failed to open swrast (search paths /usr/lib/x86_64- ←-

linux-gnu/dri:\$${ORIGIN}/dri:/usr/lib/dri)
libGL error: failed to load driver: swrast
MagicQ User Manual 525 / 579

Then this is likely caused by your graphics drivers being built for a newer version of libc than MagicQ is distributed
with. Try renaming /opt/magicq/lib/libstdc.so.6 to libstdc.so.6~ (this may require root) and
running again; this will allow MagicQ to use the system version of libstdc.so.6. If this fails,
rename the file back again and contact support.
MagicQ User Manual 526 / 579

Chapter 56

Button Functions

Shift
The shift buttons are used to select alternative functions for buttons and faders. There are three shift buttons on the console – one
at the top of each side of the touch-screen. The third is in the row of action buttons above the keypad.
The shift keys on external keyboards also have the same function.
Ctrl
The ctrl buttons are used to select alternative functions for buttons and faders. There are two shift buttons on the console – at the
top corners of the touchscreen.
Alternative functions include selecting views and making adjustments to the display and console light brightness.
The ctrl keys on external keyboards also have the same function.
Alt
The alt button is used to access alternative functions which do not have dedicated physical buttons. The alternative function is
outlined on the panel adjacent to the button in silver.
On all consoles

ALT + LEFT PAGE LEFT

ALT + RIGHT PAGE RIGHT
ALT + UP PAGE UP
ALT + DOWN PAGE DOWN
ALT + LOCATE DEF COLOUR
ALT + ALL SNAP COLOUR

On MagicQ Compact consoles (MQ40/MQ50/MQ60/MQ70) the additional functions are available

ALT + PROG MIN

ALT + OUT MAX
ALT + PATCH NEXT
ALT + MEDIA EXT
ALT + EXEC SIZE
ALT + CUE PLOT
ALT + PLAYBACK TIMELINE
ALT + STACK STORE MACRO
ALT + CUE STORE HELP
ALT + SINGLE PAIR
ALT + FAN MIRROR
ALT + GROUP HEAD
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ALT + THRU TIME

ALT + LAY 1 HOME
ALT + LAY 3 END

On MagicQ Stadium consoles

ALT + PROG MIN

ALT + OUT MAX
ALT + SETUP EXT
ALT + PATCH SIZE
ALT + HEAD HOME
ALT + TIME END

On all consoles ALT + ADD/SWAP will take a screenshot of the main screen (and external monitor, if present), and save it in a
folder called "screenshots/" in the MagicQ home folder.
Min
Used to minimise a window. Windows appear in the windows section of the screen.
Max
Used to maximise a window. Windows appear in the windows section of the screen. A maximised window is sized to the
complete main window area. The buttons around the edge of the screen and the status screen continue to be displayed.
Close
Used to close a window. Windows appear in the windows section of the screen. Pressing SHIFT and CLOSE causes all open
windows to be closed.
When using remote control then CTRL + CLOSE disconnects from the remote console.
Next Win
This button was supported on older MQ100/MQ200/MQ300 consoles.
It allowed the user to select the active window from the currently open windows. The order of window selection is fixed, so that
windows appear in a memorable sequence regardless of the order the windows were opened. Each press of the Next Win button
selects the next window in the open window list.
Windows appear in the windows section of the screen.
Ext
This button is used to move windows to/from external monitors. External monitors must first be configured in Setup, View
System, View Monitors.
Size
This button is used to modify the size and position of the active window on the screen. Pressing this button opens the Window
Size dialog box.
Windows appear in the windows section of the screen. The initial size is the maximised size – i.e. the window takes up the whole
of the window display area.
There are seventeen possible combinations of window size and position.
There are four half screen positions and 4 quarter screen positions.
There are four adjustable left hand positions and four adjustable right hand positions. Windows assigned to these positions will
auto size to take up the whole of the left hand or right hand space.
Prog
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Programmer Window the active window. If the window was not
open, then the window is opened.
MagicQ User Manual 528 / 579

The Programmer Window is used to view and modify the contents of the programmer.
Pressing and holding the Programmer button causes the Programmer Window to be temporarily made the active window until
the button is released.
Type the number 2 before pressing PROG to open an additional Prog window, the Prog Info Window.
Outputs
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Outputs Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Outputs Window enables the user to view the output channels in many different ways including level data, intensities,
movement, plan and colour display. It also allows input channels to be viewed.
In View Heads, the outputs are viewed by head enabling the operator to easily see the levels of different parameters.
In View Chans, there are two further options, View Int and View DMX. View Int shows all the intensity levels of patched channels
and their current level in percentage – i.e. a traditional theatre output screen.
View DMX shows the actual data being transmitted out / or received into the console. In View DMX, patched channels are
coloured according to function - intensity is shown in red, colour in yellow, position in green, and beam in white. Use soft button
A to change universe.
In View Plan, a plan of the lighting rig can be created and then used to easily identify the levels of different lamps according to
their position in the lighting rig.
Pressing and holding the Outputs button causes the Outputs Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button
is released.
Type the number 2 to 4 before pressing OUT to open additional Output Windows.
Setup
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Setup Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Setup Window is used to perform major operations on show data such as loading, saving and erasing shows. It is also used
to configure console settings and preferences.
The Setup Window has three views, View Settings, View DMX I/O and View System.
Pressing and holding the Control button causes the Setup Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Patch
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Patch Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Patch Window is used to patch dimmers and intelligent heads onto the console channels. It has four different views, HEADS
for general patching, CHANS for examining individual DMX channels, DMX for configuring dimmers and VIS for visualiser
items. See Patching for more details.
Pressing and holding the Patch button causes the Patch Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Vis
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Vis Window the active window. If the window was not open, then
the window is opened.
Note that the Vis window is only available within the console on MQ500M. On all other systems the Visualiser must be run on
an external PC/Mac.
Plot
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Vis Window the active window. If the window was not open, then
the window is opened.
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The Plot window is used to view a 2D Plot of the lighting rig, and to focus lights using the FOCUS HOLD and FOCUS LINE
features.
The Plot uses the XYZ data from the Patch Window for the placement of Heads.
Different elevations can be viewed. In VIEW DESIGN it is possible to reposition lights.
Macro
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Macro Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Macro Window allows the user to record and playback keyboard macros thus enabling them to customise buttons to perform
actions unique to their own style of operation.
The Autom view supports automation of MagicQ events. Pressing and holding the Macro button causes the Macro Window to
be temporarily made the active window until the button is released.
Help
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Help Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Help Window enables the manual to be viewed on-line on the console. The Help Window supports hyperlinks, searching,
and quick links.
Hyperlinks are shown underlined – press the text on the touch screen to jump to the hyperlink.
To find information on a particular button on the console, press and hold down the Help button and then press the button you
wish to get help on. On MagicQ PC/Mac version, press the BUTTON HELP soft button and then press the required button.
Pressing and holding the Help button causes the Help Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Page
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Page Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Page Window is used to select which page of Playbacks is currently in use. Selecting of Pages can also be done using the
Page Select buttons. The Page Window also provides a means for naming Pages.
Pressing and holding the Page button causes the Page Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Playbacks
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Playbacks Window the active window. If the window was not
open, then the window is opened.
The Playbacks Window is used to manage the allocation of Cue Stacks to Playbacks. Cue Stacks can be recorded, named,
removed, moved, and copied between Playbacks.
Pressing and holding the Playbacks button causes the Playbacks Window to be temporarily made the active window until the
button is released.
Execute
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Execute Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
Type the number 2 or 3 before pressing EXEC to open additional Execute Windows.
Cue
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Cue Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Cue Window is used to view and modify the contents of a Cue.
Also see Recording a Cue.
MagicQ User Manual 530 / 579

Pressing and holding the Cue button causes the Cue Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Cue Stack
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Cue Stack Window the active window. If the window was not
open, then the window is opened.
The Cue Stack Window is used to manage the steps in a Cue Stack. Steps can be recorded, named and removed. Cue timings
and settings can also be configured.
Also see recording of Cue Stacks.
Pressing and holding the Cue Stack button causes the Cue Stack Window to be temporarily made the active window until the
button is released.
Stack Store
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Stack Store Window the active window. If the window was not
open, then the window is opened.
The Stack Store Window is used to view all of the Cue Stacks stored on the console. Cue Stacks can be recorded, named,
removed, moved and copied.
Pressing and holding the Stack Store button causes the Stack Store Window to be temporarily made the active window until the
button is released.
Cue Store
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Cue Store Window the active window. If the window was not
open, then the window is opened.
The Cue Store Window is used to view all of the Cues stored on the console. Cues can be recorded, named, removed, moved and
copied.
Pressing and holding the Cue Store button causes the Cue Store Window to be temporarily made the active window until the
button is released.
Group
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Group Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Group Window is used to select heads. Selected heads can then be modified in the Intensity, Position, Colour, and Beam
Windows. The Window supports selecting of heads individually or by group.
Pressing and holding the Group button causes the Group Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Type the number 2 or 3 before pressing Group to open additional Group Windows.
Head
This button is used to select one or more heads directly from the keypad. Selected heads can then be modified in the Intensity,
Position, Colour, and Beam Windows.
This button is available on the MQ500. On Compact consoles press ALT + GROUP.
On any console heads can also be selected by typing the head number(s) followed by @@. The Head button simplifies this
syntax.
Intensity
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Intensity Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Intensity Window is used to set the level of dimmer channels and the intensity attributes of intelligent heads. The Window
supports two views, Programmer and Preset.
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Pressing and holding the Intensity button causes the Intensity Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button
is released.
FX
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the FX window the active window. If the window was not open, then
the window is opened.
The FX window enables users to store their favourite FX into a window for quick recall.
FX can also be applied directly from the Group window using the Add FX button. FX are applied to the currently selected heads.
If no heads are currently selected then the Group Window is opened to enable selection of heads.
Pressing and holding the FX button causes the FX Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is released.
Pos
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Pos Window the active window. If the window was not open, then
the window is opened.
The Pos Window is used to set and modify the position attributes of intelligent heads. The Pos Window also displays and allows
selection of Palette entries from the Position Palette.
It also supports the Flip function for moving heads.
Pressing and holding the Pos button causes the Pos Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is released.
Colour
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Colour Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Colour Window is used to set and modify the colour attributes of intelligent heads. The Colour Window also displays and
allows selection of Palette entries from the Colour Palette.
Pressing and holding the Colour button causes the Colour Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Pressing the colour button repeatedly cycles through the different colour views.
Beam
This is a Window select button. Pressing this button makes the Beam Window the active window. If the window was not open,
then the window is opened.
The Beam Window is used to set and modify the beam attributes of intelligent heads. The Beam Window also displays and
allows selection of Palette entries from the Beam Palette.
Pressing and holding the Beam button causes the Beam Window to be temporarily made the active window until the button is
released.
Pressing the beam button repeatedly cycles through the different beam pages.
Next Head
Used to select the next head from the currently selected heads. See selecting individual heads.
Prev Head
Used to select the previous head from the currently selected heads. See selecting individual heads.
Locate
Pressing LOCATE, locates all the selected heads.
Fan
Used to enter Fan Mode. Fan mode enables adjustments to a number of selected heads to be applied in a non-linear fashion.
Pressing and holding Fan enables Fan mode to be entered temporarily. Make your changes and then release the Fan button.
Highlight
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Used to enter Highlight Mode. Highlight mode enables adjustments to individual heads from the currently selected heads. The
individual head is highlighted whilst the others are made less bright.
Single
Used to enter Single Mode. Single mode enables adjustments to individual heads from the currently selected heads. Similar to
Highlight Mode but the head under adjustment is not highlighted.
All
Used to return control to all selected heads. Pressing ALL in Single Mode, Highlight Mode or Odd/Even Mode exits the mode.
See All.
Odd / Even
Used to enter Odd/Even Mode. Odd/Even mode gives control to the odd or even heads from the currently selected heads.
Mirror
Mirror reverses the pan information of the head.
The MQ500 includes a dedicated Mirror button. On Compact consoles press ALT + FAN.
See Flip/Mirror
Pair
The MQ500 includes a dedicated Pair button. On Compact consoles press ALT + SINGLE.
See Pair
Select
Used to select a playback as the current playback. Provides a means of selecting playbacks when slaving other consoles to the
MagicQ where the other console does not have separate flash and select buttons.
Also used to select playbacks that have been activated through the Playbacks Window as the current playback.
Release
The Release button is used to Release a playback – i.e. to make it inactive. By default Cue Stacks are configured so that they
release automatically when the fader is brought back to zero. However Cue Stacks can be configured to require a manual release.
See activating and releasing playbacks.
Blind
Used to enter Blind Mode. Blind mode stops the contents of the programmer from affecting the output channels of the console.
Clear
Used to clear the programmer.
Shift and Clear clears only the selected heads.
Ctrl and Clear clears all heads setting the values to 0.
Backspace
Used to remove the last character from the input.
If there is no input then it cancels any outstanding actions such as recording, naming. removing, moving or copying.
CTRL and backspace removes all input from the command line.
Set
An action button for setting show data.
Used to name playbacks and other items. Also used to set the values of items such as parameters.
Shift and Set is used for selecting icons.
Record
MagicQ User Manual 533 / 579

An action button for recording show data.

Used to record Cues onto playbacks and to record Groups, and to record Palettes
See also Recording a Cue.
Shift and Record is used to record but with additional record options.
Remove
An action button for removing show data.
Used to remove Cue Stacks from Playbacks, and to remove other items.
Undo
The Undo button allows the last few changes in the programmer to be undone. Press SHIFT and Undo to redo a change. The
Undo functionality is enable in the Setup Window, Settings View.
In versions before v1.8.2.1 MagicQ Undo does not undo patch, record, set, move, copy or any other actions. If a major mistake
is made then you can restore to a previous version of the show file using the Backup Archives feature.
From v1.8.2.1 MagicQ undo can now be set so that all actions can be undone except for a small number of file related functions
such as loading a new show file. In Setup, View Settings, Prog tab set "Undo mode" to "Undo programmer and actions".
Initially when UNDO is pressed any actions in the programmer will be undone - such as changes to head selection, head attributes
such as Int, Pos, Col, Beam. Pressing UNDO again will undo any programmer changes for a maximum of 4 undo steps. After
this Undo will start undoing actions including Record, Set, Move, Copy, Remove and Patch operations.
It is possible to redo any actions using SHIFT + UNDO. When some changes are undone, then once a new action is performed
(e.g. recording a new Cue) it is then not possible to Redo any of the actions that were previously undone. The new action, and
previous ones that have not been undone (or which have been redone) can be undone.
Press CTRL and UNDO to open the Undo History window. In the Undo history window it is possible to jump backwards and
forwards in the Undo history.
The Undo history is reset when loading a new show file, or restarting the console.
The toolbar now supports Undo, Redo and Undo History in the Edit Menu. Short cuts CTRL Z and CTRL Y are supported for
undo and redo respectively.
Note that this function is "beta" and undoing actions could cause problems with the show file - we strongly recommend saving
the show regularly to different named files and backing up to USB stick.
Include
An action button for including previously programmed show data back into the programmer.
Used to edit Cues. See Editing Cues.
Shift and Include is used to include but with a additional options.
Update
Used as part of the edit process to update a Cue that has been included into the programmer. See Editing Cues.
Copy
An action button for copying show data.
Used to copy Cue Stacks between Playbacks, and to copy other items.
Shift and Copy is used to perform linked/unlinked copies - the default depends upon the option Setup, View Settings, Copy
Unlinked.
Move
An action button for moving show data.
Used to move Cue Stacks between Playbacks, and to move other items.
Enc
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On the Stadium Connect this button is used to change the bank of encoders. The Stadium Connect has 4 enocders whereas all
other MagicQ consoless have 8 encoders.
Go
Used to activate a playback. Also used to start the next step in a Cue Stack when the step has been programmed to halt, or after
the user has pressed the Pause button.
See Playback Buttons.
Pause
Used to pause the execution of a Cue Stack.
See Playback Buttons.
S
Used to make the playback the current playback. This enables the Cue Stack on the Playback to be viewed in the Cue Stack
Window and the current Cue in that Cue Stack to be viewed in the Cue Window.
Pressing and holding a S button causes the Cue Stack Window / Cue Window to be temporarily made active until the button is
released. The Cue Stack / Cue Window shows data for the playback associated with the S button.
This enables easy modifications of Cue and Cue Stack parameters such as FX size and chase speed.
Also used when programming for determining which playback to record a Cue onto.
Pressing S two times quickly opens the Cue Stack window associated with the Playback.
Pressing S three times quickly opens the Cue Stack, Options window associated with the Playback.
Flash
Used to temporarily activate playbacks by adding or swapping in the Cue Stack from the playback to the outputs.
Grand Flash
A spare button that can be used for keyboard macros.
Sub Flash
A spare button that can be used for keyboard macros.
Next Page
Used to select the page of playbacks. See the page select overview for how pages work.
Prev Page
Used to select the page of playbacks. See the page select overview for how pages work.
Manual Go
This Go button is part of the manual control section and controls the current playback. It has the same functionality as the Go
button associated with a playback. It provides Go functionality for playbacks that do not have Go buttons.
Manual Pause
This Pause button is part of the manual control section and controls the current playback. It has the same functionality as the
Pause button associated with a playback. It provides Pause functionality for playbacks that do not have Pause buttons.
Big Go
This Go button is part of the manual control section and controls the current playback. It has the same functionality as the Go
button associated with a playback.
It is designed to be use for theatre style operation where one big GO button is important for cueing a show.
Fast Forward
The Fast Forward button is part of the manual control section and controls the current playback. It is used to bump a Cue Stack
to the next step immediately without fading. It is particularly useful when editing a Cue Stack to bump through Cues to find the
one to edit.
Fast Back
MagicQ User Manual 535 / 579

The Fast Back button is part of the manual control section and controls the current playback. It is used to bump a Cue Stack to
the previous step immediately without fading. It is particularly useful when editing a Cue Stack to bump through Cues to find
the one to edit.
Goto
The GOTO button is used to goto a Cue within the currently selected Playback. Press GOTO followed by a Cue ID and ENTER.
Tap
The TAP button is used to tap the time for the currently selected Playback.
Add / Swap
The Add / Swap buttons controls the function of flash buttons. See also the Add / Swap overview.
See Playback Buttons.
DBO
The Console Blackout Button, used for black-outs.
Numeric keys
Used for entering values for parameters. The console allows values to be entered before selecting the item to set on screen thus
making configuration of parameters quick and easy,
Can also be used for selecting intensities and selecting groups.
Used for entering gel numbers. Numbers are assumed to be Lee gel numbers unless preceded by a dot in which case they are
assumed to be rosco gel numbers.
Dot
Used for entering fractional numbers such as Cue Ids and times.
Also used for selecting elements from within multi element heads.
Divide
Used in Patching to specify an offset - the number fo channels between each head.
Also used as a separator when entering x / y coordinates and times and dates.
Mult
Used to select groups - e.g. 1** selects group 1.
Plus
The Plus key is used to select ranges of dimmers when selecting dimmers.
Minus
The Minus key is used to select ranges of dimmers when selecting dimmers.
Enter
The enter key is used for selecting items and to finish off an action – such as recording a window item, or editing a parameter
value.
Thru
The Thru key is used to select ranges of dimmers when selecting dimmers.
@
The @ key is used to specify levels for dimmers.
Also used as a shortcut to select heads - e.g. 1@@ selects head 1.
Full
The full key is used to indicate 100% when setting levels for dimmers.
Time
MagicQ User Manual 536 / 579

This button is used to specify times for dimmers.

This button is available on the MQ500. On Compact consoles press ALT + THRU.
Page Left
This key scrolls the active Window to the left. See Cursor Control.
Page Right
This key scrolls the active Window to the right. See Cursor Control.
Cursor Keys
Used to move the cursor around the active Window. See Cursor Control.
Top Soft
The function of these buttons is soft – i.e. it changes according to the active Window and the current view in that window. The
top soft buttons are generally used for menu items.
Side Soft
The function of these buttons is soft – i.e. it changes according to the active Window and the current view in that window.
The side soft buttons are closely associated with the encoders adjacent to them. For example, in the Beam Window on of the
encoder controls the gobo attribute of intelligent heads. Pressing the soft button bumps the gobo wheel onto the next gobo.
Pressing SHIFT and the soft button bumps the gobo wheel back to the previous gobo.
MagicQ User Manual 537 / 579

Chapter 57

Licensing

MagicQ consoles use the Debian and Ubuntu Operating Systems. Details and links to sources can be found at https://www.debian.org/-
and https://www.ubuntu.com/. The following are distributed alongside the MagicQ application.
Versions prior to v1.5.6.0 of MagicQ the software also used the MicroWindows library, details can be found at http://www.microwindows.
.
Art-Net™ Designed by and Copyright Artistic Licence Holdings Ltd".
Demos show files may contain audio and other media. Users are not permitted to extract audio or media files, or to use them for
any other purpose except training.

57.1 Qt

https://qt.io/

The Qt Company Qt LGPL Exception version 1.1

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Furthermore, you are not required to apply this additional permission to a

modified version of the Library.

GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

MagicQ User Manual 538 / 579

The Qt Toolkit is Copyright (C) 2016 The Qt Company Ltd.

Contact: http://www.qt.io/licensing/

You may use, distribute and copy the Qt Toolkit under the terms of
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MagicQ User Manual 539 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 540 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 541 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 542 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 543 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 544 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 545 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 546 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 547 / 579

57.2 LibPNG

http://www.libpng.org/

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James Yu

and with the following additions to the disclaimer:

There is no warranty against interference with your enjoyment of the

library or against infringement. There is no warranty that our
efforts or the library will fulfill any of your particular purposes
or needs. This library is provided with all faults, and the entire
risk of satisfactory quality, performance, accuracy, and effort is with
the user.

Some files in the "contrib" directory and some configure-generated

files that are distributed with libpng have other copyright owners and
are released under other open source licenses.

libpng versions 0.97, January 1998, through 1.0.6, March 20, 2000, are
Copyright (c) 1998-2000 Glenn Randers-Pehrson, are derived from
libpng-0.96, and are distributed according to the same disclaimer and
license as libpng-0.96, with the following individuals added to the list
of Contributing Authors:

Tom Lane
Glenn Randers-Pehrson
Willem van Schaik

libpng versions 0.89, June 1996, through 0.96, May 1997, are
Copyright (c) 1996-1997 Andreas Dilger, are derived from libpng-0.88,
and are distributed according to the same disclaimer and license as
libpng-0.88, with the following individuals added to the list of
MagicQ User Manual 548 / 579

Contributing Authors:

John Bowler
Kevin Bracey
Sam Bushell
Magnus Holmgren
Greg Roelofs
Tom Tanner

Some files in the "scripts" directory have other copyright owners

but are released under this license.

libpng versions 0.5, May 1995, through 0.88, January 1996, are
Copyright (c) 1995-1996 Guy Eric Schalnat, Group 42, Inc.

For the purposes of this copyright and license, "Contributing Authors"

is defined as the following set of individuals:

Andreas Dilger
Dave Martindale
Guy Eric Schalnat
Paul Schmidt
Tim Wegner

The PNG Reference Library is supplied "AS IS". The Contributing Authors
and Group 42, Inc. disclaim all warranties, expressed or implied,
including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability and of
fitness for any purpose. The Contributing Authors and Group 42, Inc.
assume no liability for direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary,
or consequential damages, which may result from the use of the PNG
Reference Library, even if advised of the possibility of such damage.

Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, modify, and distribute this

source code, or portions hereof, for any purpose, without fee, subject
to the following restrictions:

1. The origin of this source code must not be misrepresented.

2. Altered versions must be plainly marked as such and must not

be misrepresented as being the original source.

3. This Copyright notice may not be removed or altered from any

source or altered source distribution.

The Contributing Authors and Group 42, Inc. specifically permit, without
fee, and encourage the use of this source code as a component to
supporting the PNG file format in commercial products. If you use this
source code in a product, acknowledgment is not required but would be
appreciated.

END OF COPYRIGHT NOTICE, DISCLAIMER, and LICENSE.

TRADEMARK:

The name "libpng" has not been registered by the Copyright owner
as a trademark in any jurisdiction. However, because libpng has
been distributed and maintained world-wide, continually since 1995,
MagicQ User Manual 549 / 579

the Copyright owner claims "common-law trademark protection" in any

jurisdiction where common-law trademark is recognized.

OSI CERTIFICATION:

Libpng is OSI Certified Open Source Software. OSI Certified Open Source is
a certification mark of the Open Source Initiative. OSI has not addressed
the additional disclaimers inserted at version 1.0.7.

EXPORT CONTROL:

The Copyright owner believes that the Export Control Classification

Number (ECCN) for libpng is EAR99, which means not subject to export
controls or International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) because
it is open source, publicly available software, that does not contain
any encryption software. See the EAR, paragraphs 734.3(b)(3) and
734.7(b).

Glenn Randers-Pehrson
glennrp at users.sourceforge.net
December 29, 2016

57.3 LibJPEG

http://www.ijg.org/

This software is based in part on the work of the Independent JPEG Group.

The authors make NO WARRANTY or representation, either express or implied,

with respect to this software, its quality, accuracy, merchantability, or
fitness for a particular purpose. This software is provided "AS IS", and you,
its user, assume the entire risk as to its quality and accuracy.

This software is copyright (C) 1991-2016, Thomas G. Lane, Guido Vollbeding.

All Rights Reserved except as specified below.

Permission is hereby granted to use, copy, modify, and distribute this

software (or portions thereof) for any purpose, without fee, subject to these
conditions:
(1) If any part of the source code for this software is distributed, then this
README file must be included, with this copyright and no-warranty notice
unaltered; and any additions, deletions, or changes to the original files
must be clearly indicated in accompanying documentation.
(2) If only executable code is distributed, then the accompanying
documentation must state that "this software is based in part on the work of
the Independent JPEG Group".
(3) Permission for use of this software is granted only if the user accepts
full responsibility for any undesirable consequences; the authors accept
NO LIABILITY for damages of any kind.

These conditions apply to any software derived from or based on the IJG code,
not just to the unmodified library. If you use our work, you ought to
acknowledge us.
MagicQ User Manual 550 / 579

Permission is NOT granted for the use of any IJG author's name or company name
in advertising or publicity relating to this software or products derived from
it. This software may be referred to only as "the Independent JPEG Group's
software".

We specifically permit and encourage the use of this software as the basis of
commercial products, provided that all warranty or liability claims are
assumed by the product vendor.

The Unix configuration script "configure" was produced with GNU Autoconf.
It is copyright by the Free Software Foundation but is freely distributable.
The same holds for its supporting scripts (config.guess, config.sub,
ltmain.sh). Another support script, install-sh, is copyright by X Consortium
but is also freely distributable.

The IJG distribution formerly included code to read and write GIF files.
To avoid entanglement with the Unisys LZW patent (now expired), GIF reading
support has been removed altogether, and the GIF writer has been simplified
to produce "uncompressed GIFs". This technique does not use the LZW
algorithm; the resulting GIF files are larger than usual, but are readable
by all standard GIF decoders.

We are required to state that

"The Graphics Interchange Format(c) is the Copyright property of
CompuServe Incorporated. GIF(sm) is a Service Mark property of
CompuServe Incorporated."

57.4 LibJPEG-Turbo

https://github.com/libjpeg-turbo/libjpeg-turbo

Copyright (C)<YEAR> <AUTHOR>. All Rights Reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without modification,
are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:

Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
list of conditions and the following disclaimer.

Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice,

this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation
and/or other materials provided with the distribution. Neither the name of
the libjpeg-turbo Project nor the names of its contributors may be used to
endorse or promote products derived from this software without specific
prior written permission.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS", AND
ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE
FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER
MagicQ User Manual 551 / 579

CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR

TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF
THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

57.5 LibICU

http://site.icu-project.org/

ICU License - ICU 1.8.1 and later

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSION NOTICE

Copyright (c) 1995-2016 International Business Machines Corporation and others

All rights reserved.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining

a copy of this software and associated documentation files (the
"Software"), to deal in the Software without restriction, including
without limitation the rights to use, copy, modify, merge, publish,
distribute, and/or sell copies of the Software, and to permit persons
to whom the Software is furnished to do so, provided that the above
copyright notice(s) and this permission notice appear in all copies of
the Software and that both the above copyright notice(s) and this
permission notice appear in supporting documentation.

THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND,

EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF
MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT
OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR
HOLDERS INCLUDED IN THIS NOTICE BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, OR ANY
SPECIAL INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER
RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE, DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF
CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN
CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR PERFORMANCE OF THIS SOFTWARE.

Except as contained in this notice, the name of a copyright holder

shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale, use
or other dealings in this Software without prior written authorization
of the copyright holder.

All trademarks and registered trademarks mentioned herein are the

property of their respective owners.

---------------------

Third-Party Software Licenses

This section contains third-party software notices and/or additional

terms for licensed third-party software components included within ICU
libraries.

1. Unicode Data Files and Software

MagicQ User Manual 552 / 579

COPYRIGHT AND PERMISSION NOTICE

Copyright © 1991-2016 Unicode, Inc. All rights reserved.

Distributed under the Terms of Use in
http://www.unicode.org/copyright.html.

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining

a copy of the Unicode data files and any associated documentation
(the "Data Files") or Unicode software and any associated documentation
(the "Software") to deal in the Data Files or Software
without restriction, including without limitation the rights to use,
copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, and/or sell copies of
the Data Files or Software, and to permit persons to whom the Data Files
or Software are furnished to do so, provided that
(a) this copyright and permission notice appear with all copies
of the Data Files or Software,
(b) this copyright and permission notice appear in associated
documentation, and
(c) there is clear notice in each modified Data File or in the Software
as well as in the documentation associated with the Data File(s) or
Software that the data or software has been modified.

THE DATA FILES AND SOFTWARE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF
ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE
WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND
NONINFRINGEMENT OF THIRD PARTY RIGHTS.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR HOLDERS INCLUDED IN THIS
NOTICE BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, OR ANY SPECIAL INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL
DAMAGES, OR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER RESULTING FROM LOSS OF USE,
DATA OR PROFITS, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE OR OTHER
TORTIOUS ACTION, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OR
PERFORMANCE OF THE DATA FILES OR SOFTWARE.

Except as contained in this notice, the name of a copyright holder

shall not be used in advertising or otherwise to promote the sale,
use or other dealings in these Data Files or Software without prior
written authorization of the copyright holder.

2. Chinese/Japanese Word Break Dictionary Data (cjdict.txt)

# The Google Chrome software developed by Google is licensed under

# the BSD license. Other software included in this distribution is
# provided under other licenses, as set forth below.
#
# The BSD License
# http://opensource.org/licenses/bsd-license.php
# Copyright (C) 2006-2008, Google Inc.
#
# All rights reserved.
#
# Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
#
# Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice,
# this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
# Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above
MagicQ User Manual 553 / 579

# copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following

# disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided with
# the distribution.
# Neither the name of Google Inc. nor the names of its
# contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived from
# this software without specific prior written permission.
#
#
# THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND
# CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
# INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
# MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
# DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT OWNER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE
# LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR
# CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF
# SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR
# BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF
# LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING
# NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS
# SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
#
#
# The word list in cjdict.txt are generated by combining three word lists
# listed below with further processing for compound word breaking. The
# frequency is generated with an iterative training against Google web
# corpora.
#
# * Libtabe (Chinese)
# - https://sourceforge.net/project/?group_id=1519
# - Its license terms and conditions are shown below.
#
# * IPADIC (Japanese)
# - http://chasen.aist-nara.ac.jp/chasen/distribution.html
# - Its license terms and conditions are shown below.
#
# ---------COPYING.libtabe ---- BEGIN--------------------
#
# /*
# * Copyrighy (c) 1999 TaBE Project.
# * Copyright (c) 1999 Pai-Hsiang Hsiao.
# * All rights reserved.
# *
# * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
# * are met:
# *
# * . Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
# * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
# * . Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
# * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
# * the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
# * distribution.
# * . Neither the name of the TaBE Project nor the names of its
# * contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
# * from this software without specific prior written permission.
# *
# * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
MagicQ User Manual 554 / 579

# * "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
# * LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
# * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
# * REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
# * INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
# * (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
# * SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
# * HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT,
# * STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
# * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED
# * OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
# */
#
# /*
# * Copyright (c) 1999 Computer Systems and Communication Lab,
# * Institute of Information Science, Academia
# * Sinica. All rights reserved.
# *
# * Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# * modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
# * are met:
# *
# * . Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
# * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
# * . Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
# * notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in
# * the documentation and/or other materials provided with the
# * distribution.
# * . Neither the name of the Computer Systems and Communication Lab
# * nor the names of its contributors may be used to endorse or
# * promote products derived from this software without specific
# * prior written permission.
# *
# * THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
# * "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
# * LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
# * FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
# * REGENTS OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
# * INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
# * (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
# * SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
# * HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT,
# * STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
# * ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED
# * OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
# */
#
# Copyright 1996 Chih-Hao Tsai @ Beckman Institute,
# University of Illinois
# [email protected] http://casper.beckman.uiuc.edu/~c-tsai4
#
# ---------------COPYING.libtabe-----END--------------------------------
#
#
# ---------------COPYING.ipadic-----BEGIN-------------------------------
#
# Copyright 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 Nara Institute of Science
MagicQ User Manual 555 / 579

# and Technology. All Rights Reserved.

#
# Use, reproduction, and distribution of this software is permitted.
# Any copy of this software, whether in its original form or modified,
# must include both the above copyright notice and the following
# paragraphs.
#
# Nara Institute of Science and Technology (NAIST),
# the copyright holders, disclaims all warranties with regard to this
# software, including all implied warranties of merchantability and
# fitness, in no event shall NAIST be liable for
# any special, indirect or consequential damages or any damages
# whatsoever resulting from loss of use, data or profits, whether in an
# action of contract, negligence or other tortuous action, arising out
# of or in connection with the use or performance of this software.
#
# A large portion of the dictionary entries
# originate from ICOT Free Software. The following conditions for ICOT
# Free Software applies to the current dictionary as well.
#
# Each User may also freely distribute the Program, whether in its
# original form or modified, to any third party or parties, PROVIDED
# that the provisions of Section 3 ("NO WARRANTY") will ALWAYS appear
# on, or be attached to, the Program, which is distributed substantially
# in the same form as set out herein and that such intended
# distribution, if actually made, will neither violate or otherwise
# contravene any of the laws and regulations of the countries having
# jurisdiction over the User or the intended distribution itself.
#
# NO WARRANTY
#
# The program was produced on an experimental basis in the course of the
# research and development conducted during the project and is provided
# to users as so produced on an experimental basis. Accordingly, the
# program is provided without any warranty whatsoever, whether express,
# implied, statutory or otherwise. The term "warranty" used herein
# includes, but is not limited to, any warranty of the quality,
# performance, merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose of
# the program and the nonexistence of any infringement or violation of
# any right of any third party.
#
# Each user of the program will agree and understand, and be deemed to
# have agreed and understood, that there is no warranty whatsoever for
# the program and, accordingly, the entire risk arising from or
# otherwise connected with the program is assumed by the user.
#
# Therefore, neither ICOT, the copyright holder, or any other
# organization that participated in or was otherwise related to the
# development of the program and their respective officials, directors,
# officers and other employees shall be held liable for any and all
# damages, including, without limitation, general, special, incidental
# and consequential damages, arising out of or otherwise in connection
# with the use or inability to use the program or any product, material
# or result produced or otherwise obtained by using the program,
# regardless of whether they have been advised of, or otherwise had
# knowledge of, the possibility of such damages at any time during the
# project or thereafter. Each user will be deemed to have agreed to the
MagicQ User Manual 556 / 579

# foregoing by his or her commencement of use of the program. The term

# "use" as used herein includes, but is not limited to, the use,
# modification, copying and distribution of the program and the
# production of secondary products from the program.
#
# In the case where the program, whether in its original form or
# modified, was distributed or delivered to or received by a user from
# any person, organization or entity other than ICOT, unless it makes or
# grants independently of ICOT any specific warranty to the user in
# writing, such person, organization or entity, will also be exempted
# from and not be held liable to the user for any such damages as noted
# above as far as the program is concerned.
#
# ---------------COPYING.ipadic-----END----------------------------------

3. Lao Word Break Dictionary Data (laodict.txt)

# Copyright (c) 2013 International Business Machines Corporation

# and others. All Rights Reserved.
#
# Project: http://code.google.com/p/lao-dictionary/
# Dictionary: http://lao-dictionary.googlecode.com/git/Lao-Dictionary.txt
# License: http://lao-dictionary.googlecode.com/git/Lao-Dictionary-LICENSE.txt
# (copied below)
#
# This file is derived from the above dictionary, with slight
# modifications.
# ----------------------------------------------------------------------
# Copyright (C) 2013 Brian Eugene Wilson, Robert Martin Campbell.
# All rights reserved.
#
# Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# modification,
# are permitted provided that the following conditions are met:
#
#
# Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright notice, this
# list of conditions and the following disclaimer. Redistributions in
# binary form must reproduce the above copyright notice, this list of
# conditions and the following disclaimer in the documentation and/or
# other materials provided with the distribution.
#
#
# THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND CONTRIBUTORS
# "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
# LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS
# FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE
# COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT,
# INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES
# (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR
# SERVICES; LOSS OF USE, DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION)
# HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT,
# STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE)
# ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED
# OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
MagicQ User Manual 557 / 579

4. Burmese Word Break Dictionary Data (burmesedict.txt)

# Copyright (c) 2014 International Business Machines Corporation

# and others. All Rights Reserved.
#
# This list is part of a project hosted at:
# github.com/kanyawtech/myanmar-karen-word-lists
#
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------
# Copyright (c) 2013, LeRoy Benjamin Sharon
# All rights reserved.
#
# Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without
# modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
# are met: Redistributions of source code must retain the above
# copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
# disclaimer. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the
# above copyright notice, this list of conditions and the following
# disclaimer in the documentation and/or other materials provided
# with the distribution.
#
# Neither the name Myanmar Karen Word Lists, nor the names of its
# contributors may be used to endorse or promote products derived
# from this software without specific prior written permission.
#
# THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND
# CONTRIBUTORS "AS IS" AND ANY EXPRESS OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES,
# INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF
# MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE
# DISCLAIMED. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COPYRIGHT HOLDER OR CONTRIBUTORS
# BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL,
# EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED
# TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
# DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON
# ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR
# TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF
# THE USE OF THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF
# SUCH DAMAGE.
# --------------------------------------------------------------------------

5. Time Zone Database

ICU uses the public domain data and code derived from Time Zone
Database for its time zone support. The ownership of the TZ database
is explained in BCP 175: Procedure for Maintaining the Time Zone
Database section 7.

# 7. Database Ownership
#
# The TZ database itself is not an IETF Contribution or an IETF
# document. Rather it is a pre-existing and regularly updated work
# that is in the public domain, and is intended to remain in the
# public domain. Therefore, BCPs 78 [RFC5378] and 79 [RFC3979] do
# not apply to the TZ Database or contributions that individuals make
# to it. Should any claims be made and substantiated against the TZ
# Database, the organization that is providing the IANA
# Considerations defined in this RFC, under the memorandum of
MagicQ User Manual 558 / 579

# understanding with the IETF, currently ICANN, may act in accordance

# with all competent court orders. No ownership claims will be made
# by ICANN or the IETF Trust on the database or the code. Any person
# making a contribution to the database or code waives all rights to
# future claims in that contribution or in the TZ Database.

57.6 FFmpeg Binary

https://ffmpeg.org/

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

Version 2, June 1991

Copyright (C) 1989, 1991 Free Software Foundation, Inc.,

51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

Preamble

The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
freedom to share and change it. By contrast, the GNU General Public
License is intended to guarantee your freedom to share and change free
software--to make sure the software is free for all its users. This
General Public License applies to most of the Free Software
Foundation's software and to any other program whose authors commit to
using it. (Some other Free Software Foundation software is covered by
the GNU Lesser General Public License instead.) You can apply it to
your programs, too.

When we speak of free software, we are referring to freedom, not

price. Our General Public Licenses are designed to make sure that you
have the freedom to distribute copies of free software (and charge for
this service if you wish), that you receive source code or can get it
if you want it, that you can change the software or use pieces of it
in new free programs; and that you know you can do these things.

To protect your rights, we need to make restrictions that forbid

anyone to deny you these rights or to ask you to surrender the rights.
These restrictions translate to certain responsibilities for you if you
distribute copies of the software, or if you modify it.

For example, if you distribute copies of such a program, whether

gratis or for a fee, you must give the recipients all the rights that
you have. You must make sure that they, too, receive or can get the
source code. And you must show them these terms so they know their
rights.

We protect your rights with two steps: (1) copyright the software, and
(2) offer you this license which gives you legal permission to copy,
distribute and/or modify the software.

Also, for each author's protection and ours, we want to make certain
that everyone understands that there is no warranty for this free
MagicQ User Manual 559 / 579

software. If the software is modified by someone else and passed on, we

want its recipients to know that what they have is not the original, so
that any problems introduced by others will not reflect on the original
authors' reputations.

Finally, any free program is threatened constantly by software

patents. We wish to avoid the danger that redistributors of a free
program will individually obtain patent licenses, in effect making the
program proprietary. To prevent this, we have made it clear that any
patent must be licensed for everyone's free use or not licensed at all.

The precise terms and conditions for copying, distribution and

modification follow.

GNU GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR COPYING, DISTRIBUTION AND MODIFICATION

0. This License applies to any program or other work which contains

a notice placed by the copyright holder saying it may be distributed
under the terms of this General Public License. The "Program", below,
refers to any such program or work, and a "work based on the Program"
means either the Program or any derivative work under copyright law:
that is to say, a work containing the Program or a portion of it,
either verbatim or with modifications and/or translated into another
language. (Hereinafter, translation is included without limitation in
the term "modification".) Each licensee is addressed as "you".

Activities other than copying, distribution and modification are not

covered by this License; they are outside its scope. The act of
running the Program is not restricted, and the output from the Program
is covered only if its contents constitute a work based on the
Program (independent of having been made by running the Program).
Whether that is true depends on what the Program does.

1. You may copy and distribute verbatim copies of the Program's

source code as you receive it, in any medium, provided that you
conspicuously and appropriately publish on each copy an appropriate
copyright notice and disclaimer of warranty; keep intact all the
notices that refer to this License and to the absence of any warranty;
and give any other recipients of the Program a copy of this License
along with the Program.

You may charge a fee for the physical act of transferring a copy, and
you may at your option offer warranty protection in exchange for a fee.

2. You may modify your copy or copies of the Program or any portion
of it, thus forming a work based on the Program, and copy and
distribute such modifications or work under the terms of Section 1
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whole or in part contains or is derived from the Program or any
part thereof, to be licensed as a whole at no charge to all third
parties under the terms of this License.
MagicQ User Manual 560 / 579

c) If the modified program normally reads commands interactively

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These requirements apply to the modified work as a whole. If

identifiable sections of that work are not derived from the Program,
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Thus, it is not the intent of this section to claim rights or contest

your rights to work written entirely by you; rather, the intent is to
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In addition, mere aggregation of another work not based on the Program

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3. You may copy and distribute the Program (or a work based on it,
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associated interface definition files, plus the scripts used to
MagicQ User Manual 561 / 579

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If any portion of this section is held invalid or unenforceable under

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It is not the purpose of this section to induce you to infringe any

MagicQ User Manual 562 / 579

patents or other property right claims or to contest validity of any

such claims; this section has the sole purpose of protecting the
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WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY AND/OR
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MagicQ User Manual 563 / 579

INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING

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END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

How to Apply These Terms to Your New Programs

If you develop a new program, and you want it to be of the greatest

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<one line to give the program's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
Copyright (C) <year> <name of author>

This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify

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This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,

but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
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You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
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Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

If the program is interactive, make it output a short notice like this

when it starts in an interactive mode:

Gnomovision version 69, Copyright (C) year name of author

Gnomovision comes with ABSOLUTELY NO WARRANTY; for details type `show w'.
This is free software, and you are welcome to redistribute it
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The hypothetical commands `show w' and `show c' should show the appropriate
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mouse-clicks or menu items--whatever suits your program.

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the program, if
necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:

Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the program

MagicQ User Manual 564 / 579

`Gnomovision' (which makes passes at compilers) written by James Hacker.

<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1989

Ty Coon, President of Vice

This General Public License does not permit incorporating your program into
proprietary programs. If your program is a subroutine library, you may
consider it more useful to permit linking proprietary applications with the
library. If this is what you want to do, use the GNU Lesser General
Public License instead of this License.

57.7 FFmpeg Library

https://ffmpeg.org/

GNU LESSER GENERAL PUBLIC LICENSE

Version 2.1, February 1999

Copyright (C) 1991, 1999 Free Software Foundation, Inc.

51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA
Everyone is permitted to copy and distribute verbatim copies
of this license document, but changing it is not allowed.

[This is the first released version of the Lesser GPL. It also counts
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The licenses for most software are designed to take away your
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MagicQ User Manual 565 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 566 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 567 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 568 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 570 / 579

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MagicQ User Manual 571 / 579

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excluded. In such case, this License incorporates the limitation as if
written in the body of this License.

13. The Free Software Foundation may publish revised and/or new
versions of the Lesser General Public License from time to time.
Such new versions will be similar in spirit to the present version,
but may differ in detail to address new problems or concerns.

Each version is given a distinguishing version number. If the Library

specifies a version number of this License which applies to it and
"any later version", you have the option of following the terms and
conditions either of that version or of any later version published by
the Free Software Foundation. If the Library does not specify a
license version number, you may choose any version ever published by
the Free Software Foundation.

14. If you wish to incorporate parts of the Library into other free
programs whose distribution conditions are incompatible with these,
write to the author to ask for permission. For software which is
copyrighted by the Free Software Foundation, write to the Free
Software Foundation; we sometimes make exceptions for this. Our
decision will be guided by the two goals of preserving the free status
of all derivatives of our free software and of promoting the sharing
and reuse of software generally.

NO WARRANTY

15. BECAUSE THE LIBRARY IS LICENSED FREE OF CHARGE, THERE IS NO

WARRANTY FOR THE LIBRARY, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.
MagicQ User Manual 572 / 579

EXCEPT WHEN OTHERWISE STATED IN WRITING THE COPYRIGHT HOLDERS AND/OR

OTHER PARTIES PROVIDE THE LIBRARY "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY
KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE
IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE. THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE
LIBRARY IS WITH YOU. SHOULD THE LIBRARY PROVE DEFECTIVE, YOU ASSUME
THE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR OR CORRECTION.

16. IN NO EVENT UNLESS REQUIRED BY APPLICABLE LAW OR AGREED TO IN

WRITING WILL ANY COPYRIGHT HOLDER, OR ANY OTHER PARTY WHO MAY MODIFY
AND/OR REDISTRIBUTE THE LIBRARY AS PERMITTED ABOVE, BE LIABLE TO YOU
FOR DAMAGES, INCLUDING ANY GENERAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR
CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE
LIBRARY (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF DATA OR DATA BEING
RENDERED INACCURATE OR LOSSES SUSTAINED BY YOU OR THIRD PARTIES OR A
FAILURE OF THE LIBRARY TO OPERATE WITH ANY OTHER SOFTWARE), EVEN IF
SUCH HOLDER OR OTHER PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH
DAMAGES.

END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

How to Apply These Terms to Your New Libraries

If you develop a new library, and you want it to be of the greatest

possible use to the public, we recommend making it free software that
everyone can redistribute and change. You can do so by permitting
redistribution under these terms (or, alternatively, under the terms of the
ordinary General Public License).

To apply these terms, attach the following notices to the library. It is

safest to attach them to the start of each source file to most effectively
convey the exclusion of warranty; and each file should have at least the
"copyright" line and a pointer to where the full notice is found.

<one line to give the library's name and a brief idea of what it does.>
Copyright (C) <year> <name of author>

This library is free software; you can redistribute it and/or

modify it under the terms of the GNU Lesser General Public
License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either
version 2.1 of the License, or (at your option) any later version.

This library is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,

but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU
Lesser General Public License for more details.

You should have received a copy of the GNU Lesser General Public
License along with this library; if not, write to the Free Software
Foundation, Inc., 51 Franklin Street, Fifth Floor, Boston, MA 02110-1301 USA

Also add information on how to contact you by electronic and paper mail.

You should also get your employer (if you work as a programmer) or your
school, if any, to sign a "copyright disclaimer" for the library, if
necessary. Here is a sample; alter the names:
MagicQ User Manual 573 / 579

Yoyodyne, Inc., hereby disclaims all copyright interest in the

library `Frob' (a library for tweaking knobs) written by James Random Hacker.

<signature of Ty Coon>, 1 April 1990

Ty Coon, President of Vice

That's all there is to it!

57.8 LibArchive

http://www.libarchive.org/

Copyright (c) 2003-2010 Tim Kientzle

All rights reserved.

Redistribution and use in source and binary forms, with or without

modification, are permitted provided that the following conditions
are met:
1. Redistributions of source code must retain the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer.
2. Redistributions in binary form must reproduce the above copyright
notice, this list of conditions and the following disclaimer in the
documentation and/or other materials provided with the distribution.

THIS SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED BY THE AUTHOR(S) ``AS IS'' AND ANY EXPRESS OR
IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES
OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE ARE DISCLAIMED.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHOR(S) BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT,
INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING, BUT
NOT LIMITED TO, PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES; LOSS OF USE,
DATA, OR PROFITS; OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION) HOWEVER CAUSED AND ON ANY
THEORY OF LIABILITY, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR TORT
(INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE OR OTHERWISE) ARISING IN ANY WAY OUT OF THE USE OF
THIS SOFTWARE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE.

57.9 Zlib

http://www.zlib.net/

Copyright (C) 1995-2013 Jean-loup Gailly and Mark Adler

This software is provided 'as-is', without any express or implied

warranty. In no event will the authors be held liable for any damages
arising from the use of this software.

Permission is granted to anyone to use this software for any purpose,

including commercial applications, and to alter it and redistribute it
freely, subject to the following restrictions:

1. The origin of this software must not be misrepresented; you must not
MagicQ User Manual 574 / 579

claim that you wrote the original software. If you use this software
in a product, an acknowledgment in the product documentation would be
appreciated but is not required.
2. Altered source versions must be plainly marked as such, and must not be
misrepresented as being the original software.
3. This notice may not be removed or altered from any source distribution.

Jean-loup Gailly Mark Adler

[email protected] [email protected]

The data format used by the zlib library is described by RFCs (Request for
Comments) 1950 to 1952 in the files http://tools.ietf.org/html/rfc1950
(zlib format), rfc1951 (deflate format) and rfc1952 (gzip format).

57.10 PortAudio

http://www.portaudio.com/

PortAudio Portable Real-Time Audio Library

Copyright (c) 1999-2011 Ross Bencina and Phil Burk

Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of ←-

this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal in ←-
the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights to ←-
use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell copies ←-
of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is furnished to do ←-
so, subject to the following conditions:

The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all ←-
copies or substantial portions of the Software.
THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED ←-
, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A ←-
PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, ←-
DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE ←-
, ARISING FROM, OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER ←-
DEALINGS IN THE SOFTWARE.
MagicQ User Manual 575 / 579

Chapter 58

Glossary

Active
Function of loading all parameters for selected heads into the programmer.
Art-Net
A protocol for transporting DMX over Ethernet LAN.
Attributes
Intelligent heads support a number of different functions that can be controlled via DMX – typically pan, tilt, colour, gobo
etc. . . Each of these functions that can be controlled by a separate DMX channel is referred to as an attribute.
Attribute Type
Attributes of intelligent heads are categorised into one of four types - Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam.
Battery Back-up
The console supports battery back up, as an option. If fitted, this ensures that if there is a temporary interruption to the
console power supply, the console continues to function. The battery will last for a specified time (usually 15 minutes)
before the power should be restored or the console shut down.
Beam
An attribute type - attributes of an intelligent head that modify the make up of the beam are categorised as beam attributes.
Examples are the shutter, iris, gobo wheels and prism wheels.
Calibration
A process of adjustment. Used on MagicQ to adjust the touch screen so that touching the screen in a particular position
gives an accurate result.

Channel
The basic unit of control on the console. Each Universe has 512 channels.
Chase
A sequence of steps to modify channel values over time. On the MagicQ a chase is made up of a sequence of Cues in a
Cue Stack.
Colour
An attribute type - attributes of an intelligent head that modify the colour of the beam are categorised as colour attributes.
Examples are colour wheels and colour mixing attributes.

Contrast
The Contrast for the wing LCD screens enables the viewing angle of the screens to be modified.
MagicQ User Manual 576 / 579

Crossfade
Crossfade of a chase or an FX refers to how changes are made to the output channels when moving from step to step of
a chase or FX. Crossfade of 100% indicates a smooth fade from one value to the next. Crossfade of 0% indicates a snap
from one value to the next.

Cue
The basic unit of storage on the console. A Cue stores level, timing and FX information for a single look.
Cue Stack
A sequence of Cues that can be played in order.

Cue Store
A list of all the Cues stored on the console.
Cue Stack Store
A list of all the Cues Stacks stored on the console.

DBO
Dead Black Out. The DBO button when pressed causes all HTP channels to be set to zero. On release all HTP channels
are returned to their previous values.
Console Lamp
Low voltage lamp which connects into the rear panel. Used to light up the console surface. The console supports 2 or more
console lamps depending on the number of attached wings.
DMX
DMX512 protocol.

Encoder
Rotary dial used for easy control of parameters.
Ethernet
A method of connecting data equipment together in the form of a Local Area Network (LAN).

Fan
Method of modifying parameters using encoders whereby different changes are applied to the selected heads such that the
parameter is fanned across the heads.
File Manager
A Window used for organising show data stored on the MagicQ internal disc and on external USB sticks.

Flip
For moving heads with 360 degree pan movement there is more than one setting for the pan and tilt attributes for each
physical position. Flip modifies the pan and tilt attributes to the alternate settings.
FX
FX is short for EFFECTS. The FX generator enables complex variations to be applied to parameters over time. For example
a circle FX applied to the position attributes of a moving head causes it to move in a circle.
Gel
Coloured film that is placed in front of lights to modify the colour of the beam. The MagicQ stores a Gel colour for each
dimmer, which makes identification and programming easy.

Generic
A generic dimmer channel. A head with a single channel which controls a dimmer from 0 to 100%.
MagicQ User Manual 577 / 579

Grand Master
The master fader which controls HTP levels for the entire console.
Gobo
A patterned object placed in front of a light source to modify the shape of the beam. Intelligent heads typically contain one
or more wheels of gobos.
Head
An intelligent head

Include
Loading a Cue into the Programmer.
Intensity
An attribute type - the attribute of an intelligent head that controls the intensity of the mean. Often referred to as the
dimmer.

Keyboard
The console includes an external keyboard, which connects into a socket on the back panel marked keyboard.
Keypad
The numerical keypad situation to the bottom left of the console. The layout of the keypad is similar to that found on
standard PC keyboards with the addition of @, THRU and FULL buttons for quick control of lamp intensities.
LAN
Local Area Network
MagicQ PC
The PC version of the MagicQ console – enables editing and running of shows from PCs.
Mark Cue
A special Cue for preloading LTP values prior to the following Cue.
Master
The Playback Master can be configured to control the HTP level of the Playbacks or the HTP level of Add/Swap buttons.
Merge
A method of combining input and output channels. The console supports output of any input channels on any output
channels.

Mouse
Pointing device used to select items on a screen. The MagicQ supports an optional mouse for users who do not wish to use
the touch screen.
Move When Dark
A Cue Stack Option that enables automatic pre-loading of LTP values for following Cues when heads are at zero intensity.

Multi Windows
MagicQ allows any of the Windows to be moved onto a remote PC using the MagicQ Multi Window PC application.
Page
MagicQ supports multiple pages of Playbacks. The page can be selected through buttons or through the Page Window.

Parameter
A value of a function that can be changed. Typically used to describe the parameters of an FX - such as size and speed.
MagicQ User Manual 578 / 579

Patch
The way of setting up the console so that it knows what lights are connected to it. The MagicQ supports a complete
Window, the Patch Window for controlling patching.

PathPort
A protocol for transporting DMX over Ethernet LAN.
Palette
The console supports Intensity, Position, Colour and Beam palettes. Entries in each palette can be used to quickly store
and recall your favourite looks.

Playback
A fader or button which activates a Cue Stack. The console supports physical playbacks (faders and buttons) and also
virtual playbacks through the Playbacks window.
Position
An attribute type - attributes of an intelligent head that modify the position of the beam are categorised as position attributes.
Pan and Tilt are Pan Lo and Tilt Lo are normally the only attributes of this type.
Programmer
The functional area of the MagicQ where show data is set up before it is recorded into Cues.

Record
Record button is used to record items into memory.
Record Merge
A method of merging the Programmer contents into an existing Cue

Record Remove
A method of removing the Programmer contents into an existing Cue
Snapshot
Loading the current outputs into the Programmer.

Spread
Offset between heads in an FX.
Stack
Short for Cue Stack.

Stack Store
Short for Cue Stack Store.
Touch Screen
The display supports a touch screen enabling functions of the console to be accessed by simply pressing the screen in the
appropriate place.

Universe
A collection of 512 DMX channels.
USB
Universal Serial Bus - a serial bus available on all new PCs and lap-tops since around 1996.

USB stick
A USB device for storing show data and for transferring data to or from PCs.
MagicQ User Manual 579 / 579

Views
The console support several views for each Window, selectable using the top left soft buttons. In addition the console
stores complete Window Layouts comprising the details of Window position and sizes. These can be recalled using CTRL
and the top soft buttons.

Waveform FX
The core waveform FX contained on the console such as Circle, RGB, Sine, Pulse, etc. . . The waveform FX contains
value information for up to 3 attributes and 1 or more heads.
Wing
MagicQ supports both programming (Mini, PC, Maxi) wings and playback (Playback, Execute, Extra) wings.