Lighting Manual
Lighting Manual
Lighting Manual
User Manual
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instructions herein are subject to change without notice. ADJ logo and identifying product names
and numbers herein are trademarks of ADJ PRODUCTS LLC. Copyright protection claimed includes
all forms and matters of copyrightable materials and information now allowed by statutory or judicial
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ADJ PRODUCTS LLC and all affiliated companies hereby disclaim any and all liabilities for property,
equipment, building, and electrical damages, injuries to any persons, and direct or indirect economic
loss associated with the use or reliance of any information contained within this document, and/or as
a result of the improper, unsafe, insufficient and negligent assembly, installation, rigging, and
operation of products related to the operation of this software.
DOCUMENT VERSION
Please check www.adj.com for the latest revision/update of this manual.
Document
Date Notes
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Checklist:
Before you begin, ensure you have all the following tools:
- USB-DMX interface
- PC/laptop computer running Microsoft Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8, or 10
- USB cable
- ADJ Compu Show executable file downloaded from the ADJ website.
Quickly and easily program complex effects with moving fixtures, and trigger them with audio, MIDI,
DMX, time, and many other methods. You can even copy your scenes onto an SD card to be used
without a computer.
This real-time 3D visualizer allows you to pre-program your show without lighting fixtures. This
software allows you to simulate how your lighting effects will look on a virtual stage. Although it
allows you to program your show visually, Easy View is not required to program your show.
This software is ideal to synchronize lighting effects with audio and video. If you are familiar with
audio editing software, EasyShow includes timelines where you can drag, drop, expand, and scroll
your lighting effects along with Audio and Video timelines.
You can create your own profiles, or modify existing profiles for lighting fixtures. Many effects are
included (color, gobo, gobo rotation, prism, etc.).
Once the software installation is complete, Launch Compu Show and the interface is
connect your interface to the USB socket. detected automatically.
Connect the Male (3/5 pins) end of the XLR cable
into the Compu Show DMX interface (Compu
Cue Basic, Compu Cue, or Compu SDE) and
connect the female (3/5 holes) end of the XLR
into your first fixture.
There is a profile for almost every fixture on the market. Fixture profiles can be created and edited
with the ‘Scan Library’ editor software. For more details on how to make Scan Library profiles; see
the Scan Library tutorial.
The main concepts of ADJ’s Compu Show are pages, scenes, and switches:
- each fixture type has its own page
- each page contains scenes and switches
- a scene controls multiple channel types (i.e. color AND gobo AND X/Y), and only one scene can
be activated on a page at one time
- a switch controls one channel type (i.e. color OR gobo OR X/Y), although it is possible to have
as many switches activated as you like (as long as they don’t affect the same channel type).
For example, you could have a scene whereby the lights are moving and dimming up and down. You
can then make a ‘red wash’ switch, and when the switch is activated, the moving scene will
continue, but the lights turn red. Switches are good for quick temporary changes, and scenes are
where you will usually store your programming for your main lighting.
The window panels can be re-arranged by dragging and dropping. To start off, the only panels
required are the pages and master panels.
Step 1
Select your fixture from the left. Fixtures are ordered by manufacturer. In the example above, we are
creating a page for our imaginary moving head, which can be found in the ‘Generic’ folder.
The software needs to know how many fixtures are being used, and the starting DMX address. In the
example below, we have 8 moving heads starting at address 1.
Step 3
The highest pan and tilt values of a fixture can be set here. For example, if you are using a moving
head in the corner of a room in a club, you probably will not want the light beam to spend 50% of
the time shining away from the room.
The software will now create pre-programmed switches for many of the common presets of the fixture.
Step 5
A collection of SWITCHES can be saved into a SCENE, and a new SCENE can be created here.
SCENES and SWITCHES can be edited using the EasyStep tool or the EasyTime tool. In this
chapter, we will create a simple movement using the EasyStep tool. Click the beam open icon to
automatically activate the shutter, iris, and dimmer channels. Create a new scene and make sure ‘As
you see now’ is selected and select ‘OK + Edit.’
Select the fixtures you wish to control here (1). Presets can be modified here (2).
Each channel mode can be set here. By default, all channels are set to off. To make a simple
movement pattern, assign the EasyStep tool to the pan and tilt channels. Drag the EasyStep icon
here and hold ctrl to select multiple channels.
In addition to the preset tab, you can also adjust your fixtures by using the faders tab, then moving
the X and Y faders to position the fixtures.
Once the parameters have been adjusted, click here (1) to create a new step, then move the X and Y
faders to the second position. EasyStep can be previewed by clicking here (2).
Fade and wait times can be added by double-clicking a step, or by clicking the clock icon.
Click the open beam button to automatically open the dimmer, iris, and shutter. Create a new scene,
making sure ‘As you see now’ is selected, then select ‘OK + Edit.’
Switch off basic positioning here (1). Select the fixtures you wish to control here (2). Presets can be
modified here (3).
Assign the EasyTime tool to the pan and tilt channels. Drag the EasyTime icon here and hold ctrl to
select multiple channels.
Click here to compress all moving head pan and tilt channels together, then drag a pan/tilt effect.
To edit your effect, select ‘Automatic curve’ (1); to add phasing to your effect select (2), and to
change the length of the effect select (3). For more information on the effects available with
EasyTime; see the EasyTime effects chapters.
Almost all software features can be mapped to a MIDI controller. For example, dimmers can be
controlled by faders, scenes can be triggered by buttons and commands such as ‘BPM Tap,’
‘Fixture selection,’ and ‘Live record’ can be mapped.
To map a MIDI console, open the console window and right-click to choose the console you wish to
add. If your console is not listed, this can be built with the Console Builder application available from
the ‘Other Windows’ button on the ribbon bar.
There are a range of consoles that are pre-mapped. Two such mappings are documented below. If a
pre-mapped console is available, a message box will appear when a console is added asking if you
would like to load the mappings.
For more information on controlling the software from MIDI/DMX/tablet/smartphone, see the
‘External Control & Triggering’ chapter.
Left Section
The faders and buttons to the left are used to control the pages. Each of the 8 columns represents a
page. 8 banks of pages can be selected using the up/down arrows giving the possibility to control
up to 64 pages. This is expandable to 128 if required by mapping the remaining 8 spare pages. Each
column is mapped to the following:
- Right arrow: Select the next button on the page
- Left arrow: Select the previous button on the page
- Number: Select the page
- Fader: Page dimmer.
Center Section
- Master fader: Controls the master dimmer of the entire show
- BO: Opens and closes the beams of all lighting fixtures in the entire show
- 4x4 button matrix: Select a compression/effect type. Use the arrows to cycle through the
compressions on the selected page. The bottom ‘?’ button allows you to select buttons that are
not included in any compression/effect type
- 5x4 button matrix: Currently unused except for the ‘Enter’ key, which is used to play the selected
button. These can be mapped to favorite scenes/switches
- 5x2 button matrix: These are mapped to software function. Edit a button, close the button editor,
create a scene, create a switch, record a cycle, record a live edit, clear a live edit, tap the BPM,
sync the BPM.
Right Section
This area is used for choosing fixtures, scenes, switches, and cycles on the selected page. 4 banks
or 32 buttons are available. The bank can be changed using the up/down arrows, giving access to
128 buttons/fixtures/groups. This is expandable to 512 by mapping the remaining 12 spare pages.
The function of the 32 buttons depends on the selected mode button to the left:
- Fixt: Selects fixtures
- Grp: Selects groups
- Sel: Selects buttons
- Btn: Plays buttons
Wheel Section
The wheels change the speed, phase, size, and dimmer of the selected button. Pressing the wheels
will reset the default value. If a color mix effect type is selected, the wheels will control Red/Cyan,
Green/Magenta, Blue/Yellow, and Dimmer. If a pan/tilt effect type is selected, the wheels will control
Pan, Tilt, 16 bit Pan, 16 bit Tilt. The 2 arrows can be used to jump between selected scenes within
the selected compression/effect type.
Center Section
- Master fader: Controls the master dimmer of the entire show
- BO: Opens and closes the beams of all lighting fixtures in the entire show
Right Section
This area is used for choosing fixtures, scenes, switches, and cycles on the selected page. 4 banks
of 32 buttons are available. The bank can be changed using the up/down arrows, giving access to
128 buttons/fixtures/groups. This is expandable to 512 by mapping the remaining 12 spare pages.
The 32 button functions depend on the selected mode. The mode can be changed using the ‘S’
buttons 1-4:
- S1 Fixt: Selects fixtures
- S2 Grp: Selects groups
- S3 Sel: Selects buttons
- S4 Btn: Plays buttons
- S5 Rec: Record a live edit
- S6 Clear: Clear a live edit
Wheel Section
The wheels change the Phase, Dimmer, Speed, and Size of the selected button. Pressing the wheels
will reset to the default value. If a color mix effect type is selected, the wheels will control Red/Cyan,
Green/Magenta, and Blue/Yellow. If a pan/tilt effect type is selected, the wheels will control Pan, Tilt,
and 16 bit Pan.
Clicking the save button in the open/save show dialogue will compress all these files into one show
file, allowing you to easily create a backup, or to use the show on a different computer.
The MASTER page is a combination of all the other pages in your show. It allows you to create
Scenes, Switches, and Cycles that contain programming for more than one fixture type. The
MASTER page is usually your main live view where you will add your final programming.
In the following image, we have a page for some moving heads and a page for some scanners. Select
a variety of switches on both pages, then Click here (1) to attach both pages to the MASTER page.
Buttons on the MASTER page are created in the same way as on any fixture page. If you create a
button and select the ‘As You See Now’ option, all currently activated buttons in all pages will be
saved (as long as the page is attached to the MASTER page).
Scenes can be modified very quickly. To modify a parameter, ctrl+right-click and drag a switch from
a fixture page to the MASTER page button that you wish to modify and select ‘copy.’ In the example
below, we are changing the moving head gobo.
A Cycle is a cue list of scenes and switches. Cycles are useful if you have a set of scenes and
switches and wish to trigger them sequentially. Click here (1) to create a new Cycle and click here (2)
to view the Cycle panel.
Recording a Cycle
To record a cycle, click record, select a combination of buttons, then click record again when you
are done. The selected Switches are displayed at the top, the selected Scenes are displayed on the
bottom:
- Buttons can be moved around the timeline by clicking and dragging
- The button activation order can be viewed in a list by clicking here (1)
- Additional button presses can be recorded whilst playing a Cycle and selecting the play/record
button (2)
- A cycle can be triggered by MIDI Time Code by clicking here (3) (See the MIDI Time Code chapter
for more information)
- The cycle will play up to the end marker. To change the cycle end time, drag the end marker or
click here (4) to manually enter an end time
- Click here (5) for advanced scene settings.
The cycle button settings allow you to determine what the button will do when it is triggered within
the cycle:
- Type of action: Determines if the button is switched ON, switched OFF, or has a button dial/live
MODIFICATION applied.
- Start time: Allows you to manually set the time that the button is triggered.
- Go: Pauses the cycle when the button is triggered. This is useful if you are controlling a pre-
programmed show and you want to manually skip through a cycle list (as with a traditional lighting
console).
- Button Dials: Allow you to change the Dimmer, Speed, Size, and Phase dials of the button
- Live mode: Allows you to add and remove fixtures from the button.
Select ‘Edit’ under the ‘Button’ tab on the main ribbon to access the button editor. You can also
ctrl+click the button. To edit a fixture, select the fixtures you wish to edit from the Fixtures panel.
The channels will appear in the channels window.
Preset Tabs
The Preset tabs allow for quicker modifications of presets. A color wheel allows you to quickly
modify the color of a fixture, and the X-Y grid allows you to quickly change a fixture’s position. To
use the preset tabs, you must have the Dimmer or ON channel function assigned.
If you are editing a button on the MASTER page and are working with multiple fixtures of different
types, the Preset window is able to understand common channels between the fixtures. For
example, if you are using a CMY moving head, and an LED RGB panel, you will be able to modify
the color of both fixtures with a single color wheel.
The button editor allows you to modify DMX channels in a variety of different ways. Before editing
your scene, it is important to make sure that each DMX channel is assigned to the correct function.
To assign a channel function, drag one of the icons from the left onto the top of a channel. Hold ctrl
to drag onto multiple channels at once:
- Off: Deactivates the channel
- On: Allows manual adjustments of the channel fader
- Dimmer: Allows manual adjustment of the channel fader; the channel will fade between the set
value and 0 if the button dimmer dial is moved
- Dimmer Min-Max: Allows a minimum and maximum value to be set; the channel will fade between
the minimum and maximum values if the button dimmer dial is moved; and elect the ‘Min’
checkbox at the bottom of the fader to set the minimum value
- Easy Time: Allows the channel to be edited using the Easy Time tool
- Easy Step Fade: Allows the channel to be edited using the Easy Step tool, but ignores any fade
commands, which is useful for a gobo or shutter channel.
- To jump to a particular function, right-click here (1) and select the function
- To jump to a particular preset (i.e. gobo holes, color red, shutter closed), right-click here (2) and
select the preset
- Double click the white number to manually type the DMX value or %.
Dragging a fixture on top of another will copy all editor data including Dimmer, EasyTime, and
EasyStep.
Custom Layers
Click here to create a new zone for your layer, then simply drag your parameters into the relevant
zone. Click the settings button if you want to embed a color mixing wheel or X/Y grid inside the zone.
Common switches can be compressed into one button. For example, all the gobo switches are
grouped into one switch button like the example shown below.
To create a compression, make sure the Scenes or Switches you want to compress are named with
a common prefix. In the example below, we have 4 scenes that start with the prefix ‘Effect.’
Speed, Dimmer, Phase, and Size dials can also be accessed under the button tab at the top of the
fixture page. Page dimmer and speed dials can be accessed under the page tab, but be careful, if
you turn the page dimmer to 0, you will never have any light output!
Shift+right-click a switch phasing dial to view the advanced phasing menu. Here we can determine
how Compu Show will phase a switch.
No Phasing
When no phasing is applied, the example sequence here fades from red to yellow.
When phasing is added, the sequence starts at a latter point for each fixture. As the phasing dial is
increased, the time between each of the fixtures starting points increase.
Non-Linear Phasing
When linear phasing is applied, the difference between each of the fixtures starting times is the
same.
There are 4 different non-linear phasing types available. With non-linear phasing, the difference
between each of the fixtures starting times changes. The next example shows the outcome of a
‘Square x’ phase. The difference between each of the fixtures starting times gets shorter and can be
used to great effect to produce a sequence, for example, that looks like a falling object.
Cube root X can often be used to create more realistic wave and rippling effects.
When ‘Delay the beginning of sequences’ is selected, the phasing is linear; however, instead of
changing the starting point of the sequence for each fixture, it holds the first step of the sequence
and adds a delay.
NOTE: ‘Looping’ must be switched off for this type of phasing to work because the last frame of
each timeline is frozen to compensate for the delay at the beginning.
New Palettes can be created here. If you want to create a preset palette such as a gobo or a color
wheel, select ‘New Palette Per Fixture.’ If you want to create a palette with a variable preset such as
pan/tilt, a color mixing wheel, a dimmer, and iris or zoom preset, you will need to select ‘New
Generic Palette Per Fixture.’ See the next topic for more information on the different palette types.
Use the global effects panel to adjust your fixtures, or right-click and select a preset below (not
available when using Generic Palettes). Hold shift to assign the same preset to all selected fixtures.
Palettes can be applied to scenes within the button editor. Drag the palette onto the desired channel
and hold ctrl to select multiple channels. Palettes can also be dragged directly onto a fixture using
an EasyStep step or an EasyTime constant level block. See the advanced palettes topic for more
information on how to use a palette inside a dynamic effect.
There are two types of palette, a STANDARD palette and a GENERIC palette. The standard palette
saves a DMX value, for example, DMX 251 on the gobo channel. A generic palette saves a presets
property, for example, dimmer 50% or Zoom 20°.
Standard palettes are useful if you want to send the same DMX value to all selected fixtures, or to
call a particular preset such as ‘Gobo Holes.’ Generic presets are useful if you need to save a
variable length preset such as dimmer, iris, focus, or zoom amongst different types of fixtures. If the
fixture profile has been set up correctly, this is very useful for matching up properties between
lighting fixtures; for example, imagine that you have 2 moving heads with a different zoom range.
You can quickly set the zoom to 20° and Compu Show will translate this to the appropriate DMX
value so that both beams look the same.
Imagine we want to use an ADJ Inno Pocket Z4 with an ADJ Vizi Hex Wash7, but their zoom angle
ranges are different.
In this case, if you record a generic palette with the zoom angle at 25°, you end up with the ADJ Inno
Pocket Z4 at a DMX value of 76, and the ADJ Vizi Hex Wash7 at a DMX value of 102. The palette is
taking the preset beam angles and applying it on a scale of 1 to 100. So, if the beam zoom angles of
the fixtures can go to that range set in the palette, the software will calculate the DMX value needed
to hit that zoom angle range in the fixture. Obviously, if you go below it your channel will have a 0
value, and if you go above it, it will be 255.
Imagine that you want to create some dimmer palettes. Dimmer palettes can be useful as the light
output can look different depending on the size of the venue and the other lights you are using.
Let’s say you want to set 75% intensity; however, some of your fixtures have inverted dimmers. In
this case you just need to create a generic palette for the dimmer and set the intensity to 50%. It
won’t matter what brand of fixture you insert, what channel or range the dimmer is, or whether it is
inverted or not. Compu Show will send the corresponding DMX value to make sure the brightness of
the light is 75%.
Standard palettes can be created per fixture or per fixture type. Palettes per fixture type can be
included inside EasyTime effects; however, palettes per fixture cannot. This is because, when an
EasyTime effect is built, it does not ask for information about each individual fixture; it simply asks
for the number of fixtures and the individual properties of the fixture type. From this, the effect is
generated.
For example, let’s say we want to use a color palette inside a rainbow effect. If we were to take a
palette per fixture, the color of each fixture could be different, so the effect would not know what
color to take to generate the rainbow.
Palettes per fixture type can also be useful in circumstances where the number of fixtures change.
Let’s say that we have 2 different fixture types with the same gobos, but in a different order. We
could create a set of gobo palettes so that we only have to click one button to access the same
gobo from both fixtures. If we had a palette per fixture, we would have to create the palette for each
individual fixture. If we added more fixtures at a later date, these would then have to be updated. If
we create the palette per fixture type, then we can add as many fixtures as we want without needing
to think about the palette.
Generic Palettes
Generic palettes are primarily used for colors. They can be applied to any fixture and any fixture
type. For example, if you create a generic palette with the color ‘fire red’ (picked from the color
wheel), this palette can be used on any CMY or RGB fixture to turn the color ‘fire red.’
If you are creating a matrix effect on a rect, you must use a generic palette. This for the same reason
that you cannot use a palette per fixture type on a standard easy effect. Rects can cross several
fixture types, they only know how to create colors, and they know nothing about the fixture types. If
you have a palette per fixture type with 2 colors stored on 2 different types of fixture, the rect would
not know which color to take to generate the effect.
Depending on which fixtures you are using, Pre-Recorded palettes are put together by the software.
A followspot is typically a powerful spotlight that lights up a performer on a stage. As the performer
moves around the stage, the spot will follow, ensuring that there is always good light coverage over
the performer so that they stand out from everything else that’s happening on stage.
The problem with the followspot is that shadows are created around the performer, and the light is
not evenly dispersed around the performer. For example, when the performer is on the side of the
stage, the light may only cover one half of their body. The solution is to use 2 or more followspots.
Using multiple spots on the performer can look great; however, this requires multiple operators.
Using the X/Y grid, you can position a selection of lighting fixtures so that the beam points in the
same place, by holding ctrl and moving one of the points, the others will follow relatively. This works
well in a small area; however, the beams quickly become out of sync.
The followspot tool allows you to calibrate a set of points on the stage. Once the points have been
calibrated, all slave fixtures will perfectly follow the master feature.
Move the master beam to the corner of the area you want to calibrate. This can be done using the
faders or the X/Y grid. Use the arrows on the keyboard to finely adjust the point. You can change the
mouse and keyboard precision by right-clicking on the grid. For an accurate calibration, it is best to
use a small iris size as in the example.
Once the master beam has been set, move the slave beams to the same point. This will ensure that
they are all in the same quadrant of the X/Y grid as it’s usually possible to set the same position with
2 different X/Y values.
Click the ‘+’ button to add a new calibration point, such as when moving the master and slave
fixtures to the center top of the stage. A quick way to do this is to select all fixtures and hold ctrl
whilst moving the point on the X/Y grid, this way all fixtures stay close and you can perfect the
calibration using the arrow keys.
The number of calibration points required depends on the positioning of the lighting fixtures and the
size of the area you want to cover. In the example below, there are 9 calibrated points. Generally, the
closer to the X axis you get, the more points you’ll need to calibrate.
The 3rd button on the left allows you to close the shutter of a lighting fixture when it’s positioned
outside the calibrated area. To set this up:
- Drag and drop this icon onto the shutter channel
- Set the fader so that the shutter is open
- Click the ‘min’ checkbox at the bottom of the fader
- Set the fader so that the shutter is off.
Once the editor has been closed and saved, all slave fixtures will follow the master fixture as long as
the switch is activated. The switch works in ‘Always take priority’ mode to override any pan/tilt
values on slave fixtures.
If the constant level effect is dragged onto a pan/tilt channel of a moving fixture, the position can be
modified by dragging on the X/Y grid, or by choosing a palette if one has been created.
If an effect is dragged onto a gobo, iris, or dimmer channel, you can select from one of the channel presets.
4.5 X/Y
This effect is to be used on any pan or tilt channels of a fixture. It allows you to quickly and easily
create moving patterns:
- Click here to switch the light beam on (1), which will not be saved as part of the effect, but will
allow you to see your fixtures as you adjust the position
- Select the shape you wish to create here (2)
- After the shape of the circle by dragging the points (3)
- Right-click to change the starting point (4)
- Phasing can be added here (5).
4.6 Matrix
NOTE: This effect cannot be applied to a selection of fixtures. This effect must be applied to a rect.
For more information on this; see the Rects topic.
Matrix effects are similar to color mixing effects. However, the effects are specifically designed for a
fixtures matrix:
- Select an effect from the list here (1)
- The number of colors, size, and speed of the effect can be modified here (2).
Images can be inserted onto a matrix. The more fixtures you have, the higher the resolution and the
better the image will be interpreted. It is often best to use simple images without too much detail.
Click here (1) to insert a bitmap, gif, or jpg image; by default, the image will be stretched to fit the
matrix. Click here if you want to keep the original picture proportions (2).
4.8 Gif
NOTE: This effect cannot be applied to a selection of fixtures. This effect must be applied to a rect.
For more information on this; see the Rects topic.
Gif animations can be inserted onto a matrix. The more fixtures you have, the higher the resolution
and the better the image will be interoperated. It is often best to use simple images without too
much detail.
Click here (1) to insert a gif image. Click here (2) if you want to keep the original gif proportions, or if
you would like the gif to be stretched to fit the matrix.
Videos can be inserted onto a matrix. The more fixtures you have, the higher the resolution and the
better the image will be interoperated. It is often best to use simple videos without too much detail.
Click here (1) to insert AVI video. Click here (2) if you want to keep the original video proportions, or if
you would like the video to be stretched to fit the matrix.
Not all AVI compression formats can be read by the software, so your video may need to be
converted using media encoding software.
You can insert text onto your matrix with the text tool.
- Enter your text here (1) and click the T icon to modify the font (2)
- Click play to view your text (3)
- Change the position of your text by adjusting the vertical and horizontal offset properties (4)
- If you wish to have scrolling text, choose your direction here (5)
- You can change the scrolling speed here (5)
- Change the text and background colors here (7).
The color manager allows you to easily draw an effect onto a matrix. An effect can be drawn onto a
matrix by selecting a color wheel and clicking the pencil tool. The color manager tool works in a
similar way to your standard painting software package, with the ability to fill, draw lines, draw
squares, and insert images.
Phasing is a powerful feature that allows you to take an effect and apply it to different lighting
fixtures at different times. It can be used to create random looking effects, movement and gradient
sweeps, chases, symmetrical effects and much more. Phasing works by offsetting or delaying an
effect on each fixture. The phasing can be set between 0% and 100% of the length of a block.
The image on the left shows a gradient effect from blue-white-blue. The image in the center shows
the same effect, but with 2% phasing. The image on the right shows the effect with 25% phasing,
meaning that it is pushed 25% backwards on each fixture.
Phasing Delay
EasyTime also allows you to phase between 2 effects blocks. This is called ‘Phasing Delay.’ This
type of phasing works slightly differently from the effect phasing. Instead of applying an offset, it will
add a pause at the end of each block. This is useful if you want to add phasing to a sequence that
doesn’t loop, for example, when making gradient or movement sweeps.
In the following example, the left image contains 2 constant level blocks with fade. The image on the
right shows the same sequence, but with a phasing delay. Notice the wait time that has been added
at the end of each block.
You can add phasing in real-time by enabling the phasing dial on a scene or switch. To do this,
shift+right-click the switch and select ‘Show faders: Phasing.’
It is also possible to modify the phasing curve by shift+right-clicking a phasing dial and selecting an
option from the phasing menu:
- Linear: The phasing will work normally with an equal offset between each fixture
- Square root X, Square X, Cube X, Cube root X: A different offset will be applied between each
fixture, creating un-even gradients and effects that change speed
- Delay the beginning sequences: Instead of an offset being applied, a delay will be applied at the
beginning sequence. This is useful if you want to apply phasing, but you want all fixtures to start
on the same value when the button is first pressed.
By default, phasing will be applied to the fixtures being used in EasyTime according to their DMX
address. It is possible to create a custom fixture order. This is useful if your fixtures are not
positioned in DMX address order.
The fixture order window can be accessed either from the effect editor window, or by right-clicking a
page and selecting ‘Fixture Order.’
Once your fixture order has been made, the order will be shown in the list here (3):
- Drag the fixtures to change the order
- Hold ctrl and make a multi-selection, then click here (4) to make a group of fixtures (useful for
making symmetrical effects)
- Click here (5) to add a virtual fixture (useful if you have a line of lighting fixtures with a space in the
middle and you want to play as if there was a fixture in the space).
-
If you want to apply a fixture order to a button phasing dial, this can be selected within the general
tab of button settings.
5.1 Groups
Selecting Fixtures
Fixtures can be arranged into groups for quick selection when controlling live and programming.
Fixture groups can be edited within the fixtures window, see image below.
- Fixtures can be moved by selecting here and then dragging (1)
- Click here (2) and hold ctrl to select multiple fixtures.
- By default, an image of each fixture is shown with text, and can only be changed to the currently
selected gobo or iris here (3)
- Moving each fixture can be time consuming when using a large number of fixtures; click here (4) to
position your fixtures into a shape.
- A different fixture view will appear depending on the selected page; to always show the fixtures
included on the master page regardless of the select page, click here (5).
Grouping Fixtures
Select the fixtures that you wish to use in a group, and then create a new group by clicking the ‘+’ in
the group window. Clicking that also allows you to edit, delete, or rename the group.
Background
To select a background for the Fixtures window, right-click and select ‘Background Image Settings.’
Images can be imported or copied from the 3D visualizer. Use the fader to change the size of the
background image.
1 2 3 4 5
Rects can be created on the ‘Group rect’ tab within the fixtures window of the button editor.
To apply an effect onto a rect, drag the rect onto the timeline to create a new track. You can drag
your effects onto the timeline in the usual way.
Rect Layers
Additional layers can be added to a rect timeline by right-clicking and selecting ‘Add new timeline.’
The opacity of a layer can be modified by right-clicking the layer and selecting opacity. In addition to
changing the opacity, a mask can be added to the area; for example, perhaps you would like all the
black areas of a layer to be transparent. Use the fader on the right to adjust the sensitivity of the
transparency.
When scenes and switches are selected, all of the fixtures within the page respond to the button
presses. Using the group’s window, it is possible to have independent control of group's fixtures.
Click Record, then select the fixtures you wish to control. As you activate the scenes and switches,
only the selected fixtures change. When you want to again control all of your fixtures, click Record.
Record can automatically be released after each button press by selecting the auto button.
When fixtures are controlled live, temporary presets appear on the right. Fixtures can be added or
removed from these temporary presets. This is done by making a new selection and pressing the
‘+++’ or ‘---' buttons. To delete the temporary preset, click reset. To clear all live presets, click the
cross.
A selection can be temporarily saved within a button so that every time a particular button is
selected it is only applied to a certain selection of fixtures, regardless of what is selected within the
group’s window. A warning symbol is displayed in the corner of the switch to note that it will only
apply its preset to certain fixtures. To disable this, click reset.
ADJ’s Compu Show offers many different ways to position your fixtures. Here are 16 moving heads. Click
the wand to open the fixture positioning wizard. Select the matrix icon on the right to open the matrix editor.
Change the matrix dimensions here and click ‘Advanced Positioning’ to re-order your fixtures within the matrix.
Change the position of a fixture e in a matrix simply by dragging the fixture. It is also possible to
change the order that our fixtures are laid out, for example, right to left, or top to bottom.
Imagine that you have a single fixture composed of 4 RGB devices, all of them positioned on a 2x2
matrix (12 DMX addresses). In some cases, you may want to treat these 4 fixtures as 1 fixture. In this
case, you can set up a primary matrix. Select the primary matrix dimensions and drag the fixture
positions if necessary.
74 ADJ Products, LLC • Los Angeles, Ca USA • Kerkade, Netherlands
5.5 Advanced Patching
Advanced Patching
Compu Show has many advanced patching capabilities that can be found on the patch tab within
the page settings window.
It is possible to limit the highest pan and tilt value of a fixture. This is useful if you have a fixture in
the corner of a room and you don’t want the fixture to point at the wall. It can also be used to
calibrate a fixture’s moving sequences if not programmed with palettes:
- The pan tilt dialogue can be opened by clicking here (1)
- Select your fixtures, then adjust the size of the square on the right
- Use the target to move the fixtures around the room; notice a red line is drawn to help you resize
the square
- You can view your fixtures graphically by deselecting ‘List View’
- This dialogue can also be an effective way to check if the lights are positioned correctly within the
fixtures window by checking the ‘Solo’ radio button.
Some interfaces have 3 universes. Each universe in the software can be patched to one of the
interface outputs, or the DMX output universe can be swapped with a DMX input universe, so the
show can be triggered from a DMX desk (2).
If you have an ADJ Compu SDE interface connected, you can also output a variety of other products
including the ADJ Compu Cue, the ADJ Compu Cue Basic, or through an ArtNET protocol interface
using the Ethernet socket on your computer. You can change the order of your interfaces by
dragging them around, and you can delete an interface by dragging it off the screen.
If you have an ADJ Compu Cue, or ADJ Compu SDE, you can output additional universes from your
computer’s Ethernet socket using a protocol that sends DMX over a network. This protocol is called
ArtNET.
Most of the time your fixtures won’t be able to read the ArtNET protocol, and you will have to
convert it to DMX using an ArtNET to DMX converter. These can usually convert several universes.
We can provide a single universe converter with our ADJ Compu Cue Basic interface.
To set up ArtNET:
- connect your computer to a router with an Ethernet cable.
- Because ArtNET works on 2.x.x.x IP address range, make sure that your computer’s Ethernet
adapter and the router are set on this address range, and the subnet mask needs to be set to
255.0.0.0
- connect your lighting fixture or ArtNET-DMX converter to your router
- connect the USB-DMX interface to your computer
- open Compu Show and navigate to the output hardware tab inside Software Preferences
- de-select auto detection and select ArtNET from the combo box
- choose a Compu Show universe from the left combination box and an ArtNET universe on the right
- If you are using multiple ArtNET universes with an ArtNET-DMX converter, remember to match the
incoming ArtNET universes with the outgoing DMX universes on your converter.
Be sure to add your Compu Show interface to the list even if it’s not being used, otherwise the
software doesn’t open as the device and the ArtNET universes are not unlocked.
6.1 Keyboard
Buttons can be triggered from the computer keyboard. To assign a keyboard trigger, shift+right-click
a button and select ‘Link to keyboard.’
Hit the key that you wish to use as a trigger. Click here (1) to set the trigger as a ‘Flash Trigger.’
When you press the key, the button will be activated, and when you release the key, the button will
be deactivated.
Scenes can be triggered at sunrise and sunset. A custom location can be assigned by clicking here
(1) and the time of sunrise and sunset will be automatically calculated. A trigger time relative to the
sunrise or sunset time can be assigned here (2). For example, a scene could be deactivated 4 hours
after sunrise.
A trigger can be set to activate the button, deactivate the button, or toggle the button on and off
every time the trigger is called.
You can load a pre-made console or use the console editor to create an image of your own MIDI or
DMX controller. You can also design a customized layout to be used with a touch screen or the
EasyRemote iPhone/iPad/Android app; see the console editor topic for more information on
designing your own console.
To use the console with a DMX controller, make sure a DMX input universe has been assigned within
the interface settings.
Easy Remotes use UDP port 4003. If you have a firewall, be sure that this port is not blocked.
Right-click here (1) to create a new console preset, then right-click here (2) to load your controller. If
your controller is not listed, you will need to build your own console with the console editor, or map
your controls to a similar console.
One command on the controller can be used to activate a variety of different commands within the
software. For example, you could assign a dial to automatically control the speed of several
movement buttons. Commands can be edited by right-clicking on the relevant button on the
console. Here we can set a minimum and maximum value to trigger the command. In the example
below, when the input value reaches 47, the sequence will be at maximum speed.
The console can also be used to control parts of the software’s graphical interface. These
commands can be found inside the Edit tab.
6.4 DMX
Almost everything in ADJ’s Compu Show can be controlled by almost any DMX controller. You can
use the console editor to create an image of your own DMX controller; see the console editor topic
for more information. The controller can then be viewed within the console window.
Make sure that you have a DMX input set up within the Software Preferences; see the Multiple
Universes topic for more information.
Once you have created your console, each control must be mapped to a control on the console. To
do this, right-click on a console, then select the DMX input universe and channel.
Once the DMX controller is mapped to the Console, you can map the controllers, faders, dials, and
buttons to almost any software feature; see the Console topic for more information.
A DMX input channel can also be directly assigned to a fixture channel within the button editor. Click
here (1) to open the DMX input panel, then drag the desired DMX input channel over to the fixture
channel.
- Create a console with an X/Y grid, or load up an existing console such as ’10 buttons, color, Pan
Tilt,’ or ‘EasyRemote 2’
- Pair the console with an X/Y zone or with a group of lighting fixtures; see the Console topic for
more information.
- Right-click the grid and click the ‘Console Setup’ tab.
This socket is an HE10 interface port socket, which you can insert an 8-button touch pad into. This
works by bridging each of the 8 trigger pins with the ground pin.
One way of combining the ports from a dry contact switch would be to insert a diode between the
switch and the ports. For small signals, a generic purpose diode can be used such as the 1n4148.
Once the port connections have been set up, they can be assigned to trigger a scene within the
scene settings ‘Trigger’ tab. If you are addressing the ports in binary, be sure to select ‘Address 8’
instead of ‘Port 8.’
You can also set up a port trigger from the previous/next buttons mounted on the interface.
To use MIDI Time Code, you first need to make sure that you have a MIDI interface connected to
your computer.
Go to the general settings and select the MIDI setup tab. Select the device that you wish to receive
the Time Code from, or send the Time Code to.
Once you have your MIDI Time Code device connected, select the IN button to begin receiving the Time
Code signal. To send Time Code to another device whilst the Cycle is playing, select the OUT button.
Notice that the timeline values change to music notes; which can be dragged to change where the
playhead will jump on each beat.
To be able to trigger a scene with audio, you must first select the sound to light detection mode.
Click ‘Other Windows’ on the ‘Controller’ tab of the ribbon bar and select ‘Sound to light.’
Audio Analyzer
The Audio Analyzer is a tool that detects the Beats Per Minute (BPM) of a piece of music. The input
device can be selected from the selection box on the top left, and the analyzer will manage the rest.
To access the advanced settings, select the ‘Options’ checkbox. The following settings are
available:
- Presets: all settings can be saved into a preset; to save a preset, select ‘Add’
- Name: enter a name for the selected preset (the default presets cannot be renamed)
- BPM: set the minimum and maximum BPM to be detected
- Filter: tell the Audio Analyzer to only analyze certain frequencies; for example, to just listen to the
bass frequencies, add a low-pass filter of 150Hz or lower
- Always send beats: The Audio Analyzer will carry on sending the BPM, even when the music stops.
Setting durations:
- Average: Sets the length of the larger sample window to calculate the average volume level
- BPM: How long to wait before outputting a different BPM
- Normalization: If the audio input is very quiet, the Audio Analyzer will turn the volume level up after
the time set; for example, the default value is set to 5 seconds, meaning the volume level will be
analyzed over a 5 second period, so if the highest level over this period is 50%, then the input level
will be multiplied by 2
- Normalization %: Sets the threshold for when to normalize; by default, this value is set to 50%, so
if the average volume is above 50%, it will not be normalized
- Stop detection / %: If ‘Always send beats’ is not checked, the Audio Analyzer will stop sending
beats to the control software after the specified time when the volume level is below the %
specified; by default, if the volume drops below 4% for over 0.5 seconds, the Audio Analyzer will
stop sending beats, so if there is a lot of noise on the audio input, it is advisable to increase this
level.
In addition to triggering a scene by the music BPM, you can trigger with the pulse of the music.
Unlike BPM, which provides a constant beat, pulse detection allows you to jump between steps
each time a peak of an audio signal reaches a threshold (set automatically inside the audio analyzer).
Click here to activate pulse detection on an Easy Step sequence.
Bargraph Detection
The Bargraph allows you to filter a band of audio and link this to an EasyTime timeline. This allows
you to create any interesting effects based on the level of audio within a designated frequency band.
To set this up:
- Click the Bargraph tab
- Set the Gain (signal level), Attack time (time taken to respond to an increasing audio level), and
Release time (time taken to respond to a decreasing audio level), frequency and width
- Add, remove, and rename frequency bands by clicking the small white arrow at the top of the
band.
There are now several OLED keyboards on the market that can be used with ADJ’s Compu Show.
Art Lebedev produce a variety of OLED input devices, including the Optimus Popularis.
Click the ‘Protections’ key to lock the selected functions. Notice that a lock icon appears next to
each locked function. To unlock the show, hold ctrl and select the lock key, then enter the
password.
The password is stored in the Global Show XML file. This can be located by navigating to the
Datalight folder in the Compu Show root directory, selecting your show folder, and opening the
Global XML file.
7.2 Favorites
In Compu Show, you can set favorites, a type of macro that allows you to save and recall a software
state. The favorites panel can be opened here (1) and a new favorite can be created here (2).
Favorites can be modified by selecting the ‘Edit’ tab. Favorites are organized by page as in the
example below, where the ‘blue’ color preset can be removed from the favorite by selecting the X.
To update the state of a particular page, select the buttons you wish to include within the favorite,
then select ‘Update buttons state.’
7.3 Multimedia
ADJ’s Compu Show is capable of playing audio and video files (if encoded correctly). To insert an
audio or video file, select a button, open the button settings, and select the Video tab:
- Insert the media file here (1)
- Here (2), we can test our audio, and adjust the start and end markers
- Switch between video and sound, and/or loop your video here (3)
- Drag here (4) to zoom in/out of the timeline.
The memory of several interfaces can be written simultaneously; click here (1) to add an interface.
Each interface has 5 areas. New areas can be created here (1), pages can be assigned to an area by
clicking here (2), and new stand-alone scenes can be created here (3).
A stand-alone scene can contain a combination of SCENE and SWITCH buttons. Click here (1) to
insert a new button.
Drag the scene from the scenes panel and onto one of the 99 scenes spaces; make sure the correct
area is selected.
Once your stand-alone scene has been dragged onto the interface, other scene settings such as
looping, and port triggering can be edited by selecting here (1).
Note that the time triggers created within the button settings are not applied in stand-alone mode.
Once the stand-alone scenes have been created and assigned, the memory can be written here (1).
To add a button to EasyShow, simply ctrl+right-click and drag the button from the Compu Show
window to the clip bin inside the EasyShow window.
Note how the track is split into two sections, the top section for SCENES and CYCLES, and the
bottom section is for SWITCHES. If you need more than one Switch activated at a time, click here (1)
to create a new Switch timeline.
Click here to automatically create a track for each page of your show and to fill the bins with all of
your lighting buttons.
You can import multimedia files for lighting effects from Compu Show into a bin.
Multiple sequences:
- If you need to move more than one scene at a time, click the block selection tool here (1)
- All scenes on a particular track can be selected, or all the scenes in the whole sequence (2)
- Zoom in and out of the timeline here (3).
- Undo: This window contains a list of our recent actions, making it very simple to go back if a
mistake has been made.
- Infos: This area shows information on the currently selected block. Click here (1) to enable the
dimmer and speed functions.
Once the dimmer and speed functions are enabled, click here (1) to edit. To change the brightness
of the lighting throughout the scene, draw a line here (2). Additional points can be created by clicking
on the line and deleted by selecting and dragging it away from the track.
If you are using video, you can view it in full-screen by hitting F1.
8.5 Triggering
In addition to playback controls in the EasyShow Monitor window, sequences can also be triggered
from buttons in Compu Show. Create a new scene or switch and go to the button settings; select
EasyShow:
- Clicking here (1) will start EasyShow when the button is selected
- Open a new show here (2)
- Shows can be played here (3)
- Other commands include stopping the show and jumping between markers.
Other MIDI Time Code devices can be synchronized from EasyShow. Select ‘Enable MIDI output’
and select the desired MIDI output device.
The console editor can be opened from the External Windows menu.
To add a component, select the component from the ribbon and click in the desired place on the
console. A list of available components will appear. Click ‘Default’ to insert a component without a
skin. Default components work best with EasyRemote consoles because the component skin is
stored with the smartphone/tablet application, allowing much quicker load times.
Components can be moved by dragging them; be sure that the lock option is disabled in the top
right of the ribbon to do so. To resize an object, drag one of the 8 squares. Holding alt and dragging
will change the size of the component zone whilst maintaining the size of the component image.
Each component zone can contain an image and some text.
We recommend that ‘Default’ component designs are used where possible because these can easily
be resized, colored, and can be sent over the network to a smartphone or tablet. However, in some
circumstances, it’s useful to design a custom skin for a button, fader, or dial. The CCD designer can
be used for building custom components.
This window will appear on top of all other windows; to disable this feature, select view and click here.
The fixtures in the 3D visualizer will automatically communicate with your fixtures in Compu Show,
and ‘Controlled by Compu Show’ is displayed at the bottom.
For more information on how to use Easy View, see the Magic 3D Easy View topic.
If you want to generate the preprogrammed buttons after modifying a profile, you will need to re-
patch the fixtures. The path window can be accessed from the page settings dialogue.