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MagicQ User Manual

Revision History
Revision v1.8.6.725/03/2020ChamSys

Table of Contents

1. Introduction
1.1. MagicQ software and consoles
1.2. MagicQ MQ500 Stadium Console
1.3. MagicQ Compact Series
1.4. MagicQ Wings for use with PC/Mac
1.5. Plugging Up
1.6. DMX Connections
1.7. Powering Up
1.8. Powering Down
1.9. Resetting the Console
1.10. Hard Reset
1.11. Power Supply Protection
1.12. Care of your MagicQ console
1.13. Safety Information
1.14. Disposal Information
2. Installing MagicQ Software & Drivers
2.1. MagicQ software
2.2. MagicDMX
2.3. MagicQ Wings & Interfaces
2.4. MagicQ on Windows
2.5. MagicQ on Mac
2.6. MagicQ on Linux
3. Using MagicQ on PCs and Macs
3.1. Simple Generic Console
3.2. Technician Test Fixture
3.3. Demo Shows
3.4. Touch View
3.5. Playback mode
3.6. Copy and paste to external applications via the clipboard
3.7. MagicQ PC / Mac Restrictions
3.8. MagicHD Stand Alone Restriction
4. MagicQ Concepts
4.1. Show Storage
4.2. Output channels
4.3. Cues
4.4. Cue Stacks
4.5. Playbacks
4.6. Pages
4.7. FX
4.8. Window Layouts
4.9. Shift Functions
4.10. The Programmer
4.11. Help
5. MagicQ Layout
5.1. Physical layout
5.2. Keyboard, Keypad, Select & Confirm Windows
5.3. Common Actions
5.4. Icons
6. Quick Start
6.1. Starting up MagicQ
6.2. Calibrating the Touch Screen
6.3. Starting a New Show
6.4. Enabling Outputs
6.5. Connecting a MagicQ Playback Wing
6.6. Connecting External Monitors
6.7. Patching
6.8. Controlling Heads
6.9. Naming a Group
6.10. Recalling a Group
6.11. Setting Levels for Dimmers
6.12. Locating Heads
6.13. Modifying Attributes
6.14. Recording a Palette
6.15. Adding in FX
6.16. Recording a Cue
6.17. Recording a Cue Stack (Chase or Theatre Stack)
6.18. Selecting and recording complete window layouts
6.19. Saving the Show
6.20. Playback
7. Patching
7.1. Patching on MagicQ
7.2. Getting started with patching
7.3. Patching a Head or Dimmer
7.4. Head Names and Head Numbers
7.5. Gel name and number
7.6. Col Tags
7.7. Generating auto groups
7.8. Auto Palettes
7.9. Heads with multiple elements
7.10. Inverting and Swapping
7.11. Pan and Tilt Offsets
7.12. Applying Offsets using Update
7.13. Minimum and Maximum levels
7.14. Dimmer curves
7.15. Testing channels
7.16. Changing the DMX address of heads
7.17. Patching a Head to multiple DMX addresses
7.18. Unpatching a Head from a DMX address
7.19. Patching scrollers
7.20. Editing Heads
7.21. Cloning (Adding extra heads / dimmers to a programmed show)
7.22. Morphing Heads (Changing Head type)
7.23. Importing Heads
7.24. Exporting Heads
7.25. VL5 type channels (split personalities)
7.26. Merging with DMX input
7.27. Customising Locate, Default, Highlight and Lowlight values
7.28. Theatre Patch syntax
7.29. Virtual Dimmers
7.30. Patch Head Filtering
8. Setting Intensity levels
8.1. Using the on screen faders
8.2. Using the encoders
8.3. Using the keypad
8.4. Setting intensity FX from the keypad
8.5. Multi Element Heads
8.6. Setting intensity levels for DMX channels
8.7. Using Selected Heads
8.8. Using gel colours in the Intensity Window
8.9. Setting levels whilst running a show
8.10. Viewing Intensities in the Outputs Window
9. Controlling Attributes
9.1. Selecting Heads
9.2. Using Groups
9.3. Selecting Heads using the keypad
9.4. Selecting heads using the rig plan view
9.5. Head Macros
9.6. Locating Heads
9.7. Modifying Attributes
9.8. Using a mouse or track-ball to control pan and tilt
9.9. Colour Attributes
9.10. Flip / Mirror
9.11. Setting attribute values using the keypad
9.12. Reversing rotations
9.13. Selecting individual Heads
9.14. Sub selection of elements
9.15. Sub Groups
9.16. Highlight Mode
9.17. Lowlight function
9.18. Reselecting heads using Palettes and Intensities (Active Palette and Intensity)
9.19. Fan Mode
9.20. And Only
9.21. Group Window
10. Palettes
10.1. Using Palettes
10.2. Recording Palettes
10.3. Intensity Palettes
10.4. Duplicate elements in Palettes
10.5. Naming Palettes
10.6. Updating Palettes
10.7. Copying and moving Palettes
10.8. Removing attributes from Palettes
10.9. Viewing / Editing Palette contents
10.10. Linked Palettes
10.11. Using Palettes with times
10.12. Making Palettes into Cue Stacks
10.13. Selecting Palettes from the keypad
10.14. Merging of Palettes from another show
10.15. Modifying Palettes in the personality
10.16. Capturing Palettes from DMX input
10.17. Expanding Palettes
10.18. Replacing Palettes in Cues
10.19. Tracker Palettes
11. FX Engine
11.1. Adding in FX
11.2. Generating user FX
11.3. Editing user FX
11.4. Palette FX
11.5. FX colour flicks
11.6. FX using base colour
11.7. Group based FX
11.8. FX on Heads with Duplicated Elements
11.9. FX Window
11.10. Importing and Exporting the FX Library
12. Programmer
12.1. What is in the programmer?
12.2. Clearing the programmer
12.3. Activation by Channel or by Head?
12.4. Recording a Cue
12.5. Split Cue Times
12.6. Recording to a specific Cue Id
12.7. Snapshot Icons
12.8. Record Options
12.9. Active
12.10. Removing channels from the Programmer
12.11. Making channels hard values
12.12. Copy between heads
12.13. Blind programming
12.14. Parking (freezing) channels
13. Outputs Windows
13.1. Heads View
13.2. Intensity View
13.3. DMX Channels View
13.4. Movement View
13.5. Chart View
13.6. Plan View
14. Editing Cues
14.1. Including Cues into the Programmer
14.2. Editing using Include and Update method
14.3. Record Merge (Updating a Cue with the contents of the programmer)
14.4. Making changes to multiple Cues
14.5. Editing using Update
14.6. Direct Modification of Intensities in Cues
14.7. Copy heads in Cues
15. Cue Stacks
15.1. Cue Stack Window
15.2. Chase Timing
15.3. Cue Timing
15.4. Tracking
15.5. Cue Only
15.6. Mark Cues
15.7. The Cue Store and Cue Stack Store
15.8. Assigning Cues and Cue Stacks
15.9. Copying and Moving Cues
15.10. Linked Cues
15.11. Copying Cue Stacks
15.12. Removing Cues and Cue Stacks
15.13. Cue Stack Defaults
15.14. Col Tags
15.15. Audio Sound FX Cues
15.16. Cue Stack Macros
15.17. Timecode Cue Stacks
15.18. Cue Stack timecode tracks
15.19. Importing timecode timings
15.20. Timeline / Track Sheet
16. Playback
16.1. Playback Display
16.2. Activating and Releasing Playbacks
16.3. Fader control
16.4. Playback Buttons
16.5. Playbacks Window
16.6. Wing Playbacks Pages
16.7. Default Cue Stacks
16.8. Synchronising Playbacks
16.9. Set lists
17. Cue Stack Options
17.1. Faders
17.2. Buttons
17.3. Function
17.4. Activate/Release
17.5. Advanced
17.6. Chase Options
17.7. Chase Times
17.8. Audio
17.9. Step (View Defaults only)
17.10. Step Times (View Defaults only)
17.11. FX (View Defaults Only)
18. Advanced Playback / Cue Stack Options
18.1. Interaction of HTP and LTP channels between Playbacks
18.2. HTP handling
18.3. HTP always active (Use HTP) option
18.4. LTP handling
18.5. Interaction of FX between Playbacks
18.6. Playback Priority
18.7. Playbacks ignore masters levels
18.8. Playback Stomping
18.9. Group Masters (Inhibit Masters)
18.10. Advanced activate and release options
19. Live Programming (Busking)
19.1. Adding individual channels using preset faders
19.2. Over-ride / take-over
19.3. Viewing Cues and Cue Stacks
19.4. Modifying chase speed / contrast
19.5. Modifying FX parameters
19.6. Stop / Starting Cue Stacks
19.7. Jumping to a Cue in a Cue Stack
19.8. Over-riding using the programmer
19.9. Adding in new FX
19.10. Applying palettes with time
19.11. Releasing / Clearing with time
19.12. Busking Master
19.13. Programmer Master
20. Execute Window
20.1. Design View
20.2. Full Screen View
20.3. Password Protection
20.4. Automated Start
20.5. Faders
20.6. Buttons
20.7. Regions
20.8. Timing
20.9. Rate and parameters
20.10. Execute Window FX
20.11. Execute Window Soft Palettes
20.12. Execute Window sequencing
20.13. Button appearance
20.14. Speed Encoders
20.15. Attribute Encoders
20.16. Preload
20.17. Wallpaper
20.18. Special Options
20.19. Execute Window on ioS/Android remote
20.20. Execute Buttons on console/wing Playback Go/Pause buttons
20.21. Multiple Execute windows
21. Automation
21.1. MagicQ Automation Window
21.2. Scheduled Events
21.3. Automated Start of Playbacks / Executes
21.4. Keyboard macros
22. LED & Pixel Mapping
22.1. Patching LED on MagicQ
22.2. Using the Grid view in the Outputs Window
22.3. Pixel Mapper
22.4. 3D Pixel Mapping
22.5. Multi Element Heads
22.6. Making Grids of Groups
22.7. Programming LED using standard FX
22.8. Making groups out of LED pixels
22.9. Making new LED personalities on MagicQ
23. Controlling Media Servers
23.1. Patching Media Servers on MagicQ
23.2. Connecting via network
23.3. Configuring the Media Window
23.4. Thumbnail view
23.5. Live Previews
23.6. Media Window View
23.7. Using MagicQ and Media Server software on the same PC
23.8. CITP (MSEX) live feeds and MagicCap
23.9. Troubleshooting
24. Head Editor
24.1. How Heads are stored in MagicQ
24.2. Loading new heads into MagicQ
24.3. Copying head files created on PC/Macs to MagicQ consoles
24.4. Modifying existing heads
24.5. Removing old heads
24.6. General View
24.7. Channels View
24.8. Ranges View
24.9. Palettes View
24.10. Macros View
24.11. User Icons
24.12. Heads with multiple elements
24.13. Custom gel libraries
25. Curve Editor
25.1. Creating a curve
25.2. Editing a curve
25.3. Setting a dimmer curve
26. FX Editor
26.1. View General
26.2. View Chans
26.3. Palette FX
27. Network Manager (SnakeSys)
27.1. Normal (non ChamNet mode)
27.2. ChamNet Mode (MQ Net)
27.3. Upgrading SnakeSys firmware
27.4. Older ChamSys 4 Port Ethernet interfaces
27.5. Output Setup
28. Remote Device Management (RDM)
28.1. Introduction
28.2. Discovering and configuring devices
28.3. Auto patching
29. Networking of MagicQ systems
29.1. Network addresses and host names
29.2. Checking IP addresses - Ping Test
29.3. Checking consoles on the network
29.4. Grabbing shows from other consoles
29.5. Zoning
29.6. Setting up Network Sessions
29.7. Multi Console Programming
29.8. Selective Channel Control
29.9. Playback Sync modes
29.10. Inter Console Messaging
30. Manual configuration of Multi Console operation
30.1. Manual configuration of Hot take-over
30.2. Manual configuration of Playback synchronisation
30.3. Manual configuration of Show Data Synchronisation
30.4. Manual configuration of Selective Channel Control
30.5. Automatic backing up of shows from other consoles
31. Remote control of MagicQ
31.1. Remote mode (PC/Mac)
31.2. Remote control from MagicQ
31.3. iOS / Android Remote
31.4. Remote control via web server
31.5. Remote control using Magic Wand simulator
32. ChamSys Remote Protocol Commands
32.1. Remote Playback Commands
32.2. Remote programming commands
33. Controlling MagicQ using TCP/IP
33.1. ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol
33.2. Writing to the network port
33.3. Reading from the network
33.4. Sample code fragments
34. Controlling MagicQ using the serial port
34.1. Connecting the serial port
34.2. Enabling the serial port
34.3. Writing to the serial port
34.4. Reading from the serial port
34.5. Testing receiving serial commands
34.6. Changelog
35. Audio
35.1. Audio Input
35.2. Audio play
35.3. Control of Winamp
36. MIDI
36.1. MIDI Notes Receive
36.2. MIDI Notes Transmit
36.3. MIDI problems
36.4. MIDI Show Control
36.5. MIDI Beat Clock
36.6. MagicQ MIDI/Timecode firmware versions
37. Timecode Support
37.1. Timecode Decode
37.2. Timecode from Winamp
37.3. Timecode from MagicHD
37.4. Timecode Simulator
37.5. Timecode Generation
37.6. Timecode Re-transmit
38. Remote Input port
38.1. Connection (MagicQ Consoles, MagicQ PC Wing Compact and MagicQ MaxiWing)
38.2. Connection (Original PC Wing)
38.3. Enabling the remote input in MagicQ
39. Scene Setter
39.1. Powering the Scene Setter
39.2. Configuration
39.3. Using the Scene Setter
39.4. Changing the IP Address
39.5. Setting up the Serial Port
40. Open Sound Control (OSC)
40.1. Setup
40.2. Receiving messages
40.3. Sending messages
40.4. TouchOSC
40.5. Troubleshooting
40.6. Notes
41. MagicQ Visualiser
41.1. MagicVis
41.2. Using MagicVis
41.3. Plot Window
42. Blind Visualisation
42.1. Split Visualisation in MagicVis
42.2. Automatic Source Selection
43. Using MagicQ with other Visualisers
43.1. Connecting to a Visualiser
43.2. Capture
43.3. WYSIWYG
43.4. ESP Vision
44. Settings
44.1. Programming Mode
44.2. Playback Mode
44.3. Advanced Settings Option
44.4. Output Settings
44.5. Wing Settings
44.6. Monitor Settings
44.7. Touch Screen Settings
44.8. Mode & Security Settings
44.9. Programming Settings
44.10. Keypad / Encoder Settings
44.11. Windows Settings
44.12. Cue Storage Settings
44.13. Playback Settings
44.14. Crossfade button function
44.15. Network Settings
44.16. Port Settings
44.17. MIDI / Timecode Settings
44.18. Multiple Console Settings
44.19. Hardware Settings
44.20. General Settings
44.21. Individual Playback Settings
44.22. Calibrating the touch screen
44.23. Displays brightness and contrast
44.24. Console lamp brightness
44.25. Button LED brightness
44.26. Controlling console lamp from the programmed show
44.27. Locking the console
44.28. Button test mode
45. System Management
45.1. Starting Up
45.2. Shutting Down
45.3. Saving Shows
45.4. Backing up to an external system
45.5. Loading Shows
45.6. Erasing
45.7. Icon Snapshots / Extras file
45.8. Import and Export of Show Data and Show Merging
45.9. Saving and Loading Settings
45.10. File Manager
45.11. Transferring files over network
45.12. Storage of MagicQ user files on PC/Mac
45.13. Reports
45.14. Status Window
45.15. Backup Archives
45.16. Using shows on different MagicQ products and show versions
45.17. MagicQ Profiles
45.18. User management
46. Software Upgrade
46.1. Changing MagicQ Console Software
46.2. Pro Series Upgrading Console Kernel
46.3. Disc Repair
46.4. Resetting a MagicQ console to factory defaults
46.5. Upgrading MQ50, MQ70, MQ80 and MQ500 Midi Card firmware
46.6. Upgrading MQ500 Stadium firmware
46.7. Upgrading Pro 2014 DMX card firmware
46.8. Upgrading original Compact series MQ40/MQ40N/MQ60/MQ70 firmware
47. Handy Hints
48. MagicQ Short Cuts
49. Troubleshooting
49.1. No outputs
49.2. MagicQ not responding
49.3. MagicQ responding slowly
49.4. Strange key presses, unexpected window changes
49.5. MagicQ console not booting
49.6. MQ80 console blank screen and not booting
49.7. MagicQ console blank screen
49.8. MagicQ console white screen
49.9. MagicQ console distorted screen
49.10. MagicQ console internal touch screen not working
49.11. All 10 S buttons flashing blue
49.12. Fader, Encoder or Button not working correctly
49.13. Unable to save shows or patch fixtures after performing a *777 erase all on the console
49.14. "MagicQ needs to write to the install folder…" message on Mac
50. Button Functions
51. Licensing
51.1. Qt
51.2. LibPNG
51.3. LibJPEG
51.4. LibJPEG-Turbo
51.5. LibICU
51.6. FFmpeg Binary
51.7. FFmpeg Library
51.8. LibArchive
51.9. Zlib
Glossary

List of Tables

11.1. 100% FX spread (no FX Parts or FX Segments)
11.2. With FX Segments = 2’s
11.3. With FX Segments = 3’s
11.4. With FX Parts = 2’s
11.5. With FX Parts = 2’s, Segments = 3’s
24.1. Attrib No field
34.1. Serial port pinout
40.1. OSC Addresses
44.1. Setup, Prog Settings
44.2. Setup, Keypad/Encoders
44.3. Setup, Windows
44.4. Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Fader
44.5. Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Flash
44.6. Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Step
44.7. Setup, Cue Stack Defaults, Step Times
44.8. DMX I/O Out Protocols
44.9. Wings
44.10. Programing Wing Shortcuts
46.1. Pro upgrades
46.2. Expert upgrades
48.1. Saving / Loading
48.2. Patching
48.3. Select Heads
48.4. Lamp On / Lamp Off / Reset
48.5. Setting Intensities
48.6. FX
48.7. Playback
48.8. Loading Values into the Programmer
48.9. Removing Values from the Programmer
48.10. Recording Cues
48.11. Record Merging / Removing
48.12. Editing Cues
48.13. Palettes
48.14. Information Windows
48.15. Net Session
48.16. Wing / Keypad short cuts
48.17. Console
48.18. Cue Stack Macros
48.19. Window Control
48.20. MQ500 Shortcuts
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