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.

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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.

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.

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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.