Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Chat about Show Buddy Active lighting & video control software
AndrewBex
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2019 4:38 am

Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by AndrewBex »

Hi
Has anyone got a video tutorial that demonstrates step by step on how to channel mask in Show Buddy active and how to apply it in a more than one light two fader scenario.
As everything I've seen and read makes no sense.
I've set up a blinders bank - Full & Off, Wash colors Bank - which I've named Red Par Full, Green Par Full, Blue Par Full, Amber Par using the disable all channels Macro on each when following the instructions in what I've read.
I then click on the saved presets - Red Par full which turns on Red. I then click on the Green Par Full and it turns Yellow. I then click the Blue Par Full and it turns White. I Click Amber Par Full and it turns some kind of skin color.
I'm not sure what's going on and what its supposed to do.
Also I have done the same process with all Wash colors and made the Off presets as well located in the same Wash colors Bank.

Thanks
For any Help.
RichG
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Re: Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by RichG »

If you want presets that do Full Red, Full Green, etc... then you do not want to use masking. Masking retains the previous preset value when the new preset is chosen. Think of Masking as an "add too" feature. That's why you currently get Yellow when selecting Full Green after the Full Red. You're adding Green to the Red lights that are already on.

You should use masking with the Blinders preset. Enable the blinders in that preset, then mask all other channels. In all your other presets, turn the blinders off (no masking). This way when you select your Blinders preset it will turn on the blinders without changing anything else, then when you select any other preset after that it will turn the blinders off.
AndrewBex
Posts: 6
Joined: Sat Dec 07, 2019 4:38 am

Re: Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by AndrewBex »

So what I'm actually trying to do is control groups of lights independently and I guess the concept of masking would be the tools needed to do so. I'm not sure.
I have 12 x Par5 x 12W RGBWAU Pro Par, 2 x Chauvet DJ intimidator Spot 255 moving Head and a single Chauvet DJ Intimidator Scan 110 10W LED Scanner.
I have mounted a group of 4 pars on it own lighting stand. So I have a Left stand with 4 pars and Right stand with 4 pars and a rear stand that has the 4 pars plus the 2 movers and single scanner mounted.
I have set up a heap of presets for the pars as a whole look with all 12 lights as well as some effects that I'm experimenting with. Is it possible to create 3 separate groups of pars to be controlled as independent groups.
In regards to my 2 movers and single scanner can I do the same with them so that all my lights can be controlled independently in there own group so I can build my shows with all my backing tracks.
Is this what masking is for? If so that's great but how to achieve that is were I'm completely lost.
Thanks for any Help
Andrew
RichG
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Re: Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by RichG »

I'm not sure if Masking is what you want to use. I'll give a detailed explanation with an example and you can decide if it's what you want to use.

The Enabled property in any channel in a preset can either be ON or OFF. When Enabled is set to ON, then the channel will equal the saved value for that preset. If Enabled is OFF, then the channel will remain unchanged when the new preset is selected. When Enabled is OFF the channel is said to be 'Masked'. Each time a new preset is selected, the value of a given channel will remain unchanged as long as it is Masked.

For example, let's say we have four American DJ VBars operating in 5 Channel mode (RGBA, and Dimmer) I'm going to set up 5 presets:
First: Enable ON first light parameters, all other channels have Enabled set to OFF
Second: Enable ON second light parameters, all other channels have Enabled set to OFF
Third: Enable ON third light parameters, all other channels have Enabled set to OFF
Fourth: Enable ON fourth light parameters, all other channels have Enabled set to OFF
OFF: All channels enabled and set to zero

All channels will be set to zero any time the OFF preset is selected. This is because all channels are enabled for this preset. If I select the presets in the following sequence [OFF, then First, then Second, then Third] then everything will start with the values set by the OFF preset, then ONLY those channels with Enabled ON in the First preset will change, followed the enabled channels in the Second preset, then finally the Enabled channels in the Third preset. Likewise, if I select OFF>Fourth>Third, then everything starts at zero followed by the enabled channels of the Fourth preset, then finally the enabled channels of the third preset.
RichG
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Re: Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by RichG »

The message board is being REALLY fussy about attachments for some reason... going to try putting them into a separate post here.
Defined Presets:
All.jpg
All.jpg (199.17 KiB) Viewed 3120 times
Preset selections:
Presets.jpg
Presets.jpg (160.3 KiB) Viewed 3120 times
Quentin
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Re: Channel Masking Show Buddy Active

Post by Quentin »

I use a set of masked presets for each fixture or group which I can "add" together to create a scene. Thus I might select "spots - white" for the performer's main light (s), "tint - red" for some warmth and "background-magenta". Even with just a handful of presets for each group you have a couple of hundred combinations available (some of them terrible!) The key thing when you have a look you want to keep is to run the "enable all channels" macro before saving your scene, otherwise you only save the unmasked channels from your last choice.
This is also a good way of organising things if you are lighting a show on the fly. eg:
Spots - white - red - blue - magenta
Wash - blue - green - red - cyan - magenta
Special effect - red - blue - green
all masked to just make their own changes, plus have a few complete scenes like "all off", "stage dim" or my personal favourite - "kitchen sink"!
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