While I was programming a show recently, I was using one of my favorite console features and I knew right then that I needed to write about it. Most automated lighting consoles have this feature which is a holdover from standard conventional or theatrical desks. This feature is commonly known as “Cue Only” and is used when you are recording or updating cues. This powerful feature behaves almost as if the console knows what you really want and takes care of it for you! However, before explaining exactly what the feature does, you must have an understanding of basic console tracking.
Most modern automated lighting consoles are based on the principle of parameter value tracking. This concept basically means that only data that is changed is recorded into a cue and any values that are not changed track from one cue to another. For example, if you set the intensity for fixtures in cue 1 and then only change the position in cues 2 to 4, the intensity will track through to cues 2 through 4 because no new intensity information was recorded. More detailed explanations of tracking can be found in my previous articles or my book, The Automated Lighting Programmer’s Handbook (www.plsnbookshelf.com).
CUE ONLY example: Changes to Cue 4.5 do not track to Cue 5.
When you are working with a cuelist that takes advantage of tracking, problems can arise if you are not prepared. For example, if the intensity is tracking from cue 1 through to cue 4 and you change the intensity in cue 3, this new information will track into cue 4. This means that your edit to cue 3 affected subsequent cues. This may have been the desired effect, but usually an LD wants you to only update a specific cue and not all the subsequent cues.
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Tracking example: The intensity level tracks from Cue 1 to Cue 4.
Imagine this scenario: Cue 4 is live on stage and it has all the front fixtures (1-24) in a blue wash with a yellow backlight (201-212). Cue 5 keeps the blue wash but changes the yellow backlight to lavender. Now the LD decides he wants a cue 4.5 that has a red front wash, a red backlight and a down special from fixtures 101 and 102 (which were off in these cues). If you simply create cue 4.5 as desired and record it, then these changes will track into cue 5, resulting in a different looking cue 5 (and possibly subsequent cues) than was originally designed. Because of tracking, cue 5 would now have a red wash, lavender backlight and a down special from fixtures 101 and 102.
If instead of recording cue 4.5 as a normal cue you record this as a “Cue Only” cue, then its changes will not track into subsequent cues. When you activate the Cue Only recording mode, then the console will ensure that cue 4.5 does not track. Prior to actually recoding cue 4.5, the console will look at the changes you are about to make and how it might affect cue 5. Then it will insert real values into cue 5 to represent what used to track into cue 5. This way the “state” of cue 5 is maintained as it was before cue 4.5 ever existed. Now the console can add cue 4.5 to your cue list without destroying the look of cue 5 (and subsequent tracked cues). However, be warned that items that used to track from cue 4 to 5 now have actual values in cue 5. So tracking for these parameters from 4 to 5 will no longer occur. If you later change the color of the blue wash in cue 4, you will also need to change it in cue 5 (if you want it to track).
The Cue Only function is named differently in different consoles — some indicate this function as “track forwards OFF” — so check the user manual. Whatever it’s called, the power of being able to quickly record a cue in the middle of a list without affecting or changing succeeding cues is extremely compelling, because it lets cues be easily inserted into an existing list.
In addition to being able to insert a new cue into an existing list, Cue Only is really great when you are updating existing cues. Although it’s very similar, this methodology of editing is very powerful. For instance, I was programming a bank of LED fixtures and in cue 7 they were all red. I needed to change cue 7 to a teal color, but I did not want to alter the look of cue 8. I did not remember what cue 8 looked like so I updated cue 7 using Cue Only. This meant that I did not need to worry that my change to cue 7 might destroy cue 8. As it turned out cue 8 was a half red and half yellow cue, and the red values were tracking from cue 7. So if I had not used Cue Only, then I would have accidentally changed cue 8 to become a half teal and half yellow. Thank goodness for this wonderful feature!
As I stated, the “Cue Only” method of recording and updating cues is often labeled differently on various consoles. It is very important that you study the user manual for your console of choice to ensure that you understand how this function works on your desk. Once you master the Cue Only methodology for recording, you will find that your efficiency and speed as a programmer have increased as well.
