Have you ever thought about exactly how many buttons you press on a console when programming a show? There are often many things you can do to reduce the button count of certain actions…Automated lighting consoles are built on complex computer systems, which enable them to help us perform tasks with less interaction. One example is through the use of keystroke macros. If you know that you will use a particular set of keystrokes often, then you can simply record a macro that remembers the specific sequence. Now you can reduce a large button press routine down to just a few, such as “Macro 4-Enter.” You can even get clever and further reduce the button count by assigning a quick key or playback to trigger the macro. Now you can press just one button, and the console will automatically perform the complex syntax stored in the macro.
—From “Feeding the Machines” by Brad Schiller, PLSN, Jan. 2013
