Controlling the Speed of Time
When a parameter changes from one value to another, a time is assigned that dictates the speed at which the value change will occur; this is called “fade time.” For instance, when changing a light’s intensity from zero to full, a fade time might be assigned to the cue where the value at full causes the change to happen over a 10-second period. For 10 seconds, the light will appear to get brighter and brighter until it reaches its programmed value of full.
Along with the ability to assign a fade time to each cue, most consoles let you assign a specific fade time for each parameter of every light. You could have a cue with multiple fade times that cause different parameters or fixtures to change at different rates, or assign some fixtures that increase intensity as others are fading.
Delaying the Inevitable
Most consoles also offer the ability to adjust the “delay” time — the time when a programmed fade time starts. Like the fade time itself, the delay time can be assigned to an entire cue or be specific for individual parameters and/or fixtures. When a cue starts, fade times are automatically activated unless the parameter has been assigned a delay time. In that case, the delay time starts counting down and, when complete, the fade time will begin. For example, let’s say you have two fixtures, each with a five-second fade time on color, and that fixture two has a delay time on color of six seconds. What you will see when the cue is played is that fixture one will start its five-second color fade immediately. Then, one second after it completes, fixture two will start its five second color fade. So the total elapsed time of this cue will be 11 seconds. Making use of delay times when building cues allows for interesting looks on stage and complex sequencing of events within a single cue.
Following Along
Another timing parameter, known as “follow time,” controls the amount of time between each cue or step. It works by specifying when a cue will advance to the next cue in the cue-list. If you have a follow time between cue one and two of 10 seconds, then cue two will automatically trigger (start its fade and delay times) 10 seconds after cue one started. Whether or not cue one finished its fade and delay times, cue two will begin at the assigned time.
You can assign a follow time of a cue to a specific value, or you can tell the console to “auto-follow” or “follow-on.” Auto-follow causes the next cue to automatically begin its fades and delays as the previous cue completes all its combined fade and delay times. This is very useful — you can change timing in the first cue with no need to update the value of the follow. Some consoles even allow you to assign a “follow + (plus)” or “follow – (minus)” time. In these cases, you provide an amount of time after (or before) the completion of all the previous cue’s timing. I find it very useful, for example, to have a cue trigger automatically five seconds after the previous cue is complete. With this tool, I don’t have to calculate the combined fade and delay times of the previous cue (or worry if I change them later).
The follow time can also be set to manual (usually the same as not assigning a time), which requires you to press the GO button to advance to the next cue instead of using any timing. In addition, you can often assign a timecode or other clock value to the follow time for specified triggering of cues (more on this later).
Playing with Time
When controlling lights from a console, we are given a tremendous amount of power to adjust the time at which events happen. When we press the GO button, we start timers that cause fade and delay times to begin as well as other possible timing events. With the single press of specific buttons, we can then pause, speed up or slow down the timed events. You can even skip ahead or back in a cuelist to further adjust the timing on stage. At any moment, you can override programmed times as long as you understand the controls at your fingertips.
As mentioned, the follow time in a cuelist or sequence can be assigned to various clock events. Many consoles allow you to assign clock triggers using clock and/or calendar functions. With these features, you simply select a date and/or time and assign it to a cue or enter it into the follow field. Then, at the specified moment, the cue will trigger. Many systems even utilize complex recurrence patterns for repeated events, or astronomical clocks to calculate sunrise and sunset based on location and date.
In the same manner as clock events, timecoded triggers can be entered into cue follow times to allow synchronization with music, video or other show control based systems. With the use of SMPTE or MIDI Time Code, you can cause cues to automatically trigger anytime a specific time value is received into the console in the proper format. It is amazing to program a show and then sit back and watch it automatically replay the cueing without any human interaction. In fact, with timed triggers, you can actually cause multiple events to happen in perfect rhythm faster than any human could ever achieve through manual playback.
Take the Time to Learn More
Timing is one of the most important parameters that automated lighting programmers work with on a daily basis. By fully learning about the abilities and interactions of the various types of timing available on your console, you can adjust the speed at which things happen, start and stop the time, and to listen to inside and outside sources to create dynamic and exciting looks. As always, take the time to explore your console’s abilities and read the user manual to ensure you are getting the most out of your programming time.
