It is a New Year and time for a new calendar. The scheduler, or calendar function, on lighting consoles allows the programmer to specify triggers based on exact dates, times, or recurrence patterns. This allows for cues to play automatically on any given time and/or date. While this is most commonly useful in installations, it can also be of use within any type of production. Clock-triggered cues can be used for a multitude of tasks besides just triggering simple cues. Typically, the console will allow you to enter in a specific time for the trigger. It will then use its own internal clock to automatically execute the command when the time and date is reached. Some consoles allow you to schedule reoccurrence patterns such as “Every Tuesday” or “Every Fifth Day.” A good calendar routine will enable you to set any type of pattern you can think of. Once assigned, the clock triggers pretty much run on their own, executing cues and commands “like clockwork” (pun intended). Most consoles will include a screen that indicates the next upcoming scheduled event and usually there is a method to easily cancel or dismiss the event before it happens.
—Brad Schiller, from “Feeding the Machines,” Jan. 2012
