The very first thing a programmer should do when learning about a one-off concert is to ask for a copy of the music and a set list. As the concert is based on the music, this is of utmost importance…Once I have the music, I listen to each song and create a chart for each…After building my palettes/presets, I will usually dive right in and start creating cues from my notes for each song. I do not worry about the nuances and instead build big chunks of looks to correspond with each cue. As with any concert, I create a page per song, with a master cuelist for each song. I label everything as I go so that I know the song and cue with which I am working. Once all this is done, I create a number of additional playbacks to intermix with any of the cues at any time. In most cases, these will live on a template page so that they are available for all playbacks. These live manipulation playbacks include color bumps or fades, ballyhoos, audience blinders, flyouts and strobe cues. By combining these live with the basic pre-recorded cues, I can create an exciting and energetic concert during the event.
-Brad Schiller, from "Feeding the Machines," PLSN, Mar. 2011
