When recording Cues and Looks, the Record dialog box has an option called Record. Marquee makes some pretty good guesses at the situations you are in and attempts to default to sensible configurations, but sometimes it is desirable (and very powerful) to change the Record Option. Understanding when and why is key.
The options for recording cues are as follows:
This is the default record option when recording cues. When you are appending news cues to a cue list or even editing existing cues, this is probably the option that will keep you out of trouble. Since Marquee is a tracking console, and cues inherently only alter attributes that are changing in a cue, recording the changes you've just made normally makes sense. If you're not familiar with the concept of tracking, it is well worth reading the topic called Tracking.
As you are playing around with your lights, you will notice that values get tagged with a delta symbol (or triangle):
or
This symbol is often used in mathematics to show that there has been a change of state. Attributes tagged with the delta symbol are ear-marked for recording with this option.
This is considered the 'cleanest' way of building and editing a show. Some of the other options described below have their place, but if you make changes, you probably want to record them. The other record options (such as Cue List State and All Levels [Block Cue]) often carry extra un-needed baggage. This can be seen in the Fixture Grid as the block symbols depicting redundant data that has been recorded in the cue that does not add to the look on stage:
or
After you Record attributes that were marked Changed, the delta symbol disappears. Those attributes are now considered just Captured. There is a Cue List Option that can automatically Release the fixtures after a record is completed.
Recording the Cue List State means to stuff all the data needed to get to where you are now in this cue. It specifically does not mean record all channels and attributes right now. That option is called All Levels [Block Cue] and is described below. State is much more selective and for many of the reasons described in the topic called A Note on Redundant Data, it is more desirable to record State than it is to record All.
Recording the state gives you a snapshot of what is on stage right now vis à vie the current cue list. It also includes any Changes or Captured channels that you may currently be working with. You would choose this option when the designer says, "Right - I love this - make sure we can come back to this." The reason you choose to record State vs. recording using Changed is that recording State gives you what you have and also Blocks the cue. The Block it does is better than using the Block command because it only puts hard values in for fixtures that you have used in this cue list. If you are running a multiple cue list show, you don't want to record the entire rig into this cue list. Doing so would necessarily 'steal' fixtures away from other cues lists when you run this cue. This may be desirable when working in a theatre, but imagine you are programming a museum. Just because the designer said, "I love this. Snapshot it.", you have to appreciate he's only in one room right now. There could be many other things happening on other cue lists that are not involved in what he is looking at right now. For that reason, you record State. It's not a stretch to come up with other scenarios that are applicable to a stage show.
Note:
When you Move, Copy or Load Cues, you have the State option too.
Imagine that you, as the programmer, are working away at some cue that you just have not managed to finish. The designer promised to leave you alone to sort it out and walks on stage. After a very short period of time, he asks you to bring up some lights. You politely do, knowing that you can just release them after he's had a quick look. After some time, you realize that he really wants what he asked for recorded somewhere. You can either select and release everything you were working on to record his pet project, or you can release his stuff and deal with it later. The third option is to Record Selected. Being as you just grabbed his lights and set them to a level, they are still Selected. If you then wish to record them (either to a Look, a new cue, or even Merging them into an existing cue) choose the Selected option. Only the fixtures (and their attributes) with this symbol will be recorded:
You can then release them and carry on with what you were doing. This is very handy for doing what is colloquially know as 'surgery' on cues. It is worth checking out the topic called Blind. Marquee has two programmers, one for the stage and one for Blind and you can have fixtures Selected in each, independent of each other.
This is the 'big dam'. Nothing gets past it. Every attribute of every fixture will get hard data in cues recorded using the All option. For many of the reasons you may want to record State (as described above), you may also want to use this option. This option is more appropriate when the whole world should listen to you when you hit [GO] on this cue. Every light in the house will be at your command.
Recording with this option is identical to using the Block command in the cue list. If you record with this option on every time, you have just turned Marquee into a Preset desk.
Please note, if you are using multiple cue lists, recording with the All options is rarely desirable. You will 'steal' away every light from EVERY other cue list when you go into this cue!
See Also:
Blocking and Unblocking of cues
Captured lights are essentially under the programmer's control. They cannot be controlled by Cues or Looks until they are released. Captured fixture may be marked as Changed and be ready for recording or they may just be Captured (and not changed). A good example of how a light can be Captured and not Changed is when you don't do a Release after doing a Record. (This is a Cue List Option)
One example of when you may want to record using the Captured option is when you have just completed a record command, but also want to record the same stuff to a different place.
The options for recording Looks are as follows:
This is the default record option when recording looks. This is probably the option that will keep you out of trouble because you won't be dragging in a bunch of stuff you don't want.
As you are building looks by Selecting and Setting Fixtures, you will notice that values get tagged with a delta symbol (or triangle):
or
Values or attributes tagged with the delta symbol are ear-marked for recording with the Changed option. Other fixture's levels may be non-zero and controlled by cue lists, but they will not be recorded if you choose this option.
Some of the other options described below have their place, but if you make changes, you probably want to record them. The other record options (such as All Levels) all carry baggage that you must understand if you are going to use them.
After you Record a Look, the delta symbols on the attributes that were marked Changed do not disappear. None-intensity attributes of selected fixtures actually take on the new name of the Look because they are being referenced as a palette. This is useful if you move some fixtures to a new position and decide that this would be a handy palette. It allows you to quickly record the position palette, then immediately use that palette when recording the cue. Alternately, you may want to Release them and carry on with other ideas.
Selected fixtures look like this.
or
The one on the left is just Selected and the one on the right is Selected, and its intensity attribute is Captured and Changed. In either case, you may find something you like and want to record it to a Look. Just select it and record using this option. Other fixtures may be Changed (below on the left) or merely Captured (on the right) but not Selected:
or
These will not be recorded if you choose the Selected option.
Captured attributes are essentially under the programmer's control.
or
They cannot be controlled by Cues or Looks until they are released. Captured fixture may be marked as Changed and be ready for recording or they may just be Captured (and not changed). A good example of how a light can be Captured and not Changed is when you don't do a Release after recording a cue. (This is a Cue List Option). Also, when recording Looks, fixtures are not automatically released. (See Changed Attributes above for an example.)
One example of when you may want to record using the Captured option is when you have just completed a record command, but also want to record the same stuff to a different place.
It is possible to Select a fixture and not Capture its attributes (intensity being just one of its attributes). Selected fixtures look like this:
This fixture has been Selected, but the intensity attribute was not Captured. (In this case, it is being controlled by a cue list.) It may have been Selected because you were Panning and Tilting it. It may have also been Selected because somebody just called for Fixture 16, but has not yet said what to do with it. Therefore you have not touched the Wheel to Change its level.
This is often how Groups are recorded. You may type [10] [THRU] [20] [REC] [GROUP] [5] [ENTER]. By typing that, we did not Capture anything. That is why when you press [REC] followed by the [GROUP] button, this is the option that gets put in the Record Look dialog box automatically.
Every attribute of every fixture will get hard data in looks recorded using the All Levels option. The exception to this is that any attribute that is at its default value will be filtered out. For intensities on conventional fixtures, this is at a level of 0%. If you are going specifically want default values in the look, you will have to mark them Changed. Do this by performing a Select-Attribute Family on the selected fixtures.
Note:
The topics Recording Cues and Recording Looks discuss three very important options not described here. They are Update, Exclude Look Masters and Attributes.
See Also:
A Note on Redundant Data