Patch

Marquee uses Fixture numbers as the base user addressable unit. Conventional desk often refer to these as Channels and moving light desks may call them Spots. Because of Marquee's very powerful Abstract Control Model, calling everything a Fixture provides the most functionality. That way, what was once a par can, can be converted into a VL1000, just by changing the Fixture Type.

To enter the patch, press [S1] when there are no fixtures selected. The default method of patching is Fixture to Output. You can reverse this to patching Outputs to Fixtures by pressing [S11].

Note:

The softkeys are sensitive to your current fixture selection (i.e., if you have moving lights selected, [S1] will not be Patch). You can either press [BKSP] to clear (but not Release) the selection or enter the patch, regardless of what the softkeys are displaying use the mouse to select the Setup icon above the Cue List Directory. The default selection is Patch by Fixture.

Adding and Deleting Fixtures

When you create a new show file, the default patch contains 128 Fixtures of Type Dimmer and the console is patched 1:1 such that each fixture is patched to the corresponding output. You can see a summary of how many control channels your console is authorized for, how many you've used and how many remaining by looking in the top left pane of the display when you enter the patch display:

[S1] puts Add Fixture into the command line such that you can type command like [Add Fixture] [129] [Thru] [500]. Note that you can also delete fixture with [S2] as simply as typing [Delete Fixture] [12] [Thru] [15] [+] [19]. If you were to type that command, the Fixture Grid would look like this:

The Channel Allocation above will change depending on how many fixtures total you have. The Moving Light total is a sub-set of the total fixture count. The used channels is how many DMX or Ethernet outputs you're consuming.

Patching Dimmer Type Fixtures to Outputs

To patch normal intensity fixtures (commonly referred to as channels), enter the patch in either way as described above. If you have paperwork that lists the channels in order with their respective dimmer hookup, you will want to Patch by Fixture. Patching is done in two ways; either using the command line or (more conveniently) using the Blue Box.

Using the Command Line

To patch using the command line, first type a single fixture number followed by [@] then the output number. Complete the command by pressing [Enter].

You can patch multiple outputs (dimmers) to a fixture by pressing [+] between outputs:

Using the Blue Box

Because of the very fast editing style of the Blue Box, if you are typing more than one patch entry at a time with paperwork in front of you (or someone reading you numbers) this method is preferred. The Patch by Fixture display is already sorted by fixture number, so entering output numbers in a sequential fashion using the Blue Box is very fast.

Using the arrow keys, position the Blue Box in the Intensity column of the patch display on the same line as the first fixture number you have in your paperwork. Press [EDIT] or [Insert] to open the box for editing. Type the appropriate output number, then press the down arrow (rather than enter). The box will already be open for editing where you can carry on. When you're done, press [ENTER] to close the edit box.

Patching Moving Lights to Outputs

Adding moving lights to your show is as easy as patching dimmers. Decide on which fixture numbers your moving lights are going to be, then change the Type from Dimmer to whatever you have in your rig. Do this by moving the Blue Box to the Type column and pressing [EDIT] or [Insert]. The Select Fixture dialog box will open:

Press [S1] to select the Fixture Manufacturer and [S2] to select the Model/Mode of the fixture you're using then press [ENTER] to close the dialog box. Then move the Blue Box to the Attribute column and enter the starting output address for each fixture. You can also use the Power Patch to automatically enter a series of fixtures. If you have automated lighting that needs an intensity patch and an automation patch, enter each in the appropriate columns. This is typical with scrollers and tungsten sourced automated lights.

Fixture Settings

Sometimes when you add moving lights to your rig, you want the encoders to react a certain way; i.e., when you crank the wheel right, you want the light to move stage left. While in the patch by fixture display, move the Blue Box to the Settings column and press [EDIT] or [Insert] to open the Fixture Settings dialog box:

After you close the box, the Setting cell will have symbols showing which setting was applied (Pan Invert, Tilt Invert and Swap Pan/Tilt shown below from left to right):

Output Settings

You can configure the Output (DMX or Ethernet) by tweaking its value at the very end of the Fade Resolution chain by moving the Blue Box to the Settings column in the Patch By Output display and pressing [EDIT] or [Insert]. You will be presented with the Output Patch Settings dialog box:

After you change the setting, the icons shown below will be visible in this column.

Proportional Patch

If you want the Output to be a scaled value of what is displayed in the channel grid, change this value to something other than 100%. Valid numbers are between 1% and 200%. For example, if you have Fixture 1 patched to Output 1 with a Proportional Patch of 50%, when Fixture 1 is showing a value of 80% in the Fixture Grid, the Output will only be at a level of 40%. Or, if you have a Proportional Patch of 200% and Fixture 1 is showing a value of 10% in the Fixture Grid, the Output will be set to 20%. (NOTE: Output values will never exceed 100%).

Limiting Outputs

If you enter values for Output Min or Output Max, you can limit the upper and/or lower limits of an Output, regardless of Fade Resolution. The fade profile will be the same elsewhere in the fade path, but as a limit is reached, the value will cease to move. Valid entries are between 0% and 100%.

Profiling the Output

Select from the combo box to change the Profile of the Output. For example, if you choose Inverted, when the control channel reads 100% in the Channel Grid, the Output will actually be at 0%. The following profiles are available: Linear; Snap at Start; Snap at End; Zig Zag, Squares Law; Invert; Slow Start; Fast Start; Fast End; Damped; Slow End; Non-Dim; 35% Jump Start

Parking an Output

If you choose any of the Park options, the Output will never change from the specified value, regardless Fade Resolution.

Output Devices

On new shows, the DMX outputs on the back of your console hardware are mapped to Marquee Outputs 1 through 1024. You can configure the Output Devices by clicking the [+] sign in the upper left hand pane of the display:

The options for Marquee USB (back of console) are None, 1 to 512 and 1 to 1024. You can also choose to output via Ethernet using the Pathport, ShowNet or Artnet protocols. Just select how many XDMX universes you want to output to and configure your network devices to listen to those slots.