WMX1 control of the Chauvet Gigbar Move+ ILS discussion

[Tarekith]

Hi all,

Recently traded my ILS Command for a Wolfmix W1 to gain more control over my Gigbar Move +ILS fixtures. Sadly, I did not realize that "in general" lasers aren't really supported by the standard DMX commands the W1 uses. The Gigbar Move + V3.0 fixture template in the W1 did a great job of breaking all the individual fixture types out into their own Groups, but the only way I can access any of the laser functionality is via Live Edit mode. (fair enough)

Having spent time playing with this however, the values and controls for the laser in Live Edit mode do not correspond to the DMX specification of the Gigbar posted in the manual on the Chauvet DJ website:

https://www.chauvetdj.com/wp-content/up ... M_Rev3.pdf

Specifically page 29:

Values 1-36 should scroll through the color options, but instead trigger the blue and green laser.
Values 148-179 should be the red and green laser, but instead it's yellow.
Values 185-215 should be red and blue, but instead it's magenta.
Values 222-255 should be green and blue, but instead it's cyan.

Also, if anyone knows how to change the laser pattern over DMX I would GREATLY appreciate it as that's the only thing I need to solve to get my lights to function fully. Well, fully enough for my shows

Thanks for any help!

[axell]

Yes, all your question can be addressed and controlled by "real-time" Wolfmix controls.
BUT...you need to create a "tailored" profile to do so. Then you can "split" up the devices and assign them to various Groups for individual control

I created a 30 channel version (where 2PARs, 2Spots and Derbys) are combined and running in "sync", but I also created a 52 Channel version where EVERY device can be controlled individual, but also unified into one Group for Control but using PHASE (on FX) and ALTERNATE (on STATIC) still have individual output.
For Laser I use regular Color pads to switch On/Off various Laser Colors (Red, Green, Blue) and also for dual Laser or triple Laser (Magenta, Cyan White pads). For Rotation and Speed/Direction control I use the available encoder.

It can be done in a profile with some thinking and time spending on how Wolfmix and DMX is working and then create the working profile for it.

[Tarekith]

Ok thank you.

So let me make make sure I'm understanding you. Instead of using the built in fixture profile for the Gigbar Move+ILS, you're saying I should instead create a custom fixture profile for all the fixtures manually, correct? What channel type should I use for the laser though, since none of the options in the W1 seem to match with that?

Since you have already created a project that works with the Gigbar Move +, would you be able to share that project with me so I can learn from it and tweak it to suit my own needs?

Thanks for your help again, I really appreciate it.

[Tarekith]

Ok I think I have this figured out now by using the Fixture Builder. The only thing I have yet to figure out is "For Rotation and Speed/Direction control I use the available encoder." I don't see channels for those in the Gigbar DMX spec, only laser color.

[axell]

Alright. For Multi-Effect-Bars it is a little more complex.
The Profiles you find in the Library are mostly provided by the manufacturers (here Chauvet). However, they do not provide optimized, tested and certified profiles for all possible controllers in the world, people may want to use the Gigbar Move + ILS on, they just provide a very "basic" setup, compared to what we used to have when dealing with large DMX Fader Desks - just to be pretty "universal". YOU are the brain, knowing that fader 7 is doing this and fader 9 halfway up is doing that. But Chauvet don't know that you want to use their Gigbar Move on a Wolfmix, which has different Controls to be automated and "someone" now have to tell the Wolfmix Automation what each channel is doing and when and how (rules and dependencies may apply on top of DMX Standard specs). You also cannot blame Nicolaudie to not have edited, optimized, certified, continuously updated the 15.000+ profiles for their various "Controller park" (Light Rider, DASlight, Wolfmix, Architectural, ...), so they provide a Profile Editor to let the User "tailor" the profile to the Controller requirement he want to use for.

Now as you have noticed, Wolfmix sometimes (for more complex fixtures and multi-fixtures) does NOT have all Controller knobs and encoders available for real time control. That is why Wolfmix has "freely editable" Presets (Live Edit Presets). You select the Channel, enter a value for activation of the action (here: Rotation with certain speed and direction) and store. Now at the push of a Live Edit Preset you add the Derby Rotation... voilá

And there are many more ways to get a real elegant solution (even with realtime control) using other/different DMX Types for substitution of the "obvious". Then you use "beams" to split the fixtures to Groups and use encoders to control Rotation etc. It is just a question how you want to re-program a profile to let Wolfmix do what you want him to do when selecting here and dial there - Wolfmix is following accordingly.

[axell]

Here is an example of my Setup and operation installation, which shows you WHAT you can do in Realtime (without additional Live Edit Presets) IF you create the "right profile":

Post Installation process for Group Assignments and Control:

When loading the profile you have been asked if you want the profile to SPLIT, confirm with YES. After confirming the 9 (sub/linked) „micro“Fixtures we now have to re-assign those to functional Groups:

select HOME / FIXTURE and assign the following Groups
„Gigbar Move +IL-1“ (2x PARs ) Group A
„Gigbar Move +IL-2“ (2x Derby + Rotation) Group B
„Gigbar Move +IL-3“ (LED1 Strobe) (Other)
„Gigbar Move +IL-4“ (LED2 Strobe) (Other)
„Gigbar Move +IL-5“ (LED3 Strobe) (Other)
„Gigbar Move +IL-6“ (LED4 Strobe) (Other)
„Gigbar Move +IL-7“ (all Strobe) (Other)
„Gigbar Move +IL-8“ (Laser + Rotation) Group C
„Gigbar Move +IL-9“ (2x Spot Moving Head) Group D

exit Fixture Setup

Group A is RGBWAU control for the 2 PARs.

Group B is RGBW control for the 2 Derbys. The GOBO setting (of Group B) you see a single "blue" Gobo. When activate this Gobo, you activate the ROTATION ENCODER (of Group B), dial the encoder for seamless Speed adjustment clockwise slow to fast - Stop - counter clockwise slow to fast. Deselect the Gobo and the Rotation will STOP.

Group C is Laser Control. Red, Green, Blue on Static COLOR are identical Laser beam Colors. Yellow will show Red+Green, Magenta Red+Blue and Cyan will show Green+Blue. White has all 3 beams ON (Red, Green, Blue). In GOBO of Group C you find another "blue" Gobo you can activate the Rotation encoder for Laser Rotation (like in Group B for the Derbys)

Group D controls the 2 Moving Head Spots. (MoveFX is only visible in Group D). In Group D you control the Pan/Tilt (MoveFX), the Colors of the Moving Heads as well as the Gobos of the Moving Heads( note there is NO single "blue" Gobo, but just regular black/white Gobos (1-5 and 6-10).

Other is White LEDs for Strobe … OTHERS will ALWAYS strobe when Strobe button is pushed. All other Groups (A, B, C & D) can be disabled from Strobe going to HOME / SETUP GROUPS, select the Group you want to disable Strobe on, use FLASH ON encoder to dial to Strobe and press encoder. Now this Group has Strobe DISABLED.

[Tarekith]

Axell, first of all thanks for your help here, I really appreciate it. I'm the admin for the Ableton forums, so I know first hand how difficult it can to address specific issues like I'm having. Cheers for that.

Happily I was able to figure out most of my issues with controlling the Gigbar with the W1 yesterday on my own. Creating my own profile for the lights was mostly easier than I expected, the only issue that stumped me for awhile was realizing I needed to put each of the Strobe lights as it's own Beam to get the best control over them.

A couple more quick questions if you don't mind:

- Why assign the strobes to "Other" instead of a Group? I have mine set to Group E currently, but is there a benefit to not having them in a Group? Are you using them just with the Blinder effect and thus don't need control over Beam FX or Dimmer for those (without using Live Edit)?

- I still cannot figure out how you are assigning a Gobo to the laser to control rotation, or to the Derbys for Speed. It looks like all the control for the laser is on Channel 32 on the Gigbar, which I have assigned to Color Wheel in the profile builder. This lets me control the colors of the lasers exactly as you have stated, great. But is there a way to assign a gobo and color wheel to the same channel in Live Edit? Been watching tutorials and reading the manual for hours and not seeing how to achieve this.

Still a shame there's no way to change the laser pattern via DMX, but I'm getting closer to setting this all up exactly how I want regardless. Thanks once again, almost done bugging you with questions

[axell]

You can assign the Strobe LEDs to any Group you like , but all they do is....Strobe. If you assign them to a "regular" Group (A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H) you occupy a full Group control with just that - Strobe. Group OTHER has NO "other" control than Smoke and Strobe, so it is not a "fully" complementary Group equivalent to A-H. No Color control, no Move control, no Beam control, no NOTHING. Test: assign a Washer RGB Moving Head to OTHER and see what you can control. It is just to save the remaining Groups for other fixture control, while the Gigbar already needs 4 Group to control (somehow useful).

I only use the Strobes to STROBE. In order to work automated only with the Strobe button, I replaced the former DIMMER channels with regular STROBE channels, which also switch from 000 to 255 when Strobe button is activated. So there is no more need to activate the Dimmer channels before I want them to Strobe. Disadvantage: They are now STROBE channels and do not react to Blinder (Dimmer) control any more. For me it's OK, as I still have the PARs, the Derbys and the Moving Head for Blinder effect.


OK, the "Rotation secret" ....Question: What is the best control on Wolfmix to control a Rotation with? Not Live Edit - (it's just the official answer)! It is the use of an encoder. Next question: WHEN is the encoder for Rotation activated? When you have a Gobo configured which is Self-Rotate enabled.

Now the Laser section (in 30Ch and 52Ch Mode) are actually 3 channels.
1. Laser Colors - use a Color Wheel and add Red, Green, Blue, and for the dual beam or triple beam Presets add Yellow, Magenta, Cyan and White, Now you have all Color options at your fingertips.
2. Laser Strobe - regular Strobe Channel
3. Laser Rotation - assign a Gobo Wheel to this Channel and add just one Preset (any Preset will do - use a colorful Gobo Icon to make sure its "different"). Enable "Self-Rotary" for this Preset in Preset Properties. Now if you activate this GOBO(!) then you enable the Rotation encoder and can drive the value of "that channel" with the encoder - and that it is all about - crank up the value on that channel...with the encoder and it starts to spin...

(I did similar things with Barrel Roll with Light Rider, so you could spin/rotate anything just by using the "ROLL" dialer in Light Rider)

[Tarekith]

Thanks for clarifying about the strobes, that makes total sense. Pretty much the reason I used Group E for mine is that it's on the second page of groups and I never need to access it. Nice to know that "Other" and no group does the same thing!

Ok, it sounds like the only issue I'm still having at this point is just trying to figure out what the other two channels are that control the laser are. In the GigBar manual (page 29) it only lists Channel 32 for Laser Control (using 50 channel mode like you and I are) which handles the Laser colors, how did you find out what the other two channels are for Laser Strobe and Laser Rotation?

[axell]

There are 2 version from Gigbar Move + ILS! one European with 30Ch and 52Ch modes and one US version with 28Ch and 50Ch Modes. Missing the 2 channels for Laser to Strobe and Rotate.

What you CAN do is on Channel 32 you can either do the Color Wheel with a set of Colors for direct access. Or you still can use a GOBO WHEEL channel and do it with ONE Preset (as I described) - and then you can select the various Colors by "dialing" thru the full Preset (001 - 255). (There is this Preset IMAGE COLOR I have no idea what it does)