Is it possible to program a show on two computers and then merge the files?

[Anders Kjems]

Hi

I am looking for a way to program a show on two computers (one for sound and one for lights) and then run the finished show on one computer.

I´m thinking; Is it possible to import a cuelist from one showfile to another? Is it possible to run Qlab in a multiuser setup via network? Or some other solution that I can´t think off.

Best Regards

Anders Kjems

[MattM]

There's nothing preventing you from having two workspaces open at the same time on the same computer. As long as your commands are properly addressed to one workspace or the other (which may involve numbering your cues with unique "codes" in one workspace vs. the other, e.g. All lighting cues are "L1", "L10," "L300" and all audio cues are "A1", "A10" and so on), you should be fine. Just make sure QLab knows which workspace you're trying to address with your commands and you should be fine.

Matt

[Chris Ashworth]

Hi Anders,

While we don’t currently have automated tools for merging two workspaces together, I believe you can find some tips about ways to do it in the archives of the list.

The problems you’ll need to solve manually include:

1) merging the workspace settings (e.g. the audio patch of one workspace and the lighting patch of another)

2) merging the cues; this part is relatively easy as long as you number your cues carefully. If the numbers don’t conflict you should be able to just copy and paste the cues from one workspace to another

This topic is on our radar to find ways to help make it easier in future versions. 

Cheers,

Chris

[Pruitt]

Hi Anders,

As a production manager who is often overseeing several designers and trying to integrate their Qlab shows together, I run into this problem a lot. My solution may or may not help with your situation, but it's a handy trick. I've found that the easiest way is not so much to integrate the separate cue lists, but to instead keep them separate and create one master cue list that references them to run the show. This is very handy when you have multiple designers who all need to revise their parts of the show - otherwise, each day, or each tech rehearsal, you're having to figure out how to get everyone's changes into the master show...

In your case, you would create one master cue list that cues your sounds and lights and sets their timing, etc. But this list consists only "go" cues that reference the other two cue lists. Audio and lights remain separate cue lists, and the people working on those separate parts can take them home, work on them individually and make any changes they need to, without affecting the master list (assuming their cue numbers remain the same). Obviously there are then some changes that can only be made through the master list, but those are only things having to do with timing and how the two lists interact (ie. making a sound cue go an extra 2 seconds after a light cue, etc), and I find that those changes are generally a lot less time consuming and can be done quickly, while letting the designers do the fussy work on their own time.

It's a simple trick, and like I said, may not be the answer you're looking for, but in my experience, the more complicated the show, the more time it seems to save everyone.

Cheers,

Stephen

[Rich Walsh]

Hmm, isn’t that just show control? ;P

It is the sensible solution: I’d be inclined to explore giving the show caller one machine sending OSC/MSC to all the others – and have them put the show control cues in!

You could run multiple workspaces on the same machine and get round the preferences issue, or just make everyone work from the same template and merge the cue lists into one workspace as you say. OSC’s probably the more useful control mechanism as MSC only allows numbers in the cue designations. I think OSC also has advantages over Start Cues in that it doesn’t break quite as easily – but maybe that’s a disadvantage…

Rich

[Jonathan Pearce]

Is there any scope for being able to define a go button for the second (and third) workspace? We often have shows programmed on a sound mac and a video mac, but then have to cram two macs into a tight booth - the cues are called with different numbering, so two go buttons wouldn't be an issue for the operator.

[Chris Ashworth]

Good morning Jonathan,

If you click on a cue list in the right side panel, you can assign it triggers just like other cues.

A trigger on a cue list is the same as pressing the GO button for that cue list.

best,

C

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[Rich Walsh]

That’s how you set separate triggers for cue lists; for two workspaces you’d do it in Window>Workspace Settings, Key Map pane for spacebar & MIDI/OSC Controls panes for other triggers. One workspace could be space and the other B, or ctrl-space…

There’s a subtle difference in the way cue lists scroll when triggered by a direct hotkey: if triggered by GO, the playhead moves to the middle of the window and then the list scrolls up past it; if triggered by a dedicated trigger, the playhead moves to the bottom and then the list pages up – and this repeats. With the first, after a few cues the playhead stays in the same place onscreen and you can always see the next few cues; with the second, the playhead moves often and sometimes you can’t see the next cue… Operationally this can be irksome.

Rich

[Chris Ashworth]

Ah, right you are — I had misread Jonathan’s question and assumed he meant “after merging the workspaces into one”.

Thanks for the correction!