Martin LJ getting started guide by Len Woelfel

This is a supplement to help users of Martin’s LightJockey program, a software-based DMX control system.  This will be posted in installments to this site on an intermittent basis.  First and foremost you should read the help menu with the software, and the user manual, available at ftp://ftp.martin.dk/Controller/Lightjockey/lj-Help.pdf You can also find a user forum at http://www.martin.com/forum/forum.asp?FORUM_ID=14 Whether you are a new user or an experienced hand, I hope you find something of value here.  Also, since there is no pre-defined list of topics, please feel free to contact me with input or questions and I will try to respond here.

The current version available as of January, 2006 is 2.6.11.  I have been using this version for approximately a month without problems.  It is available at ftp://ftp.martin.dk/Controller/Lightjockey

If you’re up to speed so far, your desktop should have two Martin Mac 300 wash light icons, two High End Technobeam icons, and one dimmer pack.  For this installment, we’ll discuss basic programming, and start saving some scenes.  I recommend opening LightJockey so that you can refer back to it as you go along.

Left click on the two, Mac 300 icons.  Both should turn red, indicating they have been selected.  Now raise your mouse to the first toolbar above the fixture icons.  The first group of icons are the attributes available for each fixture.  You’ll notice that when a Mac 300 icon is selected, certain attributes become active, such as shutter/intensity, movement, color, beam, levels/extended controls, lamp, and fixture reset.  The gobo button and the effects button are “grayed out” because those attributes are not included on a Mac 300.  Now click on one of the Technobeam icons.  The gobo and effects icons both become active, because a Technobeam offers those attributes.

Slide your mouse to the right, to the Show Fixture Controls button and left click.  Doing so will open all the attributes available for all fixtures that are selected.  Left click on the fixture icons again and, when all the fixtures have been de-selected all attribute windows will close.

Click on a Mac 300 and open the shutter/intensity window.  Left click the Shutter Closed window.  The shutter will open.  To the left is a button which went from red “off” to yellow “snap” when the shutter was opened.  By left clicking on the yellow button, you can change it to “fade.”  Another click turns the button back to red “off” and closes the shutter.  This button is universal to all attributes and dictates how the attribute will change from one scene to the next.  As you start programming more complicated sequences, it is important to keep an eye on this button for all attributes of all fixtures.  Errant data will cause you many headaches trying to track down incorrect programming.

The intensity and strobe bars also have the “off/snap/fade” capability.  To the right of the intensity bars are various macros available for some fixtures.  The other attribute windows work in similar fashion.  Each fixture will have different attribute window layouts based on the capabilities of the fixture.

Once you make a change to a fixture or fixtures, the Sequence Name bar changes to yellow, indicating that a sequence is active.  If a saved sequence were active, the name of that sequence would appear in that box.  Next to the sequence name window is the Toggle Sequence Control box.  Left click on that to open it.  The two double arrows at the top left corner of the Sequence Control are for running a sequence forward and backward continuously.  You’ll notice that when a sequence is running through all its scenes (steps) a blue bar indicating the scene time will move, and a red bar indicating fade time will move across the next window.  To the right of that are single left and right arrows.  These will be gray until more than one scene is present in the current sequence.  Next is a plus sign, which will add one scene to the end of the current sequence every time it is pressed.  The next button allows you to insert a scene in the middle of a sequence, as opposed to just the end.  The last button is a garbage can.  You can use this to delete one or more consecutive scenes in a sequence.

Below the sequence playback buttons are windows for adjusting the scene and fade times.  Remember, if you want an attribute to fade from scene to scene, the button for that attribute must be green/fade, not yellow/snap or red/off.  An indicator will show how fast in beats per minute (BPM) the current scene time will be.  You can individualize the scene and fade times for every scene within a sequence.  They do not have to be the same length.  To the right is check boxes for global scene and fade times.  Check these if you want the scene and/or fade times to be consistent throughout a sequence.  You can changes these later if you desire.

At the bottom left is a check box to synchronize the scene and fade time for faster programming.  Finally, there is the standard windows style white button to select a new scene.  LightJockey will confirm to ignore any changes made before creating a new sequence.  The red down arrow is for saving the current sequence, and the blue, up arrow will retrieve a list of previously saved sequences.  The crossed arrows with the red slash through are to use “blind mode.”  This mode allows the programmer to edit a sequence without the results being outputted to the fixtures.  Blind mode is indicated by the sequence name bar turning orange.

To begin, click on the New Sequence button to clear any changes you may have made.  If changes were made, LightJockey will ask if you want to continue without saving, cancel and return to the sequence, or save the sequence.  Cancel any changes and start fresh.  Select both Mac 300, and open the shutter/intensity window.  Now open the Sequence Control.  I will typically save and name new sequence before doing anything with it, but this is not required.  Click the Save button and another window will open up.  You’ll be asked to type the name of the sequence, so let’s call this one “Intensity Fade 1.”  The Sequence Type is a pull-down menu and can be used to help you identify what the sequence does.  Select Intensity Fade.  Below that are several check boxes.  We’ll discuss those in another installment.

Return to the Sequence Control window and click on the plus box once.  Your sequence should now have two scenes.  Use the single arrow to move to sequence 1.  The window should say “1:2" to indicate that you’re at scene one of two scenes.  Change the scene time to two seconds and increase the fade time to one second.  Using the single arrow, advance to scene 2.  Change the scene time to five seconds and the fade time to two seconds.  Advance the scene to scene 1.

Change the shutter in scene 1 to open.  For this sequence, the shutter opening does not matter.  Advance the scene to scene two and open the shutters again.  Return to scene 1 and increase the intensity to 100%.  You can do this either by moving the bar up to 100% or by right clicking on the right arrow at the side of the intensity bar.  Advance the scene to scene 2.  Instead of changing the intensity bar, left click on the “off/snap/fade” button and change it to fade.  Save the sequence again.

Now press the double right arrow to continuously run the scene.  In scene one, the shutter should be open and intensity should increase to 100% over one second.  In scene two, the intensity should fade down to 0% over two seconds, and should remain that way for three more seconds.  These will continue to run until you de-select the double arrow button.

Congratulations!  You’ve just made your first scene.

Your homework is to make different sequences using the Mac 300, the Technobeams, and the dimmer.  Get used to making sequences.  However, be prepared to delete all of them as we’ll start discussing different programming styles and incorporating sequences into cues.