Grand MA2 Help Page

Presets

what is a preset

a preset is a space on the console to store information for instance gobos, intensity, colour and position

presets are a valuable tool for speeding up your programming

any preset that you program into cues the console will remember the preset that was used it will automatically update the cues if you change the contents of the presets

the cues reference the preset

to create a preset

1. select some fixtures 2. give them the data that you want 3. open a preset pool in a view 4. press store and press an empty preset 5. label the presets

updating a preset process

1. starting from a cleared programmer press the clear button three times 2. select your fixtures and turn them on 3. recall the preset by pressing it 4. make the desired changes 5. press the update button 6. check the correct preset has appeared on the screen 7. press the update preset button to confirm

Patching

user profile

the user profile allows the programmer to keep their settings and views that are personal to them. when you move to new consoles you can import your user profile into the console this ensures that any time the default settings are changed or you store a view it can be reused again in the future

setup menu

the setup menu is divided up into 4 headings these are: show, console, user and network

patching patching is the process of telling the console which fixtures you are going to use you can tell it the fixture type, and the DMX Address and give them identity numbers the window is broken into two halves

on one side we have layers layers are a way of organizing your patch you could use layers to separate them out by fixture type or by location based on where they are in the rig when you select a layer the right-hand side will display the contents of the layer this is the actual patch layers a vital tool for a good MA programmer as they enable them to separate out the patch into easier-to-read sections

patching a step-by-step guide

1. press setup

2. select patch & fixture schedule

3. when you have no layers and you've got an empty show file the console will prompt you to create a new layer

4. name the layer e.g generics or dimmers.

5. this will open the fixture wizard

6. specify the type of fixture that you want to patch by default it will have just two options available a generic dimmer personality a button that says from the library which will bring up the fixture library

7. once you have specified the type of fixture that you want to patch it will provide you with a green form to fill in

you can name your fixtures from this form

MA has a dual numbering system these are fixture id and channel id by default generic fixtures will be patched with channel ids not fixture ids

moving lights will have fixture ids

you can also specify either fixture id numbers and channel numbers or one or the other

the next option is patch break 1 this is the universe and address box.

once you are happy with your patching press the apply button

no changes are made until you press the close button the console will give you a pop-up to say you are leaving the patch & fixture schedule do you want to save changes if you press yes the desk will save your patch if you press cancel you will be returned to your patch and will be able to carry on working if you press no your changes will not be saved and you will lose all of the changes you have made

patch only (live)

This window is known as a safe window within MA no fixtures cannot be added or changed in such a way that would drastically alter the show. You can change the DMX address and the name of the fixtures if the patch is needed to be opened during a show then you can do it from this window. Caution is advised when opening the patch and fixture schedule during a show. you could cause some issues if you try and operate the show file with the patch and fixture schedule window open.

Stage view

The stage view is a wireframe view of the stage

It uses simple line graphics to show you stage elements, fixtures and beams of light

It can be helpful to utilize this view to preview the stage

Controlling Fixtures

One useful set of buttons on the Grand MA2 is the next set and prev buttons these are particularly useful in focus when you're working through a sequence of

the next and prev buttons are self-explanatory press them to go either one fixture or channel forwards or backwards in your given cue stack

your currently selected and active fixture will always be bright yellow your selected but inactive fixtures will be in a dimmer yellow

groups will remember the order in which they were selected

Layout view

what is a layout view

I would say that layout view is the MA equivalent of a magic sheet on ETC and in many aspects, it does a very similar job however

a layout is a 2-dimensional view within this view you can add text, fixtures and channels

you can also add any image you like from the image pool

any object can be moved and scaled to suit your needs

where are they stored

Layouts are stored within the layout pool and you can have multiple layouts stored in the pool its like having pages of them

Creating layouts

the layout view can be found under the other section when creating views

the layout pool can be found under the aptly named pools tab

Sequences

Basic Sequence Info

A cue is a single look onstage a cue can contain as much information about lights as the programmer chooses it can also contain timing and effects which are mentioned further down on the page

a sequence is a list of cues put together one after the other among other things it will contain timing and trigger information this controls how the cues run

Executors

Executors are your playbacks on the console

when you store cues on an executor the cues are attached in a sequence. you can use this executor to output the sequence from the console

storing multiple cues on the same executor

1. create your second look onstage

2. press the store button

3. press a button on the same executor that had the first cue on it

4. press create second cue

N.B pressing store and then the executor button will automatically store the next number in the sequence.

allocating a custom cue number

1. create your look onstage

2. press store cue number

3. press executor button

Managing cues

controlling which executor is currently selected

to change the currently selected executor press select and the press the executor you want to select

selected sequences

the selected sequence is connected to the master faders in the centre of the console. this means that pressing master go, go back or moving the faders will trigger the selected sequence

it is easier tow rok with a selected executor instead of choosing an executor button it speeds up your programming.

for example store cue 25 please will automatically put cue 25 onto the selected executor

deleting cues

to delete a single cue 1. press del 2. input the cue number you want to delete then depending upon wether or not you have slected the executor the cue is in you can either press please if you've got it selected or press the executor button if you haven't

you can delete multiple cues simply by inputting the following delete cue 10 thru 15 - deletes cues 10 through 15 delete cue 10 thru deletes all cues from 10 up copying cues

copying cues is very simple

for example copy cue 2 at 4 copies the contents of cue 2 and puts it at cue 4

moving cues

to move cues simply press move for example move cue 2 at 4

inserting cues

to insert cues in between existing cues you can use move store or copy a pop up will appear press ok this will be explained in the tracking section

Editing cues

Introduction to Editing Cues

there are 3 common methods for editing cues these are:

update cue is when you play back cues and make changes to it whilst it is live and then update the cue to save the changes

Edit Cue this function brings the cue back into the programmer so that it can be edited you can store it in the same location when you are finished

Store over existing cues you can make changes or create new information and then store this over the cue or cues and either overwrite merge or remove values

Update

the update function can be used when a cue is playing back

playback the cue that needs editing

make the changes in the programmer

check the correct cue is displayed

press update cue

edit cue

the edit cue function will bring cues into the programmer this allows you to make changes to your cues

once you have finished press update to store the cue in the original location

a pop will appear asking you to confirm it

Store over Cues

if you want to you can store cues over other cues make changes to your lights and then press store cue 5, please

Tracking

Introduction to tracking

What is tracking

tracking is a system that means that once a fixture is told to do something in a cue it will continue to do the same thing until told otherwise. there is a sheet within the console that allows you to see what tracking its aptly named sequence tracking

tracking at work

on Grand MA2 you can handily identify what is going to happen at the next cue by using the colour coding below: cyan is used for values going up green for values going down white for any values staying the same purple for tracked values

hard values the difference between hard values and tracked values is simple: a hard value doesn't track and the three colours cyan green and white simply tell the direction the hard value is going in

white values occur when the hard value is stored at the same value as the previous cue no tracking

you do have the option to turn tracking off however in the context of RCS it isn't necessarily done often but you can turn it off quite simply: press assign press your executor button the view opens press options in the top right corner find the tracking option and deactivate it

Tracking Options

Tracking Sheet

Tracking Shield

Tracking Related Options

Status Merge

Remove and Release

Cue Mode

Chasers and Off

Off

the off-key can be used to turn off any running executor the syntax for this would be to press off and then an executor button

pressing the off key twice opens the off-menu from here you can turn off any running item just by tapping on it

Chasers

creating a chaser

1. ensure all of your executors are set to off by pulling all of your faders down and pressing the clear key three ties to ensure that the programmer is cleared as well

2. pick your chosen starting point, apply the desired starting look and store it onto a button executor

3. press next fub ll and store that into the same executor. when the pop-up appears to tell you what would you like to do with the information press the record second cue now you only need to press this once. please repeat this step until you have completed the chase as you would like it to be

4. playback this executor to ensure that the chaser looks as required.

converting sequences to chasers

5. press assign and then press the executor button where you stored your chaser.

6. this will load a pop-up menu. in the top right corner of this, there is a button marked chaser

if you have successfully completed these steps the executor should be cyan and not yellow

chaser settings

to edit a chaser you can make changes quite easily by pressing edit followed by the executor key where you stored your chase

once you have done that step you should see a list of cues and some options beneath these

the encoders are also linked to the chaser at this point

step fade controls how the chaser moves from cue to cue

you have also got control over which direction the controller moves in

loop control tells the chaser to run endlessly run once and turn off or run once and leave the last cue on

there is no save button for chaser settings because chaser settings auto save

MA Tricks

using MA tricks

next prev and set were mentioned in the getting started section but as it may feature again in this section here is a reminder of the functions:

select your channels or fixtures

press the next key to select on future at a time from the selection press the prev key to go backwards through your selection press the set key to reselect all your fixtures this could be very useful during focusing sessions or rig check

the selected fixture will be a bright yellow and the selection but not selected will be in a dark yellow

Highlight and Solo

highlight and solo keys can be very useful especially in the early stage of programming

Highlight will force all dimmers gobos and colours of all fixtures to open whilst the solo key will force all dimmers of fixtures not selected to closed

MA Tricks

MA Tricks is a way of filtering your selection

once you have selected your lights you can use ma tricks to pick out certain sections within your current selection

for instance every other light

Executor Functions

assign executor

you can change the behaviour of the buttons and faders in an executor using the assign executor view

to access this view you can either press the top part of the executor button or type the following: assign executor 1.1

in the command, the first number refers to the page and the second number to the executor

eg assign executor 2.3 would be executor 3 on page 2

once in the view, you can change the function of the buttons and faders by pressing the corresponding keys

fader assignment

if you press the key for fader options there are a range of functions available some of the more commonly used functions include: master, crossfade to manually transition from one cue to another with the fader, rate to speed up or slow down cues in real-time, speed to control the speed of a chase and last temp fader which attaches all functions to the fader for instance if you had a position in the cue the lights would move into position as you move the fader up

button assignment

if you press the key for button options there is an even wider range available to you as the programmer

popular keys people like to use include: flash snaps the contents of the cue to full, swop temporarily turns the executor on and the others off but reverts when released, kill like swop turns off your other executors and turns this one on but your other executors remain off when released and toggle 0 press it once to turn it on and press it again to turn off

Width

if 3 buttons and one fader aren't enough you can expand an executor using the width keys at the bottom

you can expand one single executor up to five faders wide giving a total of 15 buttons and one fader

you cannot expand an executor over another and you cannot expand across the gaps between each block of five executor faders

other executor controls

in the top left corner by the first encoder wheel, there is a bank of executor controls that can be used at any time with any executor

press the function you want followed by any executor button to apply it

fix - if you fix an executor it will be locked to that fader even when you change the page

select selects the master executor

off- turn off the executor

temp- bring in the cue temporarily with fade times

top- jumps to the first cue in the sequence

on- turn on the executor

<<< - snap back 1 cue with no timing

learn - hold down and press an executor button repeatedly to learn the speed

>>> - snap forward one cue with no timing

go- - Go Back

pause - hold the cue part way through

Go+ - Go Forward

Effects Part 1

list the effect attributes and what they do

Forms

Speed

Low and High

Phase

Width

PWM

Attack and Decay

Absolute and Relative Effects

An a in the top right of the effect in the effects pool means it is an Absolute effect an R in the top right of the effect in the effects pool means it is a Relative effect

Groups, Blocks and Wings

Shuffle Selection order

Labelling Effects

Copy an Effect

Storing an Effect into a Cue

the effect control bar

creating a sequence with effects

Effects Part 2

selective and template effects

when you select fixtures prior to creating the effect and these fixtures are stored in the effect it makes it a selective effect if you don't select any fixtures when you create an effect then you create a template effect and it can be applied to any fixture providing they share the same attributes

Stomp

stomp is a command that is used to "hide" the effects from the stage. if you run an executor with a stomp in it. the stomp hides part or all of an effect from being seen depending on how it is programmed. when you stop running the executor the effect will return and will be in exact sync with any fixtures still running the effect

executor options

Group Masters

Creating Group Masters

a group master is the master intensity control for a group of fixtures. in the same way that the grand master controls all fixtures these masters only control what's set to their group

the easiest way to create such a master is to assign it to a fader by pressing the following:

Assign Group x any button on an executor fader

you can also do the same thing by going into the executor options press:

Assign Any button on an executor fader Select the group master and the desired group

Tip: to remember where your group masters are press and hold the group key this brings up a group master page which allows you to override your group masters

Group Master Modes

there are three different modes when it comes to group masters

to change the mode go into the executor assign options for the group master and press options from this window you will see an option to change the mode

the three modes are positive negative additive

positive - when you have multiple group masters fixtures that occur in multiple groups will only be affected when all group masters that contain the same are pulled down

Negative - all fixtures in the group are affected by the group master even if they are up in another group master

additive - turns fixtures in the group on when you push the fader up

Special Masters

setting up special master

there are a number of special masters that can be set up to control many other elements on the console

to choose your special master start with a blank fader and press:

assign any button on the fader executor ensure you are in function Press the special master key

default masters

default masters control the selected executor much like the large faders by default to your selected executor, you can assign these functions to any faders this allows the large fader to be freed up for other functions

Grand Masters

the grand master's section of special masters gives the programmer the ability to assign the grand master to any fader.

you can also assign the program time and exec time to a real fader

the sound out function controls the level of the speaker in the console

speed masters

the speed master is a speed control that other objects on the console can be connected to

for instance, you can connect a chase to a speed master by editing the chase and pressing the speed individual button which allows you to control which of your speed master controls that chase

Rate masters

a rate master can be connected to an executor

rate is a multiplication factor of speed e.g a rate of 2 will double the speed whilst a rate of 0.5 will half the speed

when a rate is applied to an executor with a sequence on it you can use it to speed up or slow down cues live as they are running.

connecting a sequence to a rate master: go into the assign options of the executor ensure you're on the options page under the speed column press rate individual

connecting an effect to a rate master: look under the speed group options whilst editing an effect

Playback masters

a playback master is a master fader that can override any of your executors

all you need to do to set one up is to go into the executor you want to use and tell it to respond to the playback master

to connect a sequence to a playback master:

go into the options of the executor check you are on the options page under the playback column press the now playback master button

Filters

to identify if a filter is on the at key will flash

store filter

this section is all about filters and what they can do

a filter allows you to control your flow of data whether it is storing specific attributes into a cue controlling at functions or restricting output from an executor

to open up the store key options menu simply press and hold the store key and select the top right-hand corner button marked store key

to start creating a store filter simply press none to clear the filter this allows you to start selecting individual attributes or specific elements of individual attributes to store. then close that window and store it into an executor

at filter

the at key can be used in a number of ways: you can say: fixture 1 at 50 fixture 1 at fixture 2 fixture 1 at cue 1 and in addition to this, you can then filter the information you get when you put a fixture at something

the at filter can control what attributes the fixtures will listen to this can be useful if you're trying to mirror fixtures' positions or colour

filter pool

the store filter and at filter can be very useful tools and as the programmer, you may wish to use them repeatedly

to make this easier you can store filter settings in the filter pool

the filter pool is found under the pools tab

by default the filters tab has one default filter, filter 1 this is set to allow everything and a series of blank filters for you to create.

to make your own filter follow these steps: open a filter pool press edit tap a blank filter tile setup your filter as required close the window to save it

using filters

there are several ways to use filters in the filter pool

temporary filters to apply a filter temporarily tap the filter you wish to use prior to pressing store or at

the filter will have a green line across it to indicate that it is in use

note that because this is a one-off action you will need to tap the filter again to use it a second time

permanent filter you can lock the filter on so it applies to all store and at functions

press select followed by the filter you wish to lock on

if successful the chosen filter will go solid green

filter executors

you can apply a filter to an executor. this filters the output of that executor

to apply a filter to an executor: press assign tap the filter you wish to use Press any key on the executor you wish to filter

when a filter is applied the executor will have an orange tab in the top left corner as shown

when you apply a filter to an executor it will only output the attributes as permitted by the filter

to remove a filter from the executor press assign filter 1 then the executor with the filter on

Masks

Creating a Mask

A mask is sued to control what information you as the programmer can see on your sheets

it can show or hide fixtures and attributes depending on the rules you create

each mask can have four rules for fixtures and 4 rules for attributes

you use either or both sets of rules to help you to make your mask as complex or as simple as you like

Blind

Blind Mode

if you press the blind key you will enter blind mode this will disconnect the programmer from the output

all playbacks executors and sequences will work normally

however, any adjustments completed by the programmer will not appear on stage or in the 3d view

the only way to know what is in the programmer is by looking at either the channel or fixture views

Blind Edit

blind edit is another type of blind mode if you briefly press the blind key you will enter the blind key as mentioned above

to enter blind edit press and hold the blind key

you will know you have successfully achieved this when the blind key is flashing constantly

you will also get a red bar at the top of many views and in ma3d whilst in blind edit

Freeze

the freeze key will "freeze" the programmer when turned on. This gives it a higher priority than executors.

any data in the programmer is a lower priority when the executor(s) are active

Preview

'Preview mode

Preview mode allows you to look at and edit cues in a sequence without having them appear on stage

this is very similar to blind edit

to enter preview you use the following syntax Preview Cue 1 it is important to note that this will access the first cue in the selected executor

once in preview, red bars will appear on the views just like blind edit

your ma3d window will also get a red preview bar to indicate that this also isn't live

Preview bar

Once in preview mode, you can do a number of things for instance at the bottom screen two you will see the preview bar. From this bar, you can move through sequences cues and parts very quickly using the encoders

The auto-update function will automatically store the changes made as they are made.

this is another blind mode so you can make changes here without them appearing onstage.

to exit preview mode press escape or the preview key twice

to advance through your sequence with the fade times press go+ followed by preview