Leprecon LP-1600 Series - Manual (Page 55)

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essentially a box that splits the incoming MIDI signal into numerous signals,
all exact copies of the original. So the LP1600 will probably be hooked into this
Thru box, which is no different from hooking it directly to the sequencer’s MIDI
Out.
While the MIDI Specification calls for 128 continuous controllers (numbered 0
through 127), only a small percentage of those are actually “defined” to control
a specific function. Continuous controller number 1 is the modulation wheel
on a MIDI-equipped keyboard, number 7 is its volume control, and number 64
is its sustain pedal, for instance. Most numbered controllers, though, have no
set function, and are not used on most musical instruments. The LP1600,
however, utilizes nearly all 128 controllers (see Appendix 1). Since the console
has no modulation wheel, volume slider, or other typical “keyboard” control,
these controllers take on new functions here.
Nearly every available sequencer will record any continuous controller data,
whether the controller number is defined or not. A few sequencers, however,
will not record the undefined controllers, or will have to be set in a special
mode to record them. Check in the sequencer’s manual or call the
manufacturer to make sure your unit can record these undefined controllers; if
it will not, you will not be able to record most light cues on a sequencer track.
Recording the motions of the individual faders and bump buttons is a powerful
way to synchronize your lighting show. Since the cues are all recorded in the
sequencer, a song could be started in the middle, and the lighting cues would
still be synchronized. If any edits are made to a sequence, such as eliminating
a verse, then the lighting cues for that verse will automatically be eliminated as
well, and there is no need to do separate editing in the console. (Note,
however, that if a fader is first brought up momentarily and then pulled back
down, and a segment containing the latter cue is edited out, then the fader will
be “stuck” on, since it is never told to fade out. So, any cues that overlap the
boundaries of a removed segment will have to be fixed in the sequencer.)
Combining sequencing and Live control
Probably the best approach to using the LP1600 in a sequencer-based setting
is to let the sequencer do what it does best, and let the board operator do what
he or she does best. This calls for a combination of recorded cues and live
control. The sequencer will be more accurate at executing complex scene
changes perfectly every time, so it is best to let it handle this application.
However, the sequencer cannot know when a sax player might ad lib a fill, or
when a vocalist might step up and talk to the audience between songs, and this
type of spur-of-the-moment activity warrants lighting cues as well. An
excellent “division of labor” is to let the sequencer handle the scene work, and
let the console operator handle the specials. Other effects, such as strobe
lights, require on/off switching instead of control through dimmers, and they
will therefore require manual control as well. With the sequencer handling the