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 sites 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 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. Finally, I don’t pretend to know everything about LightJockey, nor am I saying that my way is the only way to do something. As with every lighting desk, the best way to do something is the way that works best for you.

Update Note: The latest version of LJ is 2.7.3. It’s available as of 10/01/06 at ftp://ftp.martin.dk/Controller/Lightjockey but remember to install it to a separate directory in case there are issues and want to return to a previous version.

Playback Access

Up until now we’ve been covering mostly how to program. Let’s get into some different ways you can access your programming.

The first way is to simply open the list of cues you’ve created and click on a cue. This will activate whichever cue or transparent cue you want. The same can be said of background cues. When you’re ready to clear that cue, just click on the “New/Clear Cue” button on the Sequence Toolbar (top one).

Note that while a cue and/or background cue is running it is possible to open, edit, or create another sequence. Just follow the same procedure as above, and then open the sequence list and activate a sequence, or begin building a new one. Whatever is happening in the sequence will override whatever of those attributes is happening in the cue. For example, if you open a sequence that has gobo information only, it will override any gobo information in the cue. This is NOT true of background cues. They will continue to take precedence over an active sequence.

It is also possible to edit a sequence while a cue is running but not change the output of the active cue. At the bottom right hand corner of the Sequence Control window there is a set of crossed arrows with the international “no” circle over it. Clicking this button will prevent the active sequence data from being outputted. It is handy for those times when you want to edit a sequence you will use later, but you don’t want the current output affected.

The second way is by using “hotkeys”. Hotkeys are simply a single or combination of keystrokes used to send instructions to LightJockey. They can be used to flash or latch a sequence, run a cue, or for a multitude of other functions. Hotkeys must first be enabled before they can be used. First, go to the Setup Menu, then select Hotkeys, then check Hotkeys Enabled. Next, go to Setup, then Hotkeys, then Edit Hotkeys. From there you can assign Cues, Sequences, Cuelists, Background Cues, and even a lot of LightJockey functions to hotkeys. There is no right or wrong to assigning a hotkey. Your only decision should be as to what works best for you. Note that you can also use the Control and Shift keys to multiply the number of Hotkeys you can use. The Alt key does not work with Hotkeys, simply because it controls Windows functions.

Here’s some of the Hotkeys I use, in no particular order:

F1 All Fixtures Open White 100% Transparent Cue

F2 Open Fanout Box

F4 Save current sequence

F6 10% Hazer

F7 25% Hazer

F8 50% Hazer

F9 75% Hazer

F10 100% Hazer

Ctrl + Down Arrow Clear Cue

Shift + Down Arrow Clear Background Cue

Up Arrow Clear Sequence

Space Bar Manually Advance next scene

There are two more visual ways to run LightJockey. The first being the 2532 console. This console is available in two versions; the virtual console which is included in LightJockey. The second being a rack-mountable hardware controller version of 2532. They operate the same way, so we’ll start with the virtual version.

To start the 2532, go to the CueList toolbar and click on the icon at the far right side of the bar. This is the 2532 Direct Access button. Clicking it opens up a second window with two sets of buttons. I recommend using a second monitor when using the 2532. Using a touchscreen monitor is ideal for this application, but neither are necessary. There are two sets of buttons. The two columns on the left are called User Keys and the buttons which will be the same across all 18 available pages of the 2532. The 56 buttons on the right side are individual pages and you have access to 18 of these pages.

The buttons can be used for anything (Cues, Sequences, Background Cues, etc.). However, I prefer to use the User Keys for more global functions such as selecting pages, or for things like a blackout button, etc., which would be used regardless of everything else you might have running. I keep different types of cues organized on different pages, but there is no wrong way to set up a 2532.

To add a command to a button, simply open the appropriate window (Sequence List, Cue List, Function List, etc.) and drag the selected action to the box you wish it to reside at. It is possible to have the same action linked to multiple buttons. You may want to edit the text, change the font, etc. and these features are all available in the Preferences menu.

Setting up the hardware is basically the same. However, you must activate the 2532. Select the Setup menu, then go to the Hardware Setup selection, then choose Peripheral Devices. Activate the 2532 and select the proper Com port.

A similar product to the virtual 2532 is the LJ Manager. This is a free software download available at http://www.paul-pelletier.com/LJManager/LJManager.htm . This product has more functionality than 2532, but works basically the same. Some differences are that each page can be laid out by the user, and that each page can have a unique layout. Each button can have a unique color, background, etc. Some other features of the LJManager are its ability to run cues, cuelists etc., at specific times of day throughout the year. For example, if you were running an outdoor lighting system and wanted to activate lights only from dusk to midnight, it is possible to do so. LJManager can track what time sunset is in your area, and then load the appropriate cues. I have only scratched the surface of what this plug-in can do.

And then there’s Fingers. While this product is discontinued (unfortunately) it is still worth discussion. Fingers is a hardware control interface with faders, buttons, and wheels, all of which can be assigned to do different things. Since there is also a virtual Fingers board built into LightJockey, you can experiment with it before investing in it.

Note: if you run into one and don’t buy it for yourself, let me know.

To activate virtual Fingers, go to the Fingers menu and select Setup. Choose either the virtual mode or the Serial connection if you have the hardware. Go to Preferences and select those attributes as well. It will take some time to decide which way you want to set up Fingers, as there are a lot of choices. As there is so much to this board, and because it is no longer available, I’ll leave further discussion to those who wish to inquire.

It is possible to use dmx in with LightJockey. To do so, you must have the correct hardware dongle (such as the pcmcia, some of the internal cards, or the new Universal USB), which can accept dmx in. To activate dmx in you use the patch on the Cue List toolbar. Each dmx channel can be patched to a value, a htp group, or a number of other functions. Note that dmx in is another area of LightJockey I have limited experience with and I’m basing these comments on some poking around, but little real world experience.

Finally, there are a number of other non-Martin products which can be used as various interfaces. While I’ve not tried any of these, I’ve read that they work well by other users. Among them are X- Keys (http://www.xkeys.com) which offers a number of keypads, etc. which can be assigned to various functions. Also is Behringer’s BCF2000 http://www.behringer.com/BCF2000/index.cfm?lang=ENG , which is similar in layout to Fingers. As Fingers is discontinued, this might be worth a serious look, although I’ve never used it. It requires a download and you can find more information on it here: http://www.martin.dk/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=11428

Next time I’ll cover a couple unrelated topics; oddball data in background cues, ways to make programming different lights easy, putting lights in “storage”, and a couple other oddball topics.