MagicQ User Manual
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42.7.2
Merging / Importing Shows
Select SHIFT + IMPORT SHOW to merge or import a show. MagicQ gives you a simple menu of Entire Show, Palettes or
Advanced.
Entire Show loads the entire show as separate fixtures, i.e. adding the show to the existing show.
Palettes allows just palettes to be loaded from the imported show file. There are further options for choosing just some head types
and whether to load Positions, Colours and Beams.
Advanced provides the user with options include choosing whether Settings, Patch, Palettes, Cues, Cue Stacks and Playback
assignments are loaded from the imported show file. Additionally you can choose whether Palettes, Cues and Pages are merged
together, or whether new Palettes, Cues and Pages are generated.
It is also possible to load the data for only selected head types from the imported show file.
If the Merge Heads option is selected then MagicQ merges programmed data from the new file into the heads that match in the
original show.
If the Merge Heads is not selected then MagicQ adds the channels to the new show. Channels from the imported show keep their
DMX address unless they clash with channels in the original show – in which case they are moved to the first free location.
If the Merge Pages option is selected then Playback assignments are kept on the same Page as they were in the imported show –
but they may be moved onto higher Playbacks (e.g. Playback wings) on the same page. This allows, for examples two different
shows created on a MQ100 to be merged onto a single MQ200.
42.7.3
Merging different versions of the same show
To merge two versions of a show together select Advanced and then Merge Heads.
MagicQ will merge in Cues and Cue Stacks from the selected show file that are different to the Cues and Cue Stacks in the
original show. Note that for this to work you should ensure that the Cues and Cue Stacks that are different in the two show files
have different names.
The heads must be the same type in both versions - it is not possible to merge between different fixture types. If the two versions
you wish to merge have different fixture types then you must first morph the fixtures in one of the versions to be the same as the
other.
42.7.4
USITT ASCII file import
MagicQ supports import of dimmer patch, group, cue level and timing information from USITT ASCII files. In the Patch
Window, View Chans, Import USITT.
MagicQ does not support import of non dimmer parameters or more complex fixtures as this is manufacturer specific and not
specified in the USITT ASCII format. We will be happy to investigate whether we can add fixture import from the format of your
console.
Note that when importing USITT files with both patch and cues, MagicQ expects the PATCH section of the USITT file to be
before the CUE section. A few consoles write the PATCH section at the end of the USITT file - for these cases it is necessary to
edit the USITT file before improting, to move all the PATCH commands before the CUE Commands.
42.8
Saving and Loading Settings
You can save your favourite show settings to a file. Settings include the options from the Setup Window, the defaults from the
Cue Stack Window and the Views that you have set up.
Once you have become familiar with the console, it is a good idea to save your preferred settings to a file so that then when you
start a new show you can load your settings in.
