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graphics card(s) and will only run on Windows 7 or later.
General Operation
Whichever model you are using, the methods of operation are consistent throughout the range. If
you upgrade to another model at a later time you can use your existing desk files and it will work
just the same as the model you have been using, but you will have access to more features which
themselves use similar and consistent methods of operation.
The ShowMagic desk has been designed to be as simple, quick and easy to use as possible. Just like
a hardware lighting desk or audio mixing desk, the ShowMagic desk uses displays and faders but
these are operated with the keyboard, mouse or a touch screen. Lighting scenes, sounds, video,
digital signage etc. are all treated in ShowMagic as ‘events’.
On SLX and AV models you can connect any DMX lighting desk to ShowMagic, using a selection
of DMX input interfaces, and then control all your ShowMagic events from that lighting desk. You
can also transfer existing lighting scenes, stored on an external DMX hardware desk, quickly and
easily into ShowMagic then take the desk away!
The unique ShowMagic twin panel system enables you to quickly access any events stored on the
desk. Two panels are viewed at once - one on the left and one on the right. Panels are available for
each type of event - lighting scenes are stored on the lighting scene panel, sound events are stored
on the sound panel and so on. Clicking on the appropriate tab at the top of one side of the desk
selects that panel on that side of the desk.
Events are all stored on event buttons on their appropriate panels. Clicking once on a button
highlights it (this is then shown brighter) and the details of the event stored on that button are
displayed in the details display at the top of the panel. Double-clicking on a button is the equivalent
to pressing it and this will start the event (if it is not currently running) or stop the event (if it is
currently running) i.e. double-clicking on an event button toggles it on and off. The main advantage
of using this button system is that you can label each button with a descriptive name and the
function of each button is then instantly recognisable at any time. Each type of event is also color-
coded so you also know at a glance what type of event is stored on that button.
Motor control buttons are used on the ShowMagic desk that are similar to controls on an audio or
video player. For example, the
Play
(or
Go
) button runs the event assigned to the currently
highlighted button on that panel, the
Pause
button pauses the event, and so on. The motor controls
available for an event varies depending on the type of event stored on that button.
Most shows or presentations are simply a series of events, so ShowMagic lets you put these events
together in a ShowMagic ‘sequence’. Each sequence is divided into ‘steps’; step
001
, step
002
etc.
(up to a maximum of 999 steps per sequence), and any events can be ‘dropped’ into a sequence step.
When the sequence is run the first event (shown as step
001
) is activated followed by the second
event (shown as step
002
) and so on to the end of the sequence. A sequence is stored on a button on
the sequence panel, and when sequences have been created they can themselves be treated as events
that can be dropped into other sequences. This makes it extremely powerful, yet simple to use.
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ShowMagic SLX Series User Manual