audio line in Operator 2 triggering

im not too good with lights but i'll take a stab at this one...

try the subwoofer line-out(if present)and connect that to the line-in on the operator 2 .... if the sub-out is being used then use a "Y" adaptor to split the signal..... or..... if u dont have a sub-out....and are using an electronic crossover..... try hooking it up to the LF output.....and again use a "Y" adaptor to split the signal ...... or just grab an old EQ u might have lying around and hook it up to any line-out from ur mixer...... kill all the frequencies but the bass and then send it to the operator 2.....

hope this helps

Using the kick drum probably will not be the best option as it will trigger your scenes too quickly, even for a slow song. Unless the drummer only plays the kick drum on beat one of every bar, the light show will be way too busy in that mode. A better option may be the snare, or maybe something from the overhead mics, since they tend to lend themselves to the cymbal hits as well as tom attacks, which just so happen to fall at important times in the music where you need a nice scene change.

I would use the audio line in for triggering fast chases or syncing up relatively quick scene changes, or for an 'autopilot' mode when you have to focus on preparing a bigger upcoming scene change (or you have to step away from the console).

If the music is like dance music with solid, equally spaced, thumping quarter note beats, then the audio sync option is fine. But for other styles with more intricate rhythms, the audio sync option may not be the best one because complex incoming singnal information may cause unwanted scene changes, etc.

You might be able to duplicate a line into the front-of-house console and EQ the heck out of it with gates and all to get exactly what you want, but it might just turn out to be more work than just changing the scenes manually.

Toy around with it and let us know how it goes.

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Im lucky, our drummer has an electric set, so I can have him send me a feed of everything minus the cymbals so that everything he hits will advance the chase. Most of the time I've seen the drummer have his own 12 channel board that everything is mixed on then that feeds into the main board. Just use an effect send from there and only turn up the drums you want to be used as triggers, nothing is worse than having the vocals advace a chase heehee.

--Kevin

Thanks for all the help guys. I do all live rock bands, and the auto synch mic gets way too busy; the decibel level is too even in the mix to really get a good bass "thump" trigger distinction (exactly what lightech said). That's pretty much why I want an adjustable, individual signal to trigger the scenes. I never thought of the cheap EQ solution; that seems like a great idea. I'll give it a shot coming out of either the main mix or sub out at the board. The snare idea also seems more logical, especially for rock.

I guess the other reason I want to do this is when my band plays, I run the Operator 2 at my feet with a MIDI control board, changing scenes manually. I play bass also, and some nights after a few sets (and drinks) hehe, I'd like to stomp on a chase, and have it auto trigger for a song or two (using the board line out, because again, the audio mic on the Operator is just too sensitive). I wish there was a way to go from manual scene change to music chase by way of MIDI, but it seems the Operator will only start / stop scenes and blackout via MIDI notes, and that's it. Any help on this one? Whew!!