Don't welcome me back, I won't be around long.
Wow, 4 days of Sacramento Horror Film Festival. MyDMX once again kicked serious butt. This year I actually had to deal with not just general stage washes, but I had to make scenes for Mr. Lobo, a wedding, a burlesque show, multiple bands AND a shadowcast performance.
MyDMX held up. During the shadowcast, a 2-scene sequence became 5 scenes, and I triggered them manually. It worked wonderfully and impressed the film producers in regards to the shadowcast. As a result, unless things change soon, MyDMX will be the software of choice for the full shadowcast. I'll make the scenes on a per chapter basis and string them together. Some chapters will be simple. The "preview" shadowcast scene was perhaps one of the more complicated one to work with.
Right now, I don't see any need to change anything. MyDMX has been repeatedly working as hard as I do to make events become better. I'm phasing out my DMX Operator to off-line and a back-up rig.
Now, I'm not saying MyDMX is perfect. I did have problems with my Mr. Lobo scene, and it's a matter of paying attention to HTP/LTP settings as applicable. I had the channel for my gobo set to LTP and I needed it in HTP and it worked fine. It was confusing as it would work great in edit mode but not properly in USER mode. I also recently had MyDMX lose all the MIDI configurations for my Korg NanoKontrol as well. I redid my controller configurations and I was good to go. I noticed the HTP/LTP issue while programming during a break and fixed it.
Also, while I am applauding MyDMX, I am noticing issues taht other people are asking for anad not gettind due to how MyDMX operates. Yes, I'd love to merge scenes, but time didn't allow me to do this. What I'd like to do is take a rainbow chase for my 64 LED Pros and then using my movers,do a wild moving sequence with color wheel spinning. Instead, I did the rainbow chase for teh 64 LED Pros, but then put my Intimidator Colors on a color wheel spin, each of the 4 on different speeds. Pencil and paper were an option, but time was not an option. The results: Highly acceptable.
For what I've spent on MyDMX and what it's given in return, I've gone from basically having no light show to actually enjoying lighting to the best of my ability. I don't enjoy lighting all that much, but with MyDMX, it's not a chore anymore.
I'll be around a bit for the next 2 weeks or so but not much. I'm focussing on the shadowcast show, which is going to take a lot of focus. I also have to edit 11 shows worth of video(including 24 hours of Sacramento Horror Film Fest and counts as events, 1 per day) and photo editing from SHFF, in addition to any other projects that throw up in my face.
I'm involved in the shadowcast as lighting, sound, projection, logistics, and apparently into set, prop and FX design, direction and production. Some of my ideas are driving the event.
The shadowcast preview was supposed to be a "blue wash and then a psycho scene and then back to blue wash". It went staged in blue wash(incorporating banks of lights fading in.). Then a rainbow chase scene coupled with color wheel spins on other fixtures. Scene 3 was a basic blue wash again, but with movers aimed and prep'ed for Scene 4, which was Red up 1 row, blue up another row. Scene 5 brought those movers pointing UP and then out of phase rotating representing cop dome lights. Then blackout. They loved it!
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