These days, you can’t really step foot into a control booth or event without running across QLab. Created as a Mac-based audio control alternative to SFX, the folks at Figure 53 have since turned QLab into a powerful application for audio, video, show control, and now, even lighting. Over the years, most people either read up on the QLab website or watched a handful of online videos to learn more about the application. That is, until Jeromy Hopgood, freelance designer, author, and professor of Entertainment Design and Technology at Eastern Michigan University, released his first book, QLab 3 Show Control, back in 2013. This text remains the only book for QLab 3, taking the reader through a series of projects to get their hands dirty and learn by doing.
Recently, Hopgood has released a second edition follow-up to coincide with the release of QLab 4. This new book, QLab 4: Projects in Video, Audio, and Lighting Control, is not simply a second edition, but a completely re-tooled book, featuring all new illustrations and up-to-date instructions relative to the QLab 4 software. Like the first book, this one is also project-based, covering sound, video, and show control. One of the biggest selling points on this new edition is the addition of chapters dealing with the new lighting controls in QLab 4. In addition, this new text features hundreds of full-color illustrations and the addition of Design Tips and Tools of the Trade to give insight on maximizing workflow and improving your efficiency as a QLab user.
The following excerpt features selections from Chapter 11 in the new QLab 4 text, focusing on the use of Q Carts, a new addition to version 4.
Excerpt from QLab 4: Projects in Video, Audio, and Lighting Control
Chapter 11. Cue Carts
QLab 4 marked the integration of the Figure 53 application QCart as a built-in component. QCart is no longer a standalone application, but a completely functional component of the QLab software, now called Cue Carts. A Cue Cart is a collection of cues that operates in a non-linear function with no Playhead, auto-follows or auto-continues. The layout of the Cue Cart is a grid of cells into which you insert cues for playback. The simple grid-style interface allows for an easy, tactile triggering of cues with no regard to sequence. The following chapter covers the use of Cue Carts and some of the ways in which you can incorporate this tool into your workflow.
Understanding Cue Carts
Cue Carts function similarly to a Group Cue; by holding numerous different cue types inside of them. Visually, a Cue Cart resembles a traditional drum machine, with a series of cells that can be triggered by touch (Figure 11.1). In addition to touch, these cues can be triggered in the same way as any other cue type (hotkeys, MIDI, etc.). The cells in a Cue Cart can hold every type of cue, with the exception of Group Cues.
Each cue added to the grid has a cue name and number, just like a regular cue list. A cue inside a Cart functions similarly to those in a cue list, in that once selected there is an Inspector window for editing the cues and their playback functions.
Like so many other functions of the QLab software, Cue Carts are purposefully built with a flexibility to meet the unique needs of each situation. While the integration of Cue Carts is still a new function to QLab, there are three common trends I already see emerging in the field. These are:
- Using a Cue Cart as an interactive playback tool. This the most obvious use for a cart. Whether having your operator respond to live stimuli onstage (think cartoon-style sound effects with physical comedy), or the actual performer triggering cues, the Cue Cart brings a remarkable amount of interactivity to any design (Figure 11.2).
- Using a Cue Cart as a modular programming interface. Another useful application of Cue Carts is creating an individualized programming interface for your workspace. By creating a Cue Cart with a series of pre-programmed functions (volume change, image rotation, etc.), you can expedite your programming workflow at the touch of a button.
- Using a Cue Cart as a graphic user interface for the operator. One final use is setting up a Cue Cart as a sort of “if/then” interface for shows that might have changing parameters. For instance, in a show with an understudy stepping in, the sound design might have to disable voiceover tracks featuring the primary actor and enable new ones for the understudy. This could be done at the touch of a button in a Cue Cart.
