Furthermore, when combined with the Aura effect, many unique looks become possible. By using the properties of wavelength transmission you can create some interesting effects. For instance, if the aura effect is in red and you have a magenta scroll in place then the audience will still see a red aura. However, when the white LEDs of the main strobe turn on they will output a magenta color. This can prove to be very interesting as a red light appears to output magenta. This works with other colors and other combinations as well.
When using the Atomic Colors on the Atomic 3000 LED there are a few things you must be sure to configure on the Atomic Color unit. First, be sure to always use the internal power supply in the Atomic 3000 LED. This provides power and communication to the scroller and ensures that the Atomic 3000 LED is aware that the scroller is connected. Simply plug the 4-pin XLR between the Atomic 3000 LED and the Atomic Colors.
Next, set the following menu items on the Atomic Color unit:
Set Fan Speed Fn to maximum: Fn4.
Set Light-Activated Fan LF to constant fan operation, not light-operated: LF0.
Set Gel Saver mode GL to active: GL1.
You should also always check in the Atomic 3000 LED menu that is confirms that the scroller is connected: INFO → COLOR SCROLLER → CONNECTED
Now your Atomic 3000 LED with Atomic Colors is ready to go! Programming is very straight forward as long as you have the correct libraries and DMX address in your console. Have fun strobing in color and creating awesome effects by combining the aura and the scroller colors.
Martin Professional's M-Series controllers have a host of powerful features for programming lighting. While most consoles provide groups and simple fixture selection tools, the Grouping Tools window in the M-Series offers unprecedented abilities. In short, the tool allows for the easy division of selected fixtures into various subsets; but it can do much more. It is very useful when creating fixture groups; plus when combined with the Next/Last buttons, rapid manipulation of selected fixtures becomes possible.
Before you can use the Grouping Tools, you must select the fixtures you wish to work with. Then the various options in the Grouping Tools window become available. The top right of the window will also indicate the quantity of fixtures in the current selection. The rest of the Grouping Tools window can be split into two distinct parts: Mode and Actions.
The Mode section of the window is where you can select a mask to apply to the current selection. First you select the type, then adjust the Mask Value as desired. Using the Next/Last button will cycle through the various mode subsets. The Mode options are as follows:
Every - Selects every "xth" fixture, where "x" is the number in the counter. For example, if the number is 3 then every third fixture will be selected. Pressing Next\Last will cycle through subsets by 3's. Block - Selects the first "x" fixtures, where "x" is the number in the counter. For example if the number is 3, then the first 3 fixtures will be selected, then the next 3 and so on. Divide - Splits the fixtures into "x" equal blocks. For example, when you select 12 fixtures then set the counter number to 3 then there will be three blocks of four fixtures. Mirror - Selects "x" number of fixtures, half from the top of the selection and half from the bottom of the selection. For instance, if the counter is set to 4 then the first 2 fixtures and the last 2 fixtures in the selection will be selected. When pressing Next, the subsequent two fixtures at each end will be selected. Group - Segments the fixtures into the fixture groups as they were originally selected. For example, if you choose groups 1, 2, 3, and 4 then use the Next/Last keys, it will cycle through the groups instead of the individual fixtures.
Activating any of the above will allow you to cycle through the selections using the Next/Last buttons to enable quick programming. In addition, if you turn on the Fan/FX toggle then the Grouping selections will also be applicable to the fanning function. This means that you can quickly fan in groups according to what you have selected. For instance, if you use the Group mask and have selected four different fixture groups, then your single fanning operation will be split into 4 distinct fans based on these groups in one simple action. Without this ability, you would have to fan each group individually.
The bottom half of the Grouping Tools window is equally as powerful as the top, but in a different way. The Actions buttons provide additional tools regarding selection order and overall selection. The Actions options are as follows:
Revert - If you have made changes in the fixture order, this will revert the selected fixtures to their original selection order. Note that this does not necessarily mean that they will be in numerical order. If you selected fixtures 24 through 1 and then made changes to that order, pressing Revert to selection will return them to 24 through 1 again.
Invert - The fixtures in the Programmer that are selected will become deselected and vice versa. This button is the equivalent to the / (slash) Enter command.
Invert Mask - This feature works in much the same way as Invert. When pressed, all masked fixtures become unmasked and vice versa.
Random - The order of the selected fixtures in the Programmer can be randomized by pressing the Random button.
Reverse - Similar to randomizing the order of the fixture selection, you can reverse the order by pressing the Reverse button. This will flip the current selection order regardless of whether fixtures are selected or deselected. Reverse can also be used in conjunction with Random.
Sort - Changes the fixture selection order to a numeric method based on the fixture numbers from lowest to highest.
Grouping Tools are extremely powerful in the Martin ProfessionalM-Series controllers. Below are two videos that further demonstrate the immense control the tool provides.
