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Solo Performer Show Controller
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Solo Performer Show Controller?
Solo Performer Show Controller
is a system for controlling background audio, lyric displays, MIDI, and
lights - all in one easy to use package. It consists of a foot
controller that connects to a computer by USB, and software that runs
on Windows and Macintosh.
How is Solo Performer Show Controller used?
The system is primarily
designed for a solo musician who want to have background accompaniment
to his or her playing. A singing guitar player could, for
example, use Solo Performer Show Controller to play the bass and drum
parts of the songs being played. Many people find Solo Performer
Show Controller to be a great rehearsal tool as well. The lyric
display capability makes it much easier to learn songs by either
displaying lyrics or chords.
When I buy one, what do I get in the box?
You get a foot controller that
also serves as a light controller, a USB cable to connect the foot
controller, a software installation CD, and a manual.
Audio...Lyrics...MIDI...Lights... This is overwhelming! Where do I begin?
Making a spectacular show does
take some effort, but we try to make it as easy for you as possible by
providing tools that are easy to use. To start making shows, we
recommend starting out small and adding as you go. First, add all
of the audio to a play list. This will get you up and going by
giving you something to play along with. Then, add lyrics to a
few songs. If you use MIDI effects and lights, make up a sequence
or two to go along with a couple of songs. The key here is that
you don't need to do it all at once, simply add features to your show
over time.
How does the audio work? Do I need to buy anything else?
The audio plays back on the
computer. Typically, you would want to attach a cable to your
computer's audio out port and route it to a mixer and pa system for
performing.
How is the light control done? Do I need to buy anything else?
The foot controller with the
switches contains a DMX512 light controller inside of it. All you
need are lights that are DMX512 compatible. If you want to use
lights that are not DMX512 lights, you can do so with a DMX512 relay
pack or DMX512 dimmer pack.
How is the MIDI control done? Do I need to buy anything else?
MIDI control is done through
your existing MIDI hardware. You will need a MIDI interface
adapter, if you don't already have one, to connect MIDI devices to your
computer.
What is new in the latest release of Solo Performer Show Controller?
The latest software release
includes the ability to play MIDI files on external devices, the
ability to send MIDI program changes and control messages, the ability
to send hotkeys to control other programs, and the ability to re-map
the button functions on the foot controller to do other things.
Apart from these major feature additions, numerous small enhancements
have been made as well. See the readme file included with the
software for a complete version history.
This would be really great for me if it only did (insert feature here).
Let us know! Submit a
feature request via email to info@alienappparatus.com. Most of
the features that were added to the latest release originated from
customer feedback, so we do listen!
How can I make make my MIDI files sound less "fake"?
The quality of MIDI files
that are on the internet varies considerably. Even more
importantly, perhaps, is the choice of instruments being used.
Typically, the guitar parts don't sound very real and you will find
that if you remove these tracks using the Solo Performer Show
Controller software, you will end up with rhythm tracks that may be
much more usable.
I have audio files on cd that
I'd like to use, but I want to strip out the guitar parts and the vocal
parts. Can your software do this?
No, and at the moment, no
software can. There are tricks that some software programs use to
attempt this, with marginal success that depends greatly on the panning
of the instruments in the mix. There are even a few programs out
there that attempt to convert audio files into MIDI files, but we have
not seen any that work well with audio that have multiple instruments
in it.
When I play an audio file, I do not hear any sound. What can I do?
First, make sure that your
computer is set up to play audio. If you are running the Windows
version of Solo Performer Show Controller, make sure that you have a
sound card installed. Check the computer system sound output
volume to make sure that the sound is not turned off. Verify that
QuickTime is installed.
I have a DMX512 compatible light, but I do not know its DMX Description Table. What do I do?
The first suggestion would be
to try to obtain the table from the manufacturer. Most
manufacturers publish their manuals on their web site for free
downloading. Also, on the Alien Apparatus Company, Inc. web site,
there is a library section with DMX512 description tables and device
files for lighting equipment from many lighting manufacturers.
See the following web page:
http://www.alienapparatus.com/library.html
If you come up completely
empty in getting a table, the light device can still be used provided
that you do some experimenting to figure out how it works. It is
recommended that you make a test device file using the Device Editor
and fill in the descriptions for lines 1 though 20 with the numbers 1
through 20. So, for example, DMX value 1 would have a description
of “1”, and DMX value 20 would have a description of “20”. Save
this device and go to the lightshow editor screen. Set the device
on one of your channels to be your newly created device. Attach
your light fixture and make sure its address matches the address on
Solo Performer Show Controller’s channel. Now move the slider and
record what the light does for each number.
Having done this, now go back
and edit the device so that it now has the numbers 21 through 40 in the
description column next to the numbers 21 through 40. Make sure
that you delete the previous set of numbers, from 1 to 20. Now go
back to the lightshow editor and repeat the testing.
This process should be done
all the way through to the last row of the DMX512 description
table. When you are done, you will have a list of what all the
DMX512 values do. Now you can go make a real device file for the
light.
Where can I get audio files to use with Solo Performer Show Controller?
See the audio file tips
section of Chapter 9 of the User Guide. Also, visit the new user
forum at the Alien Apparatus Company, Inc. web site for more
suggestions.
http://www.alienapparatus.com/forum
How can I play audio files that are on a compact disc?
Audio files can be played
directly from a compact disc on the Macintosh version of Solo Performer
Show Controller. On Macintosh systems, CD audio files show up as
.aiff files. In Windows operating systems, things are a bit
different. CD audio contents show up as .cda files that are not
audio files at all, but are only very small “information” files.
In Windows operating systems, CD audio is not currently supported
directly in QuickTime, thus Solo Performer Show Controller cannot read
CD audio directly. The CD audio files must first be converted to
a format that QuickTime can handle, such as .mp3, .wav, or .aiff.
There are lots of utility programs that can be found on the internet to
do this conversion.
How do I suppress an instrument in the audio?
If the audio file is a MIDI file, this can be done. See Chapter 10, Suppressing MIDI Tracks.
If the file is not a MIDI
file, this cannot be done. For suggestions on how to get
appropriate audio files, visit the user forums at:
http://www.alienapparatus.com/forum
How do I change the instrument
that is being played in a MIDI file? For example, my MIDI file
plays back drums and piano parts, but I want the piano part to be
played as a saxophone.
Solo Performer Show Controller
plays back MIDI files as they are, but does include a utility to strip
unwanted tracks from the file. To change one instrument to
another, a MIDI editing program needs to be used.
I have an expensive high-quality MIDI sound module. How can I use it with Solo Performer Show Controller?
One of two things can be
done. The sound module could be attached to the MIDI system of
your computer, and you can setup Solo Performer Show Controller to play
MIDI files to it by selecting the sound module as the MIDI file
destination in the MIDI preferences.
Alternatively, if you don’t
want to bring your expensive gear with you on the road, you can play a
MIDI file to the sound module and record its output as an audio file,
using recording software. Then, open the recorded audio file up
in Solo Performer Show Controller.
I want to run a light show, but my lights don't change. What is wrong?
First, make sure that the
light device addresses are set up correctly following the light
manufacturer’s instructions. Secondly, make sure that the channel
that is controlling the device in Solo Performer Show Controller is set
to the correct address. This can be seen in the lightshow editor
window. Thirdly, make sure that your cabling is correct and that
the wiring on the lighting device matches the diagram on the foot
controller. Lastly, make sure that you are using a terminator on
the last DMX512 device in the chain.
How do I make my lights change in time with the music?
There are a lots of ways to
do this. The easiest way is to active a “sound activated” setting
on your lights, if your lights have this feature. This can be
done by sending a DMX512 command to the lights. See your lights’
DMX512 description table to see if your lights support this.
The "Tap" method, Chases consisting of scenes can be set up and saved, use the "Tap" feature (on the Space Bar) to "Tap" to the sound of the music.
Another way is to use a DMX512 controllable chase controller.
I made a new device file, but
it does not show up in the popup menu on the lightshow editor
window. How can I make it appear?
Only those devices that are in
your device library folder will show up in the menu, and then only if
their filename ends with “.dmx”. You many change the location of
the device library folder in the preferences pane. See Chapter 18.
I saved a light scene from the
lightshow editor window, but it does not show up in my scene
list? How can I make it appear?
Only those scenes that are in
your scene library folder will show up in the menu, and then only if
their filename ends with “.scn”. You many change the location of
the scene library folder in the preferences pane. See Chapter 18.
My fog machine does not initialize correctly. What should I check?
First, make sure that you have
set up the fog machine correctly following the procedure in Chapter 18,
Customizing. Secondly, make sure that you have set the DIP
switches on the fog machine properly. And finally, the
initialization commands are only sent by Solo Performer Show Controller
when the program is first launched and when the foot controller is
first detected. Unplug the foot controller and plug it in
again. Then choose Reconnect Foot Pedal from the File menu.
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