Intermitent Triggering of Timelines

[JG]

In the past, we've always had great luck triggering the main timeline using MSC from our ETC Ion (and before it our Obsession).  On this show, I had an element that needed to be triggered on cue, while the rest of the timeline was still running.  My solution to this withing Watchout was simply to put this extra element in an Aux Timeline.  That's when I started to run into problems with the midi.  If I set my "Midi Playlist" setting to "ignore", nothing happens.  If I set it to "Map to Main Timeline" I can't trigger the aux timeline.  If I set it to "Map to Aux Timelines" I can't trigger the main.  My first try was to make a timeline called "1" that had all the midi triggers and it, in turn, trigged the main or aux timeline as appropriate.  This was intermittently dropping cues, though.  I tried putting all the content in timeline "1" and the extra element in timeline "2" but that was still inconsistent.  Has anyone run in to this in the past?  Ultimately, this became a convenient way to convince the director that this particular cue was a poor choice, but it is something I would like to be able to do in the future.  We're running 5.5.1 on Windows 7sp1

 

Jim

[limeworks]

This is expected behaviour as far as i understand. 

I tried for a while to control main timeline as well as aux timelines, but never managed to make it work.

 

We simply put everything on AUX timelines. 

The only thing i use the Main Timeline for if i'm controlling with MSC is for content i want on Standby.

Outside of that i don't use the Main Timeline for this very reason.

 

But the way we create shows now is designed to run from MSC - with no need for a production/control machine for the show.

Especially using compositions (which are again like a timeline in their own right), there is little you can't do.

If you are using a production machine, you can still space-bar play/pause an aux timeline too - so there's little difference between Main timeline behaviour and Aux timeline behaviour anyway.

 

 

With regards to your "intermittent" issue however - i would check your MIDI ports / controllers. 

Also ensure your production machine isn't lagging and is thumbnail only for display.

If i've ever had an issue with intermittent response, it has always been traced to something outside of Watchout (like Windows thinking the device had disappeared or something).

 

Thanks,

Rob