Ftdi and Overlapped I/o

ChamSys Ltd MagicQ Software Changes
MagicQ version 1.3.6.0

New Functions
New Bitmap FX, “Snakes” – snakes enables up to 20 different snakes to move around the
grid. The speed, length and randomness of movement can all be set in the parameters. It is
possible to choose between white or multi coloured snakes.
Parameter 3 specifies the number of snakes and the mode. 0-63 is white. 64-128 is white,
random. 129 to 191 is coloured, 192 to 255 is coloured random.
Bug fixes
Fixed problem in Bitmap FXs in 1.3.5.4 which would sometimes stop them playing back.
Remove + FX now removes FX from both Programmer and Outputs. (#190)
v1.3.6.0 1 of 70 www.chamsys.co.uk

New Functions
2nd Monitor Support
Support for the 2nd monitor output on Pro consoles has been added. The monitor output
defaults to off. Turn it on in Setup, View Settings, Port Settings, External Monitor 2.
Before turning on the 2nd monitor output, ensure that the monitor card upgrade has been
carried out – this requires the fitting of a monitor card inside the rear panel. Note that the
presence of the 2nd VGA connector does NOT indicate that that the monitor card has been
fitted.
It is recommended to turn off the 2nd monitor output when a monitor is not connected as this
will improve performance slightly.
The 2nd monitor output can be a touch monitor. To connect a serial touch monitor, simply
connect the serial cable to the serial port on MagicQ. Then select the appropriate protocol in
Setup, View Settings, Port Settings, Serial remote protocol.
In order to connect USB touch screen monitors to MagicQ it is necessary to upgrade the
Linux kernel. This can be carried out by copying the kernel file into the main MagicQ folder
on MagicQ consoles and then in the Setup Window typing updatelinux and pressing QUIT.
New shows made with this version of software have modified pre-programmed layout views.
The Outputs Info, Cue Stack Info and Programmer Info windows now default to the 2nd
monitor. There is also an “Ext Palettes” layout view which puts the Group, Pos, Colour,
Beam windows onto the 2nd monitor.
HTP channels
The way HTP channels and FX mix together on different playbacks has been modified. Now
the current FX level is taken into account when working out the highest value. Thus a
playback with a channel at 100% level will stay at 100% regardless of FX running on any
other playbacks.
It is still possible to make another playback override a 100% level on a playback (e.g. to run a
dimmer chase on the HTP channels) by setting the “All Channels controlled LTP” option on
the other playback.
Bugs fixed
FX fade out times in the Programmer Window and the Cue Window when entered from the
keypad would be entered incorrectly. It was possible to set the times using the encoder.
Mbox thumbnails. It was possible that thumbnails could be corrupted during transfer from
the MBOX and this could cause a reset when viewing the thumbnails.
Extended the timeout times for MagicQ on Mac.
It was possible to cause resets by hitting the Soft button for Encoder X in the Cue Stack
Window to double the speed repeatedly.
Programmer Window and Cue Window, Simple Times, when using Individual times on a per
attribute basis, the last attribute was not displayed.

New Functions
Bugs fixed
Outputs grid view multi selection was broken in 1.3.5.2 only.
Faders set as “Fader controls Speed” only controlled the first FX in the Cue (#187).
Fix problem with renumbering Cues by entering new Cue Id numbers in the Cue Id field –
when moving out of sequence Cues might get numbered incorrectly. Affected all versions
from 1.3.4.8. (#185)
Cue Engine was not refreshed after Cues were renumbered. To force a refresh, release
playback, change page, return to original page. (#180)
Changing DMX address of multiple heads now can only be done when sorted by Head No.
Previously, when sorted by DMX the wring heads would be changed. (#175)
Fixed page number display when using remote control (#188).
Removing multiple heads in the Patch Window by selecting multiple columns caused
incorrect number of heads to be removed. (#63)
Tracking mode. Recording to a different Playback or an “out of sequence” Cue Id recorded

only tracked info, not the entire state of the programmer (#179).
Tracking mode. Block FX did not work correctly when recording a first Cue with a FX and
then changing other parameters in the head in a second Cue. Now the FX will continue to
track through the Cue Stack until a step is marked as “Zero unused FX” or a different FX is
specified. When changing the base value of a FX tracking through a stack, the FX is
automatically updated as well as the base, ensuring that the FX continues.
When using 1 playback fader with a FX (no base) and another with a sequence of base (no
FX), one of which had a block FX cue, then re-asserting (pressing GO) or activating playback
1 after playback 2 caused the FX to stop. Re-asserting playback 2 caused the FX to restart.
This is the exact opposite of expected behaviour. Asserting playback 1 should make the FX
run always (playback 2 will lock FX will not affect it, as it is lower priority). Asserting
playback 2 should make the FX block in the block Cue, but restart after the block Cue. (#189)
The 2nd problem was that when using fade times (specifically a time on a Cue without block
after a Cue with a block) then the FX would not restart. (#189)
Remove of FX from Programmer by holding REMOVE and pressing FX or by holding FX

and pressing REMOVE did not work correctly. Remove from Programmer Window worked
fine. There was also no indication that the remove operation was being carried out. (#190)
0@@ now refreshes windows (#198).
When jumping in Cue Stacks in tracking mode the tracking did not take account of the option
“Remove Unused Chans” being set to “Yes”.
When using the UPDATE function stand alone and pressing CANCEL a lock-up could be
caused. (#205)
When choosing a new head in the Patch Window MagicQ took a very long time to read the
personality files potentially causing communication to the Wing to be lost (#121).
Sometimes it was possible to get duplicate Cue Ids in a Cue Stack. When recording a Cue to a
Cue Stck on a specific Cue Id if the Cue Id is entered with 3 or more digits after the '.' then
MagicQ treated the Cue Id as the number entered, but only displayed 2 digits. Thus you could
have a 1.10 and a 1.105 but they were both displayed as 1.10. When trying to jump to such
queues you may get "Invalid Cue Id" error messages. (#203)
Fixed problem whereby total Cue time was calculated incorrectly. If you set a delay and a
fade on different attributes then the total Cue time was calculated as the maximum delay and
maximum fade in the Cue. It should have been the maximum delay and fade on a particular
attribute. (#204)
Fixed problem with changing the DMX address of multiple heads – MagicQ might repatch
across DMX512 boundaries. (#186)
Fixed problem which affected Theatre modes whereby updating a Cue to remove a FX could
cause a reset when the programmer was cleared (#218).
Fixed problem where adding complex times to a Cue in the Cue Window, View Simple could
cause a reset. Only affected the delay and fade fields in the Individual Times, and only when
adding Individual Times for the first time. Also added support in Cue and Prog Window for
setting the fade type even when no individual times have been set. (#220)
Fixed problem with changing multiple DMX addresses in View Universe mode.

New Functions
Patch Window
Added new View options to the Patch Window – it is now possible to view only the selected
heads or only a selected universe using Soft Button B in the Patch Window. Only applies to
View Heads and View DMX.
Patch Window now indicates in the title bar where the next free location for the chosen head
type is.
Other changes
Improved Execute window naming of special functions.
When adding FX that can apply to any attribute (e.g. ramp, since, cosine) to a head that only
has one attribute MagicQ no longer requests choice of attribute.
Made naming of “Rel old Chans” option consistent.
Added Setup option to swap Palette and Cursor Page buttons.
It is now possible to view and change the Release Time of the Cue Stack from within the Cue
Stack window in the “End” box.
Wing contrast defaults to 50%.
There is now a “Block FX” option on individual Cues which can be changed in the Cue
Window with the View Options soft button.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem with timing on Intensities when programming a Cue with levels + FX; the
Intensity would not fade correctly.
Fixed problem with auto groups if some heads had a blank name.
After copying multiple palettes or groups to playbacks, the multiple cursor select is now
deselected.
When “Layouts always active” is set, CTRL + the top soft buttons did not select the Layouts.
Soft button A would not work on Consoles when “Layouts always active” was enabled.
Morphing did not work correctly if the sort order in the Patch Window was not set to “Sort by
Head No”. Morphing now is only allowed when the sort order is set to “Sort by Head No”.
The status has also been improved to indicate morphing in progress and completion.
Fixed problem with “Programmer ignores FX” which could cause a FX in the Programmer
not to start correctly. In v1.3.5.1 press BLIND twice to restart the FX correctly.
When copying files using File Manager Advanced View between Hard Drive and USB Drive
then the wrong files were copied.
When you included a Palette it kept the links to the Palette not the hard values, meaning that
if you recorded to a new Palette, the Palettes were erroneously linked.
Highlight mode. When set to Highlight/Lowlight any attributes in the Programmer that were
set in the Personality to have a Highlight level of No Level were erroneously blocked.
ChamSys Remote Ethernet Protocol could have problems if set to ChamSys TX + RX.
Recording to Cues before Cue 1 is now supported using the syntax .x as well as 0.x – e.g. .5
instead of 0.5.

New Functions
Improved Execute window naming of special functions.
Added support for direct access to DMX channels from the keypad using the . operator. For
example set intensity of DMX channel 4 by entering 1 . 4 @ FULL or . 4 @ FULL. Patch
Window now supports ‘.’ As well as ‘-‘ as the separator between universe and channel.
Holding FX and pressing REMOVE removes FX from all selected heads. Also hold FX and
press REMOVE.
It is now possible to load settings by using File Manager and clicking on the settings file.
Added extra FX to Media Engine (Bitmap FX) – random dots.
Added extra Text mode to Media Engine – single character display from a text string instead
of scrolling text.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem with morphing between CMY and RGB heads.
Fixed “Programmer ignores FX” so that it does not remove FX when you change attributes in
the programmer.
Web server Execute Window showed incorrect Page number.
Holding SET and pressing GROUP, POS, COL, BEAM did not set ACTIVE – previously you
had to hold GROUP, POS, COL, BEAM and press SET.
When record merging or updating Cues with Intensity and then clearing the programmer, the
Intensity faded in again from the programmer level (dependent on Cue times).
When “Select heads and palettes from keypad” was enabled the command line could be
erroneously displayed in the keyboard window.
Loading a show from USB using File Manager and clicking on a show did not ask whether to
save show to the hard drive.
DMX test mode would leave inactive channels at incorrect values if you did not select Test
Zeros before Test None.
Windows installer now allows screen resolutions down to 800x600.

New Functions
Added a new option for how FX gets combined with levels in the Programmer, “Programmer
overrides FX”. When this option is set on, then the Programmer when channels are in the
Programmer they block FX running on those channels in Playbacks. Similarly when Cues are
recorded the Playbacks will block FX from other Playbacks. This option is defaulted YES is
Hog II warp mode.
The Cue Stack option “Ignore FX from other Playbacks” has been improved to enable fade of
FX in and out.
Added a Cue Stack option to enable a Cue Stack to be stepped one step each time it is
released. This can be used, for example, to bump through several sets of ACLs. Works with
both flash buttons and faders.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem in scheduled events where events set with seconds = 00 e.g. 17/50/00 would
trigger twice – once at the correct time, and a second time 60 seconds later. Could also false
trigger 1 hour later.
Naming the 1st playback on a Page using SET, hitting the S button of the playback and
entering a name required an extra ENTER.
Fast tool bars could appear in strange places on dual monitor PC systems.
Fixed default ranges so 0% is 0% and 100% is 100%.
Busking rate master was 0 to 25 seconds not 0 to 10 seconds, even though display showed 0
to 10 seconds.
Fixed problem in v1.3.4.9 with remote MultiWindows.

New Functions
Added check to Personality editor for channels assigned to the same attributes (encoders) -
these channels are highlighted with a *.
Added DMX output setting type of MQ Direct. This has the same function as ChamSys USB
but may be easier for some people to understand. ChamSys USB is retained for backwards
compatibility. Also re-ordered the list of output types, so network types come first, then
ChamSys outputs and then 3rd party interfaces.
Added support for thumbnails when using MBOX media server.
When setting Cue Stack macros and Cue Stack comments it is now possible to edit the
previous macro or comment by double clicking on the entry. Previously the macro or
comment had to be completely re-entered.
Reorganised Cue Stack options slightly to move Intensity, FX size and Speed masters to a
separate tab – “Function”. Previously users were often confused about the difference between
“Fader controls size” – a fader option and “Fader is a FX size master” – making a master
control function.
Console Maintenance
Added console serial number to MagicQ console – in Setup window press SHIFT + encoder
soft button SET SERIAL.
Improved the software upgrade utility. It is now possible to change software without
powering the console down. In the Setup Window, select View System, View Status and
select CHANGE SOFTWARE. The software upgrade utility can also be entered on start up,
as before.
To load new software onto the system, copy the .cde file using networking into the main
MagicQ folder and select the file in File Manager. Alternatively, insert a USB stick and
select the file in File Manager
Note that this new upgrade functionality is only available once v1.3.4.9 software or above is
loaded on the system. To get v1.3.4.9 on the system you will need to use the original method
by powering the console down and entering the software utility on startup.
The software upgrade utility has 2 other functions – reset to factory defaults and erase
console.
“Reset to factory defaults” changes settings back to factory settings but does not erase any
user data. It is recommended that the current show is saved to a known file name before
carrying out a factory reset. As a consequence of the reset to factory defaults, the console will
reload the default show.
“Erase console” erases all user data and reloads the newest software on the system. All show
data, custom personalities, and settings will be erased. Ensure all user data is saved before
carrying out this action.
It is now no longer necessary to recalibrate the touch screen after a factory reset.
Bugs fixed
Version 1.3.4.8 did not work well with MQ50 – soft panel kept appearing. It is not
recommended to use 1.3.4.8 on a MagicQ console.
Fixed problem with MagicQ PC where Copy and Record buttons ended up off screen.
Fixed problem with Mac version and latest FTDI drivers.
Fixed problem with using SHIFT + Windows button to force open a window – sometimes did
not work the first time. Also affected use of SHIFT + EDIT CUR HEAD in the Patch
Window to edit the head at the cursor position.
Fixed intensity sub masters so that they affect FX as well as levels.
Fixed the default setup of Universes and Sub nets – previously Universes 16 and above were
set up incorrectly.
Fixed the processing of on screen / console buttons when MagicQ PC Keyboard mode was set
to Playback Shortcuts or Programming Shortcuts.
Range export in the Head Editor did not export dependent channels and values.
When playing back Cue Stacks which automatically release at the last step, from the Cue
Stack Store Window or from the Execute Window the Window who not indicate that the Cue
Stack had been released even though it released correctly.

New Functions
FX Segments
MagicQ now supports FX segments. FX segments work together with FX Parts to enable
easy control of the relative offsets of different heads within a FX. FX Segments are the
number of adjacent heads that have the same offset. FX Parts are the number of parts
(different offsets) that a FX cycle is broken down into. The FX Spread is the maximum offset
between heads within the FX.
So for example consider 12 heads. With 100% FX spread then without FX parts or FX
Segments you get:
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0% 8% 16% 25% 33% 41% 50% 58% 66% 75% 83% 91%
With FX Segments = 2’s
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0% 0% 16% 16% 33% 33% 50% 50% 66% 66% 83% 83%
With FX Segments = 3’s
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0% 0% 0% 25% 25% 25% 50% 50% 50% 75% 75% 75%
With FX Parts = 2’s
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50% 0% 50%
With FX Parts = 2’s, Segments = 3’s
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
0% 0% 0% 50% 50% 50% 0% 0% 0% 50% 50% 50%
Note that FX Parts and FX Segments only have an effect if FX Spread is greater than 0%.
Improvements to Personalities
All personalities now have the following information which makes up the complete
identification of the personality – manufacturer, short name and mode. Where there is only
one mode for a personality the mode field is left blank in the personality.
When choosing personalities the personality is now selected, first by manufacturer, then by
head short name and then by mode (if there is more than one mode).
The personality filenames remain the same as before – but when choosing personalities the
file name is hidden unless you choose the advanced view.
The description field in the personality is for information only and is not used by MagicQ
internally.
Other changes
When the “Maintain Encoders as Pos,Col,Beam” option is set, then “Intensity” attribute will
also appear on Encoder F in the Pos window if that encoder is not used for position attributes.
Groups – when you make groups from other Groups and Odd/Even MagicQ now auto names
the new groups.
Pressing Next Head and Prev Head reselects all heads in the current selection (like pressing
ALL). Pressing FAN + ALL selects all active heads in the programmer.
Cue Stacks now show linked Cues (Cues used in more than one Cue Stack step) with a “L” in
the Cue field. It is possible to unlink a Cue by moving to the Cue in the Cue Stack and
pressing SHIFT and UNLINK CUE.
When copying head data from one set of heads to another we now support THRU without a
head number for the destination heads to indicate to copy to all heads of this type.
When changing Cue Ids in the Cue Stack Window, the Cue Stack now checks if the new Cue
Id is in sequential order – if not, it prompts for moving the Cue within the Cue Stack. When
multiple Cue Ids are changed they now are changed in sequence.
There is now an option to CANCEL in all selection boxes.
In Chase and FX control, the name “Contrast” has been changed to “Xfade” to make it easier
to understand.
When converting a Chase to an FX if there is more than 1 head being recorded into the FX
then Default Spread is set to 0%. Otherwise default spread is set to 100%.
Added Intensity Mode to Media Window.
If only one head is selected then pressing Next Head or Prev Head selects the next or previous
head of this type. Pressing All selects all heads of this type.
Enabled MagicQ PC to work in low-res resolutions down to 640x480.
Bugs fixed
Cue Stack Info window still allowed scrolling even when “Display Current Playback” was
active.
Fixed problem in Cue Stacks with pressing GO and BACK when timing is set to Cue Timing,
but Chase Direction is set to Backward.
Fixed problem using “Record Merge does not overide times” which could cause a reset.
Fixed problem using “Update clears Programmer” which could cause a reset.
Fixed problem with naming pages in 1.3.4.6 and 1.3.4.7. If you need to name pages in these
versions then turn off "Keypad always selects heads" and "Select Heads and Palettes from
keypad"
Fixed problem with Fade Types in Programmer and Cue Window – the values were not saved
to file correctly.
Fixed problem with syntax line where it was not cleared correctly when pressing CLEAR.
Fixed problem with reporting of % complete on Playbacks with 1 step.
When modifying Cues with HTP channels on active Playbacks, if another Playback was
higher priorty or latest touched, then if that Playback was controlling the channel then the
channel would re-fade from the level on the other playback. This affected all channels
controlled by both Playbacks, not just the channels that were being modified.
Macros would be run on all of the current selection, not the sub selection.
Stepping backwards on a Cue Stack with wait times and “Halt=No” now steps back 1 step
only – previously it restarted the Cue Stack running.
Clear Selected also cleared the Include/Update action so it was not possible to perform the
sequence Include Cue, Select Heads, Clear Selected, Update.
Media Window – improved situation where sometimes when the Media Image attribute was
in the programmer but the Media Bank attribute was not, then the wrong thumbs were shown.
Improved Tap to Time function so that you can tap more than 4 times and then it readjusts
speed on every tap.
Architectural controller stills shows “Demo mode”.

New Functions
The chase option “Skip first times” now applies whenever you jump to a chase step within a
Cue Stack from a timed step. Previously “Skip first times” only applied to the chase step
when the Playback was activated.
New Setup Option. Programmer setting “Update clears Programmer”. When this option is
set, then after an Update is carried out the Programmer is automatically cleared.
New Setup Option. Programmer setting “Record Merge does not overide times”. When this
option is set, then when record merging, existing timing data will not be over-riden. Note that
if you wish to change timing data in a Cue this can be done directly from the Cue Window.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem with releasing cues when 10 playbacks are active controlling intensities on the
same heads. If 10 playbacks all with intensity on the same head were activated and then
released MagicQ could reset.
Fixed problem when connecting executing Cue Stack macros. Running the G macro could
give problems.
Improved handling of Update which could cause problems when an Update was cancelled
Morphing heads was broken in recent beta versions.
Modified fanning when using large number of heads to be less sensitive (works with 16bit
pan/tilt only).
Now when actions are cleared the syntax line is cleared also.
Fixed Intensity fades when using playbacks set as “All Channels controlled LTP” when re-
asserting (using GO) on playbacks.

New Functions
Improved the selection of show modes. There are now 4 modes, “Normal (live)”, “Theatre
Non Track”, “Theatre Track” and “Hog II warp”. Changing mode now requires confirmation.
The setting affected by changing mode are:
Setting Normal Theatre Theatre Hog II

(live) non track tracking warp
Setup “Prog”
Programmer Tracking No Yes Yes Yes
Unused Chans return to defaults No Yes Yes Yes
Highlight mode Normal Advanced Advanced Advanced
Fan mode Normal Normal Normal No toggle
Select multiple groups No Multiple Multiple Multiple
Recording to Palettes Selected Selected Selected All heads
Setup “Keypad Encoders”

Select heads on keypad intensity set No Yes Yes Yes
Select heads and palettes from keypad No Yes Yes Yes
Keypad always selects heads No No No Yes
Maintain encoders as Pos, Col, Beam No No No Yes
Setup “Windows”
Always Show Record Options No No No Yes
Cue Stack Defaults “Fader”

Fader activates Yes No No No
Fader releases Yes No No No
Cue Stack Defaults “Flash”

Flash activates Yes No No No
Flash releases Yes No No No
Cue Stack Defaults “Step”

Multi Cue, Controlled as chase Yes No No No
Multi Cue, Step halts before executing No Yes Yes Yes
Multi Cue, Zero Old HTP Yes Yes No No
Multi Cue, Zero Old FX Yes Yes No No
Cue Stack Defaults “Step Times”

HTP in, HTP out, Pos times 0s 3s 3s 3s
For changing between tracking and non-tracking mode simply change the “Programmer
Tracking” option in the Setup Window, “Prog” tab. This automatically sets the Default Cue
Stack options (Maintain state on jumps, Zero old HTP, Zero old FX) correctly. For software
versions prior to v1.3.4.6 the user should change mode or set the options manually.
Mark Cues
It is now possible to insert a Mark at the start of a Cue Stack.
The behaviour of Marking and Move When Dark has been simplified so that attributes of
moving lights will be marked even if they have not been previously used in the Cue Stack.
The result of this simplification is that when a Mark Cue is executed in a Cue Stack, MagicQ
will take control of the parameters used in the Marked Cue from other Cue Stacks even
though the Cue is not yet executed. Previously if other Cue Stacks were using these
parameters and they had not yet been used in this Cue Stack then the other Cue Stacks would
retain control until the Cue using the parameters was executed.
Copy Groups to Playbacks.
Copying a Group to a Playback makes a Cue with Intensity at 100% for all the channels in the
Group. Selecting multiple groups using the cursor (SHIFT + cursor keys) and then copying to
a Playback creates a multi step Cue Stack of intensities – one Cue step for each group. This is
an easy way to create, for example an intensity chase of your different moving light groups or
your different par can colour groups.
Also, when copying Palettes to Playbacks the Cue Stack is now automatically named Pos, Col
or Beam.
Command line syntax changes
The command line has been improved so that it enables multi selection of Palettes without
pressing enter. For example the following syntax is now supported:
GROUP 2 COLOUR 3 BEAM 4 POS 5 ENTER
Note that the Keypad option “Select heads and palettes from keypad” must be set.
Other Changes
GOTO – it is now possible to GOTO a Cue on a Playback directly using the keypad. Select
the Playback with the S button, then type the Cue Id on the keypad and press the Master GO
or Master FWD buttons.
Playback Option to support SELECT + GO to perform a BACK function on MagicQ

Playback Wings.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem with levels when a Cue Stack is executing a fade and the playback or master
level is taken to 0 and then raised again.
Holding multiple Select buttons and pressing RELEASE with a time did not apply the time to
all the selected playbacks.
“Snap at end” fade type in advanced times did not work correctly.
Column headings were mixed up in the Cue and Programmer windows in v1.3.4.5.
Fixed problem in tracking mode where FX selected in the FX window when some heads were
selected were not recorded into Cues.
Media Engine FX run on HTP channels still required a base channel.
Setting a FX zero Size on an FX that can be applied to any attribute did not work.
Remote Multi Windows did not work with v1.3.4.5 when column hiding was enabled.
Fixed messages when unpacking heads library which erroneously said unpacking icons
library.
When using + REC and - REC the status line now indicates Record Merge and Record
Remove
When using the option to always show Record Options when pressing Record, recording
Palettes and Cues from the keypad did not work correctly.
Using Page and the keypad to select a Page did not work with some combinations of Setup
settings.

New Functions
Keypad Syntax improvements
When Setup option “Select Heads & Palettes from keypad” is set then the following extra
keypad syntax are supported.
For operating on the selected playback:
RECORD <cue id> ENTER

INCLUDE <cue id> ENTER
REMOVE <cue id> ENTER
For operating on Groups, Positions, Colour, Beam
RECORD GROUP <group number> ENTER

RECORD POS <palette entry> ENTER
RECORD COL<palette entry> ENTER
RECORD BEAM <palette entry> ENTER
And also for INCLUDE and REMOVE.
Also supported is
PAGE <page no> ENTER
Other Changes
When recording and updating Palette entries, the Status Window now indicates the action is
complete.
Increased number of groups to 500.
The Palettes in the old Attributes window (CTRL + FX button) are now not automatically
generated. This makes show files much smaller. To make the Palettes in the Attributes
Window use the “Create Palettes” soft button in the Attributes window. Palettes in Position,
Colour and Beam window are not affected.
Changing the Invert parameter in the Head Editor now updates patched heads when the
personality is saved.
FX Size now goes up to 2048 instead of 255. Hold SHIFT + encoder to get sizes above 255.
Skip first chase times now only affects Cue Stacks set as chases.
It is now possible to INSERT at the end of the list of ranges, palettes and macros in the Head
Editor.
Show Settings & Console Settings
Console settings are now stored both on the MagicQ console and in the MagicQ show files.
By default when loading a show, only the show settings are loaded – the console settings are
not loaded – so the console settings are not affected.
To force loading of the console settings from a show file, hold SHIFT and press LOAD
SHOW+ST. This loads the complete console settings and show settings – enabling the
complete cloning of a console. Note that the console settings include the network settings and
IP address – so if 2 cloned consoles are used on the same network then the IP address should
be manually set to different addresses.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem when holding multiple SELECT buttons and master control section.
Fixed problem where Cue Stack option “Flash act as Go/Back” stepped 2 steps.
Selecting an empty Playback using the S button now updates the Cue and Cue Stack windows
correctly.
Fixed problem with cursor selection of multiple items when double clicking or clicking on
status window to open set window. Previously it would erroneously change the values before
opening the set box.
Page 200 was not usable.
Making attributes ACTIVE in the programmer, did not refresh the encoder legends.

New Functions
Improved Timing
The Programmer, View Times, Simple View and Cue, Prog Times, Simple View windows
now have a field to specify the fade type for the advanced times – this can be:
“Default” – fades according to Instant attribute in Personality

“Fade” – always fades
“Snap at start” – always snaps at beginning of fade
“Snap at end” – always snaps at end of fade
Note that on software versions before v1.3.4.4, when programming advanced times, MagicQ
always performed a fade time regardless of the Instant attribute in the Personality. In v1.3.4.4
and above MagicQ defaults to fading according to the Instant attribute.
Shows recorded with software prior to v1.3.4.3 will play back on v1.3.4.4 the same as they
would on previous software – i.e. all the advanced times will be set to “Fade”.
It is now possible to remove advanced times in the Programmer, View Times, Simple View
and Cue, Prog Times, Simple View windows by pressing ENTER or REMOVE.
Improved Windows
Improved Setup and Cue Stack windows to have sub menus for the options so that it is easier
to find the required option. Use PAGE LEFT (INS on PC) and PAGE RIGHT (DEL on PC)
to change sub menu from the keyboard.
Improved Outputs Window – DMX view, so it is easier to work out the DMX addresses.
Improved Outputs, Programmer and Cue Windows to order attributes in IPCB order and to
hide unused attributes. Hiding can be turned off in Setup if required.
Improved Editing
If you Include an item and then Record it to a different Item then Update mode is cleared.
Clear now also clears Update mode.
If you Include a Palette which has non-standard attributes (e.g. a Colour Palette with Position)
then if you Update the Palette then the non-standard masking will be maintained.
Palette entries now indicate the attributes intensity, position, colour, beam (ipcb) stored in
them.
Added a Setup option to always display Record Options when Record is pressed.
Added a Setup option to always record all heads in the Programmer into a Palette entry even
if they are not selected.
Added a Setup option to causes encoders to be fixed to Position, Colour and Beam windows
when using the Group or Outputs or Exec windows. Pressing SHIFT + Group changes the
encoders to the normal Group encoders – similarly for Outputs and Exec window.
Added a Setup option to prevent toggling of FAN mode.
Other Changes
FX Parts now goes up to 128 instead of 32.
Active (SET + soft button), Remove (Remove + soft button / encoder) and Set Value (Set +
soft button) now work in the Media Window.
Holding multiple Select buttons and pressing RELEASE now releases all the selected
playbacks. Also works on the Go, Back, Fast Forward and Fast Back buttons in the manual
control section.
Inserting a Cue before the first step of a Cue Stack now sets the timing/chasing according to
the first step.
Bugs fixed
Fixed selecting layers in Media Window when using Extended Media Window.
The attribute Dim mode was erroneously in both the Beam and Intensity focus masks.
Exporting a show with Cues with Advanced Times and Cues could cause show file to be un-
readable in versions before 1.3.4.4. These show files can be read in 1.3.4.4 and above. The
problem only occurred if there were Cues with advanced times with some heads that were
selected for export and some heads that were not.

New Functions
Support for MagicQ Pro consoles with 18 universes and 4 direct DMX outputs from the rear
panel.
MagicQ Web Server
MagicQ now includes an in-built web server for enabling access to MagicQ from web
browsers on external computers, pocket PCs and mobile phones with web browsers. The web
server includes web pages for monitoring of the status of the MagicQ, a remote control, and
access to the MagicQ windows such as the Patch window for downloading complete patch
lists.
By default the web server is disabled on MagicQ – enable it in Setup, Port Settings. The
default port is 8080 although this can be changed in the Setup, Port Settings.
To browse to the console enter the console name followed by the port number, e.g. for
chamsys176, enter the URL in your browser. Note that by default most browsers use port 80
– so you must explicitly specify port 8080 in the URL or it will not work.
chamsys176:8080
or you can use the IP address of the MagicQ (e.g. 2.9.200.5)
2.9.200.5:8080
This URL will get you to the home page on the MagicQ console - a general system overview
and a main menu of items, including Remote, Execute, Windows and Network.
The Remote page is a simple remote focus for setting channel levels. It can also be accessed
by adding “/remote” to the URL. This is useful for Pocket PC and mobile phones to go
directly to the remote control page.
chamsys176:8080/remote
In order to set up a PC, Pocket PC or mobile phone to connect to MagicQ you must ensure
that there is a physical connection to MagicQ – either directly via network cable, or via a
wireless router. The IP address of the PC, Pocket PC, or mobile phone must be set to be on
the same network as the MagicQ – this is generally the ArtNet IP addressing scheme – so the
device must have an IP address starting with 2 (e.g. 2.0.0.2) and a subnet mask of 255.0.0.0.
The Execute page is very similar to the Execute Windows on the console but accessible
through any PC with a browser on the network – it enables users to remote manage the
console via the Execute window.
The Windows pages enable users to view all the windows on the console remotely within a
browser. This is useful for checking the status of a remote console or for easy printing of
console show data.
The Network page shows all the MagicQ consoles and PC systems on the networks and
enables easy selection of particular consoles for remote control.
The Remote and Execute functions are only enabled when connected to a MagicQ console or
a MagicQ PC System that is itself connected to a MagicQ wing or MagicQ interface.
Media Engine – it is no longer necessary to have a base playback with the grid levels when
using the generic bitmap or generic bitmapfx.
Improved performance of “Grab Show” and automated show copying between consoles –
previously this sometimes did not work on PC systems.
Bugs fixed
Fixed problem with direct DMX from MQ50s and when using MagicQ Wings as additional
DMX outputs for MagicQ consoles. Since v1.3.2.4 the outputs might not work correctly.
Fixed problem with export of shows with Cues with FX in them – when Cues using FX were
exported using only a selection of the heads used in the FX this could cause problems when
the exported show was run. V1.3.4.2 fixes the problem and also enables shows exported on
older versions to be loaded ok.
Fixed problem with the new select heads using keypad and NEXT HEAD function in v1.3.4.2
Fixed problem with + and REC, and - and REC for Record Merge and Record Remove.
Improved performance when connecting to external servers such as Arkaos, Hippo, Catalyst
and Capture and when using Multi Windows. Previously if external servers were shut down
then MagicQ sometimes locked up for a while trying to re-connect to the servers.
Fixed problem with Head Test in Patch Mode which caused 1st channel of head to always be
put to 255 and intensity to ignore grand master level or test level.
Fixed refresh problem in Media Engine when last FX is an in-built FX and performing a
Locate or removing the FX did not cause bitmaps to be displayed till the bitmap no was
changed.
Fixed problem in Media Engine with arrow bitmaps on bitmap page 0 that could cause resets /
loss of wings when used on non-square grids.

New Functions
Sub selection of heads from Groups / Selection
When you select heads using Groups or the keypad, MagicQ then enables the operation on a
sub selection of the main selection using the Next Head, Prev Head, Odd/Even, and All
buttons. This enables the user to select a group of heads and work on heads individually
without reselecting the heads.
It is now possible to sub select heads from within the main selection using the keypad and
referring to heads using the index of that head within the main selection order – for instance,
selecting the 1st and 3rd head within the selection, or selecting heads 1 THRU 4 in that
selection. The numbers used are the index into the selection order, not the head numbers.
To use this method, select a group of heads, then type the index number followed by NEXT
HEAD or PREV HEAD. So to select the 1st and 2nd heads in the current selection:
1+2 NEXT HEAD
Or to the 3rd, 4th and 5th
3 THRU 5 NEXT HEAD
You can select multiple groups as your main selection – so if you have a line of 4 spots and 4
washes you can make a group with of all 8 heads and then access them using the numbers 1 to
8 regardless of their head number.
Using NEXT HEAD and PREV HEAD without entering a number, operates as before,
selecting the next or previous head within the main selection.
New Cue Stack options
Added option to Cue Stack “Ignore FX from other Playbacks” so that when the Playback is
the last touched Playback, any FX from other Playbacks are overriden by the values from this
Playback regardless of whether this Playback has FX for these channels. This removes the
need to use “Add FX Zero Size” to block FX from other Playbacks.
Added option to Cue Stack “Flash acts like fader” to enable the flash button to act as if the
fader was raised to full. This is useful if the fader controls LTP, size or speed, or if the Fader
is a master for intensity, size or speed.
Setting parameters values using the keypad
It is now possible to set attribute values directly by pressing SET, entering the value on the
keypad and then pressing the soft button for attribute in the Intensity, Position, Colour and
Beam windows.
Active
It is now possible to make individual attributes active in the programmer by holding SET and
pressing the soft button associated with the attribute in the Intensity, Position, Colour, Beam
windows.
It is also possible to make active entire Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam attributes by
holding Position, Colour or Beam or Intensity and pressing SET.
Record Options Merge / Remove / Masking
It is now possible to select record options using keypad short-cuts
Hold ‘+’ and press REC for REC MERGE

Hold ‘-‘ and press REC for REC REMOVE
Hold Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and press REC for recording only selected attributes
Hold Intensity, Position, Beam or Colour and press INCLUDE for including only selected
attributes
Record Merge / Record Remove now works on Groups as well as Palettes
Other changes
“Demo mode” is removed and extra functions are now enabled when connected to a MagicQ
audio interface, MIDI/SMPTE interface or Playback Wing.
When creating auto groups in the Patch Window it recreates the “All Groups” if they have
been deleted.
It is now possible to extract FX from a show onto a console which does not have the FX by
including the Cue into the Programmer and saving the FX in the FX editor.
Now, after heads are patched, a new show is started, or the console is started then head
channels automatically are set to their default values regardless of mode.
Added colour rainbow mode with hue and saturation.
It is now possible to partial locate intensity attributes by holding INTENSITY and pressing
LOCATE – previously this was only supported by holding ALL and pressing LOCATE.
It is now possible to knockout intensity attributes from the programmer by holding

INTENSITY and pressing REMOVE – previously this was only supported by holding ALL
and pressing REMOVE.
Support for MagicQ enhanced rear panel with 4 direct DMX outputs.
There is now an indication in the status window when grand master and sub master are at
zero, and also when a DMX test mode is active. The warnings in the status window now flash
to help highlight the problem.
Modification to the speed curve when you set “Fader controls speed” or “Fader is a FX speed
master” to be more responsive. Fader at zero now fully stops the FX.
When a Cue Stack has a single Cue the Playback will show the Cue step name, if set.
Added Vertical Random Lines to Bitmap FX and improved performance of Horizontal

Rainbow.
Added extra information to Setup Window, View Status to show USB interface status.
Bug fixes
Add FX zero size now really works (broken from beta 1.3.3.4 to 1.3.4.0).
Including from the “End” marker in a Cue Stack caused a reset.
Creating a new FX did not refresh screen correctly.
Scrolling in the Stack Store when icons had been assigned to Cue Stacks caused a mess.
Mark Cues – did not always work if the previous Cue to the Mark Cue had a fade time of 0
seconds.
Fixed Windows problems with icons and FX edit views where part of screen was not drawn
correctly.
When using the “View DMX” mode in the Patch Window to assign multiple DMX addresses
to one head, removing the head would leave the assignment to the extra heads.
Selecting colours from the keypad using the colour picker now works correctly.
It was not possible to set DMX universe test mode “hi lo universe” by pressing ENTER in the
test field.
Fixed problem with auto generation of colours/beam palettes for heads with only 1 colour
wheel or only 1 gobo wheel.
Fixed problem with running audio controlled Cue Stacks from virtual playbacks in the
Playback Window.
Fixed problem when using a Fader set to “Masters do not affect levels” where FLASH button
no longer worked.
Fixed problem with Parts and Fan.

New Functions
Improved the display of advanced times in the Programmer and Cue Windows. Now the
“Simple View” includes a field for each separate attribute
Ctrl + (a to z) keys now work on all platforms (Windows, Linux and Mac) to open Windows.
Bug fixes
Opening Exec grid window could cause a crash.
Fixed problem with loading shows with large numbers of cues. Sometimes one particular cue
(normally cue Q819) could be corrupted. Symptoms could be seen that the first cue recorded
after the console was started or reset would not be lost when after the next restart/reset. This
problem affected versions from 1.3.0.2 onwards.
Fixed problem with Lowlight when head channels were in the programmer.

New Functions
Added an additional Programmer window, the Programmer Info window. Press CTRL + Prog
to open the Programmer Info Window.
Added an Odd/Even toolbar. The Odd/Even button continues to have the existing function,
but in addition holding the Odd/Even button brings up the Odd/Even toolbar for quick
selection of 3s, 4s, 5s etc… Pressing SHIFT + Odd/Even also opens the toolbar.
Keyboard Macros.
It is now possible to view the data in each step of a Macro in the View Data view in the
Macro window.
There is now a “De-assign Macro” soft button for removing the assignment of a macro from a
key / button.
Macros now play back at an improved rate, ensuring that all macro steps are performed
correctly.
Exec Window
Special Zone commands now show status.
Bug fixes
When “No Confirm” was set, removing a playback still requested a confirmation.
Known bugs
Add FX zero size does not work. Use Add FX and then set 0 size. To apply it live, use
BLIND.

New Functions
Fanning
It is now possible to use “Parts” for fanning. Pressing and holding the FAN button brings up
a FAN toolbar with options. These include the fan mode – Async, Sync and End and also
parts – 2’s, 3’s, 4’s, 5’s and 6’s.
On MagicQ PC you can press SHIFT + FAN to bring up the FAN toolbar.
Exec grids
It is now possible to set a wallpaper for each Exec grid page.
A new special action “Change to Exec grid page” enables easy changing between pages.
Other changes
MagicQ now supports several additional head activation options in addition to the previous
“activate by chans” and “activate by heads” options. It is now possible to choose “activate by
IPCB”, “activate by IPC” and “activate Col”.
With “activate by IPCB” – when an attribute of a specific type is activated in the programmer,
all the attributes of that type are activated. So, moving the pan encoder, brings pan and tilt
into the programmer.
Added option to default confirmation boxes to Yes rather than No.
Bug fixes
Fixed problem with overlapped cues when using large numbers of heads.
Fixed problem with new record to playback function using keypad (v1.3.3.4 only) which
caused reset on consoles when using the Playback/Step syntax.
Palettes with attributes that do not belong in that palette now are marked as active.
Setting the size of an Exec grid for the first time, mixed up width and height.

New Functions
Zones
MagicQ now supports Zones for controlling multiple rooms / areas in a venue. Each Universe
can be allocated to a Zone, and then all the Universes in a Zone can be controlled together –
e.g. for enabling / disabling of a Zone.
Special items have been added to the Execute Window to enable easy control of zones,
including enabling and disabling zones and setting and clearing hot takeover in a zone. This
allows complete control of a multi-room system directly from the Execute Window without
users needing to access the Setup Window.
FX
It is now possible to change the type of FX running on a selection of heads from within the
Programmer Window. This enables a different FX to be selected, but with the speed, size and
offsets remaining the same. The FX can only be changed into compatible FX – i.e. a circle
can be changed into a square or diamond, but not into a RGB effect.
Recording direct to Playbacks
MagicQ now supports Record + Enter to record directly to a Playback without pressing the
Playback Select button. This option is enabled when “Select Heads in Col, Beam, Pos” is
enabled.
You can record to a specific Cue Id on the currently selected playback by entering a number
and pressing Record + Enter.
You can record to a specific Cue Id and Playback by entering the Playback number followed
by /, followed by the Cue Id and pressing Record + Enter. For example 6/2.0 records to
Playback 6, Cue Id 2.0.
Other changes
MagicQ now supports overlapped Cues – i.e. a Cue with delay and fade times that is followed
before the Cue has completed with another Cue with delay and fade times on the same heads.
CTRL + ALL selects all heads in the programmer.
Chase parameters are now only shown when a Cue Stack has a chase step in it.
Chase speed is now shown in BPM and seconds. Greater control has been added to the chase
encoder.
Support for removing specific Cues from a Cue Stack using the keypad. Type a Cue Id on the
keypad then press REMOVE and select the S button of the playback you wish to remove the
Cue from.
Pressing BEAM more than once, toggles through the four Beam pages.
Pressing COLOUR more than once, toggles between Palettes and Colour Mixing.
Pressing MEDIA more than once, toggles through the eight Media pages.
The option “Flash acts as Go/Back” now works for chases as well as timed Cue Stacks,
It is now possible to calibrate the touch screen by pressing CTRL + SET as well as using the
soft buttons.
Layouts
Recording over a Layout no longer overwrites the name.
When changing into “Layout buttons always active” the buttons become immediately active.
Sizing of windows when “Layout buttons always active” changed to show more windows.
Window modes now stored into Layout views.
Bug fixes
Fixed problem with record multiple.
Fixed problem when saving personalities – sometimes it would say “Head not saved”.

New Functions
Dimmer Curves
Added configuration of user dimmer curves. There are now 10 user dimmer curves that can
be selected in the Patch Window, View Chans view.
User dimmer curves are specified in files of format csv (comma separated variable) with
filename dimmercurveuser1.csv, dimercurveuser2.csv etc… stored in the show/heads folder.
The files consist of 256 lines each with a value between 0 and 255. These files can be
generated in a spreadsheet (e.g. MS Excel) and saved as csv format.
User dimmer curves are not stored into the show or settings files. Each console that uses user
dimmer curves must have the curves stored in the show/heads folder.
Audio triggering
Added the following audio triggering modes, which can be set in the Cue Stack options Audio
P1 and Audio P2 when using the “Audio controls fader level” option:
Audio P1 = 0 Normal (direct trigger from level)

Audio P1 = 1 Decayed (decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 2 Pulse (triggers at Audio Level, Audio P2 is duration of pulse)
Audio P1 = 3 Pulse decay (triggers at Audio Level, decays by Audio P2 each sample)
Audio P1 = 4 Switch (triggers to on/off at Audio Level)
Audio P1 = 5 Slow (increases/decreases by Audio P2 each sample)
Other Changes
Support for MagicQ Xtra Wing.
When you record a Cue to a specific Cue Id on a Playback and that Cue Id already exists
MagicQ will now ask whether you wish to remove the existing Cue or merge into the existing
Cue.
Sorting in Patch Window. Sort by “Head No” now always sorts by Head No even when there
are overlapping head numbers. Use sort by “Type, No” to sort by Type, then number for
when you have overlapping head numbers.
When pressing the Select button and holding the (S) button for a Cue Stack with multiple FX
steps, initially the Cue Stack window will be shown (so that you can jump to steps). Turning
an encoder will change to the FX window
Bug fixes
Fixed problem with Cues copied from Palettes. Under some circumstances it was not
possible to edit a Cue that had been generated by copying a Palette to a Playback. In these
cases Updating or Record Merging into the Cue caused a reset.
Fixed comms problems in remote control, remote windows etc…
Fixed colour icons appearing in Group Window after changing to Heads View and back to
Group View.
It was possible to set head numbers to 0.

New Functions
Personality Editor
Added default value, highlight and lowlight values to the personalities. This enables the user
to configure custom highlight/lowlight settings for each type of personality.
Added support for personalities with multiple elements (e.g. RGB pixels), so that they can be
patched in one action rather than patching the individual elements separately. When these
fixtures are patched they continue to be controlled as separate heads with all the associated
benefits. The personality simple contains a count of the number of elements.
Personalities that consist of a single general element in addition to a repeated element are also
supported. In these cases two different personalities are required – one for the general
element and one for the repeated element. The personality for the general element is used for
patching, and it references the repeated element to enable it to be patched automatically. It is
possible to set an option whether the repeated elements are patched before or after the general
element.
In the Patch Window, View Heads personalities only the head general element is shown –
however testing, moving, copying and setting the head no, affects all the elements in the
personality. The View Chans view continues to show the individual channels.
It is possible to swap the repeated elements of a multiple element head around using the Swap
field in the View Heads view. This is very useful, if for instance a LED stick has been rigged
upside down.
When a personality containing multiple elements is patched, a different head number will be
allocated to each element. This enables each individual element to be controlled from the
keypad and from the grid views. For heads that consist of a general element and repeated
elements the general element will be allocated the base head number and the repeated
elements will have increasing head numbers from the base element.
ChamSys will be converting all the existing personalities for multi LED fixtures to use the
repeated elements in the near future. Morphing between different multi element personalities
is not currently supported.
Internal Media Engine
Added in-built moving FX to the internal media engine. There is a new generic bitmap
personality called “Generic Bitmapfx”. It is the same as the original generic bitmap
personality, but with 4 extra FX channels. It is possible to morph to the new personality.
The extra FX channels enable FX to be applied to the grid. The FX type selects the FX that is
applied. Some of the FX are stand-alone, e.g. lines and rainbows. Others like move and
audio FX are applied on top of the selected bitmap or text.
The FX parameters depend upon the FX type selected – but generally FX parameter 1 is the
speed, FX parameter 2 is the offset between row or column items in the grid, and FX
parameter 3 selects the mode – forward, reverse, bounce or twin.
The currently supported FX are:
Vert lines, Horiz lines – enables lines to be moved across the grid. Modify the mode to
change thickness of the lines. Change offset to make patterns rather than lines.
Vert random, Horiz random – enable random movement of elements across the grid. Modify
the mode to change thickness of the elements and offset to change the frequency.
Vert Rainbow, Horiz Rainbow – enable rainbow patterns across the grid. Modify offset to
multiply the rainbow across the grid.
Vert Move, Horiz Move, Move – moves the selected bitmap or text around the grid.
Audio – shows the selected bitmap or text dependent on the level of the audio input. Select
the channels to respond to. The mode determines from which grid edge the audio takes effect.
The number of in-built bitmaps has been increased to include split colours and triple colours.
Icon images are now shown for all the bitmaps on the in-built bitmap page and the user pages
1,2,3,4.
Other changes
Added function to randomise the select list – in the Group Window press SHIFT + RANDOM
SELECT.
A new version of the external program MagicQ Multiwindows is now available with support
for both variants of window sizing – automated sizing controlled by the console, or custom
sizing based on user preferences.
Bug fixes
A feature in v1.3.3.1 that caused MagicQ problems when connected to MagicQ

MultiWindows and MagicQ Remote Control has been fixed.
A problem in MultiWindows where a Window on a PC running MultiWindows would

open/close continuously has been fixed.
When using MultiWindows on same PC and recording views on external monitors the
windows would always be recalled on the main monitor.
Improved performance of playback sync between consoles.
Fixed a problem in v1.3.3.1 which stopped multiple bitmaps being loaded as user icons.

New Functions
FX editor
A new FX editor has been added to enable users to create their own waveform FX and to edit
existing FX. Changes made in the FX editor have immediate effect on all Cues that use the
FX – for example changing the standard circle FX will affect all cues with circle.
It is recommended that your use SAVE AS to create a new FX before you make any changes
in the FX Editor. The FX Editor has two views – the General view and the Channel view.
MagicQ FX are made up of a waveform for up to 3 different attributes. A MagicQ FX can

store data for more than 1 head – so that for instance, you can make a FX with some heads
perform circles in whilst others perform squares.
In View General you can configure properties for the FX. For FX that only use 1 attribute
setting the “Apply to any attribute” enables the FX to be used on any attribute rather than
being tied to a specific attribute such as dimmer.
Defaults can be set up for speed, size, spread and contrast. Setting contrast to snap forces the
contrast for the FX to default to 0 – i.e. snap rather than fade. The contrast of a FX can be
changed at any time during programming or playback.
The add mode determines the default for how the FX is added to the base values – the choices
are NORMAL or PLUS.
Each step in the FX consists of a value between 0 and 255 and a curve. The curve specifies
how the level changes from one step to the next. The valid curves are:
0 – proportional fade
1 – sine fade
2 – cosine fade
3 – snap
The waveform for the complete FX is shown at the top. Moving up and down with the cursor
to a different attribute or head shows the waveform for that attribute / head.
Media / Bitmap / Icon changes
Extended Media Servers mode. A new mode has been added for media servers with more
than 8 layers – now up to 20 different layers are supported in the media window. This option
is turned on in Setup, View Settings.
Support for thumbnails from MBOX media server.
MagicQ on Mac now supports jpeg as well as bmp file formats – this enables support for
thumbnails on media servers such as Arkaos.
Internal media (bitmap) engine now supports us of the icons from the gobo / colour library for
use when making media FX on LED – these can be selected from the Bitmap pages 128 to
255.
When using the Internal media (bitmap) engine, setting bitmaps are now placed by default in
the centre of the grid. Changing the FX attribute in the Pos window changes how the edges of
the bitmaps are rendered when the bitmap is smaller than the grid. When set to 0 edges are
set to black. When set to 1 edges are set to whatever the edge colour is.
It is now possible to load user icons from bitmap and jpeg files. In file manager click on the
.jpg or.bmp files you wish to make into icons. The icons will appear under the “User icons”
icon class.
Icons can be used on Groups, Colours, Beams, Positions, Cues, Cue Stacks and in the Execute
Window.
At this time user icons are not stored in the show file, so when changing MagicQ systems it
will be necessary to load the user icons onto each MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system. We
would be pleased to add any user icons to the main icon library – please send them to
matt@chamsys.co.uk.
Remove Dimmer (Rem Dim) Function
The keypad now supports functionality to enable selecting of individual selections of heads
and automatically setting all other heads to zero intensity – this is similar to the “Rem Dim”
function found in some other theatre consoles. After selecting heads or setting intensities for
heads, type - -.
For example, 1 THRU 4 @ FULL - - will set heads 1 to 4 at full intensity and all other heads
in the programmer will have their intensity set to zero.
4 THRU 8 – will bring heads 4 to 8 at full intensity into the programmer, whilst all other
heads in the programmer will be set to zero intensity.
Other changes
HSI colour mixing. New colour mixing type added to the personality editor for fixtures
which have Hue Saturation Intensity colour mixing. The colour picker now works correctly
with these fixtures.
Odd/even mode. A new mode has been added which allows part group selections instead of
just odd/even. Press SHIFT + ODD/EVEN to increase the mode to 3s or more.
Palette View – now it is possible to see where the channels in a Palette are used.
Copy page – it is now possible to copy a page unlinked – i.e. new copies are made of all cues
and cue stacks used on the page rather than just making links to existing cues and cue stacks.
It is now possible to select heads and set values from the Outputs, Chan view.
Heads can now be selected in the Programmer View by pressing ENTER in the first column,
or by selecting multiple entries in the first column and pressing ENTER.
Cue Stack macros – new command B – this enables triggering of keyboard macros from Cue
Stacks – e.g. B1 to trigger Macro 1.
Improved confirm box when record merging or removing a Cue Stack on a Playback – now
there is the option to choose to merge/remove all cues on the Cue Stack or just the current
Cue.
Patch – it is now possible to HTP merge received input universes with the MagicQ controlled
universes – in the Patch Window set the Merge field to “Merge”.
RGB / CMY fixtures without dimmers - it is now possible to control the intensity of the RGB
/ CMY using a separate intensity channel. Patch a separate dimmer and then use the “Mult”
merge mode to make the dimmer control the overall level of the RGB / CMY attributes.
“Erase Show” now renamed “New Show”.
It is now possible to load shows directly from File Manager by clicking on the required show.
Improved performance of auto-backup on large show files, so that it has less impact on the
normal running of the system, especially response of Add/Swap buttons and fader changes.
On MagicQ consoles, direct DMX outputs now are automatically mapped to Universes 1 to 4
unless set otherwise in the DMX I/O settings.
Bug Fixes
Fixed problem in new Update function (v1.3.2.8, v1.3.2.9) which could cause a lock-up on
consoles.
Fixed problem in morphing (v1.3.2.9 only).
Fixed problem where Master faders did not work if “Fader controls HTP” was set to No.
Setting intensities now supports reverse channel numbering – e.g. 4 THRU 1 @ 50
Fixed problem in “where used” view in Palette Window that meant Palettes were marked
“unused” when they were actually used.
Fixed problem in soft button handling when using Multi Windows.
Fixed problem major problem in v1.3.3.0 which caused loss of cue stacks.

This version has been withdrawn as it contains a serious problem regarding saving of Cue
Stack data. This version should not be used under any circumstances. Downgrade to 1.3.2.9
or upgrade to 1.3.3.1.

New Functions
Active button in media window.
Option in the Setup Window to disable the mouse controlling pan/tilt.
SMPTE control of Cue Stacks – now, SMPTE is ignored when the same time code is received
for a period of time – enabling the operator to move around the cue stack.
Support for new macro command to enable setting of the level of a cue stack without
changing to that cue stack. The ‘k’ macro command sets the level for the last cue stack that
has been activated. So to set a particular playback to a level, e.g. Playback 4 at 70% do
A4,K70
Bug Fixes
Improved handling of media server refresh.
Improved handling of media window.
Morphing now supports improved performance when converting between fixtures with
different colour systems.
Copy Head Programming function was broken in recent betas.
When using the Auto Icon function in the Head Editor on a MagicQ console it could reset if
the file show/icons/autoiconmap.csv was not present.

New Functions
Update Function
MagicQ now supports a new Update function which enables easy updating of Cues and
Palettes. The existing Include & Update method is still supported. However, if you use
Update without first pressing Include it is now possible to choose to update the Cues or
Palettes that have been over-ridden.
When you press Update (when not in Include Mode) a list of all the Palettes and Cues that
have been overriden is shown. You can then choose which of the Palettes and Cues to update
by selecting from the select box. One you have finished your selection press the “Done”
button. You can press “Cancel” at any point to cancel the Update.
When using a tracking Cue Stack, MagicQ will show all the Cues that have been overriden in
the Stack – hence you can make an update even if the attributes were used in a previous Cue
on that Cue Stack.
Pressing SHIFT + UPDATE forces an update using the above method even if a Cue was
previously included.
Other Changes
Outputs Window, View Heads now modified to show a “View Cue Ids” option so that it is
possible to see which Cue in a Cue Stack is controlling an attribute.
0 @@ now deselects all heads (0 ENTER when using “Keypad always selects head” option.
Added “Selected Only” soft button to Record Options and Include Options window – reduces
the number of button presses required to include select heads only from a Cue.
Select option window (as used when Merging Shows) now has a Done and Cancel button.
MIDI Support
MagicQ supports MIDI via the MagicQ SMPTE/MIDI interface. With this interface, MagicQ
can generate and receive MIDI commands. MIDI is configured in the Setup Window, View
Settings view.
To transmit a MIDI command, first set the MIDI Out Type in the Setup Window. MIDI
commands are entered in decimal in the Macro field of the Cue Stack using the ‘N’ macro
command. It is possible to over-ride the channel specified in the MIDI commands using the
MIDI Out Channel in the Setup Window.
For example, to send a note for middle C set the macro field to the following:
N144,60,127 // Note on
N128,60,0 // Note off
To receive a MIDI command, first set the MIDI In Type in the Setup Window. Choose
whether to receive on all MIDI channels or just on a particular channel as specified in the
MIDI In channel. MagicQ uses a text mapping file in the MagicQ folder to convert from
MIDI commands to MagicQ serial commands. An example file midimap.txt is included
which maps midi notes to the playbacks PB1 to PB10. Each line in the file specifies a
received MIDI command and then the mapping to the serial command.
Note that on MagicQ PC, only playbacks PB1 to PB10 can be controlled by MIDI.
Fixes
Theatre tracking mode – when using the FX window to select FX from the FX Palettes the FX
would not record into cues unless it was modified in some way.
Theatre tracking mode – when using multiple playbacks controlling the same fixtures and
transitioning between playbacks there were some errors.
Problem in the new Cue Window, Simple Times (v1.3.2.7) when using selected heads and fan
time.
Setup Window, Status View – num of groups was incorrect.
Colour Window – selection of colour mix items from keypad was not correct.
Include Cue – now supports head/attribute masking FX as well as values.
Include specific Cue Id from Playback – did not clear command line.

New Functions
Advanced Cue Timing
Improved Keypad syntax for timing
MagicQ now supports the THRU operator for inputting times. So for example
1 THRU 8 @ FULL / 1 THRU 4
takes lamps 1 to 8 and fade them up, lamp 1 has time 1 second, lamp 8 has 4 seconds fade
time.
Same for selecting using palettes. e.g.
1 THRU 4 Pallette selects a palette with fade times of 1 to 4 seconds.
and
THRU 4 Pallette selects a palette with fade times of 0 to 4 seconds.
Specify delay times using a /
1 THRU 4 / 2 Palette selects a palette with delay times 1 to 4 seconds, fade of 2s
The older method using the + symbol is still supported.
Improved editing / changing of times in Programmer and Cue Windows
The Programmer and Cue windows has been improved to enable easy inputting of fanned
times across selected heads.
In the View Simple times you can set the general times as before (i.e. the times used if you
don't specify times for individual heads or parameters in the Adv View).
But, you can also set the advanced times also - either for the selected heads, or if no heads are
selected for all the heads in the Programmer / Cue. You can set fanned times by entering for
instance 4 THRU 8 in the fade field. These fields will show you the min and max delay and
fade times for the selected heads.
Using the Next Head, Prev Head displays the times for individual heads so you can step
through each of the heads in turn to see their times. Use All to get back to the summary for all
selected heads.
Patching of scrollers
MagicQ has been enhanced to provide improved support for scrollers, so that the colour scroll
channel can be tied up with the dimmer channel in one head.
To use this support, patch a Generic Scroller2chan. This will appear in the View Heads with
the DMX address marked as “virtual” and any DMX address you specified when you patched
it will be ignored. Change to the View DMX view and specify in the appropriate DMX
columns the DMX address of the dimmer and the scroller.
The Generic Scroller2chan is set up as a “Virtual” personality – i.e. the channels in the
personality can be patched to any location on MagicQ – unlike normal personalities where the
channels are sequential from the DMX start address. In the View DMX view, the DMX
address fields are used to specify the addresses for each channel in the virtual personality – up
to a maximum of 5 channels. (For normal personalities these fields are used to specify
multiple fixtures patched to one head.)
Virtual personalities could be used for other irregular fixtures such as water jet controls.
Other changes
Pressing CLEAR twice (or pressing once when programmer is empty) causes all action modes
and includes to be cancelled.
FAN mode is now automatically cancelled when you clear.
It is now possibly to patch heads using the alternative syntax: A THRU B @ C where A is the
start number, B is the end number and C is the patch address; e.g. 1>4@2-1 patches 4 heads
starting at Universe 2 channel 1.
Grid view – in the Plan View in the Outputs Window the selection and setting of multiple grid
entries has been improved so that multiple heads can be set in any orientation depending on
the direction in which the multiple selection is perform. This makes constructing grids for
large number of LED fixtures much easier.
For example, if you select a block starting at the bottom right, moving towards the left, then
upwards to the top left corner, then the heads will be selected in this order.
Changing the DMX address of a head in the Patch Window now supports the + operator to
indicate a change to the first free address after a certain address.
Fixes
Copying from Playback Window and from Playbacks to Execute Window now supported.
Several fixes to multi windows / remote control.
Modifying intensities on a Playback directly from the keypad now always takes immediate
effect.
Changing pages with encoder in Execute window to high values caused problems.
Changing text page /attribute in Generic Bitmaps to high values caused problems.
Intensity window now supports knockout function for attributes.
Decay rate for triggering on audio module adjusted.
Releasing virtual playbacks now takes them out of test mode.
Cue Window, Advanced Times now shows fade / delay for Encoders E and F.
Fixed problem when removing a Cue Stack from Playbacks with the Cue Window open, and
options set to remove Cues and Cue Stacks when removing Playbacks.
Fixes to MIDI control interface.

New Functions
Removing attributes from the Programmer
It is now possibly to remove attributes from the programmer using short cut buttons rather as
well as the previous method of editing the spread sheet view in the Programmer Window.
To remove items from the programmer.
q Select the heads you wish to remove attributes from. If no heads are selected then all
active heads in the programmer are affected.
Then choose one of the following methods
q Hold REMOVE and press All, Position, Colour, Beam. This removes all attributes of
these of Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam.
q Hold REMOVE and turn an encoder wheel or press the soft button in the Beam, Colour,
Position or Group windows – the specified attribute will be removed.
q Hold All, Position, Colour or Beam and press REMOVE. This removes all attributes of
these of Intensity, Position, Colour or Beam.
q Hold a soft button in the Beam, Colour, Position or Group windows and press REMOVE.
The specified attribute will be removed.
Patching Generic Dimmers / Theatre Lamps
A new view, View DMX has been added to the Patch Window. This enables multiple DMX
channels to be easily assigned to one head. Up to 5 additional DMX channels can be set up
for each Head in addition to the main DMX address. Remove additional channels by pressing
REMOVE and selecting the additional channel fields or by typing “u” (unpatch) instead of a
DMX address.
It is also now possible to “unpatch” a head – i.e. to remove the association between the
programmed data and a DMX address. The programmed data for the head is maintained and
the head can subsequently be patched to a new DMX address. To unpatch a head, press
REMOE and select the first DMX field, or type “u” in the DMX field.
Programmer Window & Cue Window
It is now possible to use fanning to alter levels, times and FX parameters in the Programmer
Window and Cue Windows. This is particularly useful to fan delay times and fade times over
a selection of heads. Select the items to change using SHIFT and the cursor keys, or by
clicking on the column headings. Then with FAN held down use encoders E or F to modify
the values.
When viewing and editing multiple FX in the Programmer Window or Cue Window the
encoders A,B,C,D,X and Y now affect only the FX that the cursor is placed over. Previously
they always affected all FX in the Programmer/Cue. When a new FX is added the encoders
automatically default to controlling the parameters of the new FX.
If the cursor is placed in the All FX row at the top of the Window then these encoders affect
all FX as per previous behaviour. The E encoder can still be used to modify the individual
parameter at the cursor location.
Support for ChamSys Audio Interface
MagicQ now supports the ChamSys Audio Interface – a USB interface module that takes in 2
different audio signals and processes the signals. Each signal is analysed into 7 different
frequency bands – consisting of 63Hz, 160Hz, 400Hz, 1KHz, 2.5KHz, 6.2KHz, 16KHz,
63Hz. The levels for each channel can be used on MagicQ to set the level of Playbacks, to
step through cue stacks and to set the speed of chases.
The ChamSys Audio interface is enabled by setting the Audio Input option in the Setup
Window to “ChamSys audio interface”. When connected a graphic equaliser display is
shown in the Status Window showing the current levels of the inputs. Audio trigger level
should be set to 0.
In the Cue Stack options there are 4 possible audio modes – Audio Controls fader level,
Audio bumps go, Audio sets BPM, Audio jumps Cue Stack. Audio modes are not active until
the Cue Stack is activated by raising the fader or pressing the GO button.
Double click on the Audio channel to select the channel to respond to. Audio level, audio
parameter 1, and audio parameter 2 should be set to 0.
“Audio Controls fader level” enables the level of the fader to be controlled by the received
audio level on the chosen channel. In this way you can control all sorts of different functions
depending on how you set the Fader options – for example, you could control the iris opening
of a moving light by also setting the Fader controls LTP chans option, or you could control a
Master Intensity fader.
“Audio bumps go” causes the Cue Stack to bump to the next step every time a peak in the
audio is detected on the specified channel. This enables a Cue Stack to follow the beat of the
music. This is best used with the Cue Stack set to Cue Timing instead of Chase Timing.
“Audio sets BPM” causes a Cue Stack set as a chase to automatically set the chase speed to
the timing of the peaks on the specified channel. The Cue Stack should be set to Chase
Timing.
“Audio jumps Cue Stack” enables the level of the specified channel to determine which step
in the Cue Stack is executed – for example if you have a Cue Stack with 10 steps, then a level
of 0% will execute step 1, 10% will execute step 2 whilst a level of 100% will execute step
10. This is very useful if you wish to program different Cues onto LED or media servers.
Other changes
It is now possible in the Cue Stack options to set Cue stacks to automatically activate / release
on Page Changes.
Intensity Window now has a “Select non zero” soft button (use SHIFT) to select all the heads
which have a non zero intensity.
Update LED now turns on when a Cue or Palette has been included into the programmer and
can be updated using the Update button.
Pressing SHIFT + ß now clears all command line text immediately and deactivates any
active action buttons such as record, remove, include etc…
Added extra option for use when Playback Stomping is enabled to allow some playbacks to
be marked as “non stomping”. This enables certain playbacks to be bumped in without
stomping over the original playback.
Improved action of double click in Head Editor windows. Also improved defaults in Head
Editor when making a new fixture.
It is now possible to set the host name on MagicQ consoles.
Pressing >> or << whilst a chase is running now stops the chase and moves to the next step.
Error messages are now highlighted in the status window.
Fixes
Fixed problem with FX window – FX would only play back 1 of the attributes recorded. Also
fixed problem when exporting FX libraries.
Fixed problem with icons in FX select window – always appeared large and covered the
textual FX name.
Test mode in Cue Store and Cue Stack Store now works when in Theatre Mode.
When converting a Cue Stack to Cue Timing, Mark steps are preserved.
Fixed problem in Cue Window, Advanced Times when using encoders E and F to set delay
and fade times.
Centre auto groups for some grids did not work correctly.
Run Applications on Same PC option did not work on some PCs.
Fixed problems with internal media engine and Bitmaps. Bitmaps on page 2 and above were
chosen incorrectly – they were one out. This has now been changed to work correctly – note
that old shows will need to be modified to use the correct bitmaps.
Export Show did not export Text strings. Text did not work after a show was reloaded.
New Functions
Icons
MagicQ now supports icons for all programmed items. Icons can be turned on in the General
Settings in the Setup Window. On MagicQ PC the icon library is automatically included
when you upgrade to this version. On MagicQ consoles it is necessary to copy the icons.all
file from the ChamSys web site to the show/icons folder on the MagicQ console.
To set an icon for a Window item (e.g. a Palette Entry) press SHIFT + SET. This will open
the Icon library. The Icon library is split into different types of Icons for colours, positions
and different types of gobos.
ChamSys is updating the personality libraries to automatically include icons – however, this
process will take some time. The most popular heads will be updated first. Users can update
personalities themselves in the Head Editor by selecting icons from the icon library.
Remote Control
MagicQ now supports the remote control of other MagicQ consoles and PC systems. Any
MagicQ console or any MagicQ PC system can be controlled from any other MagicQ console
or MagicQ PC system on the network. This enables complete remote management of any
system from any other system. The remote system appears exactly as if it were running on
the local system.
Note that the remote control function is currently beta software – therefore at this time we do
not recommend the use of this function during live shows. By default Remote Control is
disabled. It can be enabled in the Multiple Console settings in the Setup Window.
The remote control function is accessed through the new View Remote option in the View
System view of the Setup Window. To control another MagicQ press the Remote Control
soft button. MagicQ then presents a list of all the other MagicQ consoles / MagicQ PC
systems it can find on the network and you can choose which one you wish to control.
You can tell which system you are controlling by looking at the system name in the Status
Window of the Main Window (near to the clock). When MagicQ is remote controlling
another console it indicates “REM” at the start of this status line.
To end remote control of another system press CTRL 1 on the keyboard of the controlling
system. Alternatively press CTRL CLOSE on the controlling system. The status line will
change back to be the normal line without “REM”.
When a remote system is under remote control it is still possible to control the system locally
– the normal system interface is still fully operational. We recommend that you only use one
interface at a time – having two operators will cause confusion!
This function is only enabled when the target system (i.e. the one you wish to control) is a
MagicQ console, or it is a MagicQ PC system with a MagicQ PC Wing or MagicQ USB
interface attached. There are no restrictions on the MagicQ system that you use to control the
remote system – for example, this can be MagicQ PC running on a wireless tablet.
Multi Windows
Multi Windows on MagicQ PC without starting another application
MagicQ PC now supports a new Multi Windows mode, which enables MagicQ PC to use
multiple windows on one PC with multiple monitors without starting up the separate Multi
Window application. This mode is easier to use than the previous method and uses automatic
sizing of the Windows on the extra monitors.
To use this mode, first set the Multi Windows option in the Interface settings in the Setup
Window to Multi Windows (same PC). Then select View System, View Remote. A list of
the monitors attached to the PC will be show together with their position and size. Press the
RELOAD MULTI W soft button to update the list. Enable all the monitors that you wish to
use for Multi Windows. Note that the Monitor that is running the main MagicQ Window
must always be enabled.
Now it is possible to move Windows from the Main Window onto the other monitors. Press
SHIFT + SIZE to move a Window between the different monitors. Alternatively use the EXT
button (was the PREV button, just left of the SIZE button) – this button is being reassigned
for this function.
Sizing of Windows on the other monitors occurs just like in the Main Window – you can
select full windows, half windows and quarter windows. The entire space on the other
monitors is used for MagicQ Windows. When a Window is moved to another monitor the
size is kept the same – for example, if it was a quarter window on the Main MagicQ Window
it will be a quarter window on the other Window. You can change the size on the other
windows, just like on the Main MagicQ Window using the SIZE button.
Note that the original Multi Window mode using the Multi Window application is still
supported. This enables users to run MagicQ PC and Multi Windows are on the same PC, or
on different PCs.
Multi Windows on MagicQ consoles / remote MagicQ PC systems
The Multi Window support on MagicQ PC can also be used for connecting to MagicQ
consoles to provide extra monitors for the consoles. In View System, View Remote, set up
and enable the extra monitors as above. Then press the Multi Windows soft button. A list of
MagicQ consoles / MagicQ PC Systems will be shown. Select the console you wish to
connect to.
Once connected, Windows on the MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system can be placed on the
external monitors using the EXT (was PREV) button or by using SHIFT + SIZE. Ensure that
the MagicQ console / MagicQ PC system that you wish to add monitors to has the Mult
Windows option set to Remote Multi Window.
Other changes
Added support for Velleman DMX interface.
Added support for using the mouse or trackball for pan/tilt control. Press the Right mouse
button to enter pan/tilt mode. In this mode the mouse or trackball can be used to control pan
and tilt of any selected heads. Press again to return to normal mode. Support for this function
is only available on MagicQ consoles and when connected to a MagicQ PC Wing or MagicQ
MaxiWing. It is not available when connected to MagicQ MiniWing or MagicQ USB
interface as these products do not have X and Y encoders.
Added support for wider scroll bars in the windows – use the Scroll bar options in the Setup
Window to adjust the appearance of the scroll bars.
Added an option in the Setup Window to always copy unlinked. In this mode the default for
copying Cue Stacks is for an unlinked copy – i.e. completely new Cues are made. To make a
“cloned” copy which uses the same Cues press SHIFT + COPY.
Added an option in the Setup Window to enable the user to specify where the MagicQ show
files are saved and loaded. This enables multiple users to have different show folders. Note
that currently only the shows are saved/loaded to this folder – the personalities and FX remain
in the default show folder.
Full support for different ArtNet sub nets. It is now possible to set the ArtNet subnet for each
Universe individually. In previous versions there was a single option in Setup window, View
Settings – this set the ArtNet subnet globally. This has now been moved into Setup window,
View DMX I/O (page right). The subnet defaults to 0.
Improvements to Media Engine – Generic Bitmap now shows stored text strings and user
bitmaps. Inserting heads into a Grid now uses the current select heads, unless none are
selected, in which case all heads are inserted.
It is now possible to change where shows are stored. Set the show file path in the Security
Settings in the Setup Window.
Fixes
Fixed problem when recording multiple FX with different spread/parts in Cue Stacks. If you
had two sequential Cues with very similar FX then MagicQ might not load the FX from the
second Cue – the FX from the old Cue would remain.
Fixed problem when inserting cues at the top of the Cue Stack – default Cue settings were
used instead of the settings of existing Cues.
Fixed problem when fader set to control HTP = NO. Changing page could cause playback to
activate.
Fixed problem with morphing and FX – order of FX could get confused – this was often seen
as movement FX pan/tilt being swapped.
Fixed problem when morphing whilst playbacks using the morphed channels were activate –
channels could become stuck.
Fixed problem with importing/exporting patch on MagicQ consoles.
Fixed problem with Hot Takeover between consoles which could cause a momentary blackout
to occur. Added support for Hot Takeover when using Pathport protocol.
Fixed problem when using DMX In to trigger wings. The DMX In triggers remained active
even if it was disabled.
Fixed problem on MagicQ consoles when using the Arial font on bitmaps.
Fixed problem with erratic changes when using Master FX Speed faders.

New Functions
MagicQ Profiles
Support for different MagicQ profiles – a profile is the entire set-up of the console including
the console specific settings (like IP address, media settings etc…) and the show file. This
enables the console to be used to control different venues with easy swapping between
venues.
Profiles are loaded and saved from the Setup Window – in View Settings, press SHIFT and
LOAD PROFILE or SAVE PROFILE. Profiles are saved to .mpr files in the show folder –
note that profile does not contain the show data – it only references it – so if you are backing
up you need to store both .shw files and .mpr files.
It is possible to set the console to request profile selection on start-up. To enable this you
must put an empty text file “selectprofile.txt” into the main MagicQ folder (MagicQ PC on
MagicQ PC). On start-up the console will then request which profile you wish to use before it
loads the show and enables the outputs. This is useful in a studio environment where MagicQ
can control any one of several studios over ArtNet. When you start up the console you
choose which studio to control.
MagicQ Personalities
It is now possible to overwrite the personality stored in a show file with the one stored on the
hard drive of the console / or in the heads folder of MagicQ PC. This allows shows that were
created using old personalities to be modified to use the new personalities. In the Head Editor
press the “Reload Head” soft button. The personality will be reloaded from disc and all the
patched heads in the show will use the updated personality. Note that it is not possible to
reload a head where the number of channels in the personality has been changed.
It is now possible to regenerate the auto palettes for heads once they have been patched. This
allows the palettes to be modified in the Head Editor and then regenerated for each of the
patched heads. In the Head Editor press the “Regen Palettes” soft button.
Output universes (test and copying)
MagicQ now supports some simple options for testing complete output universes, including
sending all ‘0’s, sending all ‘1’s, and several additional test patterns. Tests can be performed
on individual universes using by selecting the test in the Test field of the Setup Window,
DMX I/O view.
MagicQ now supports copying of entire universes to multiple outputs – this may be useful
where you wish to duplicate an output universe onto different outputs of an ArtNet box, or
you want to set MagicQ wing outputs to be the same as Ethernet outputs. Select the universe
you wish to copy in the Copy field of the Setup Window, DMX I/O View.
Other changes
When setting intensities or selecting heads from the keypad, you can now use the > symbol to
select multiple heads of one type without keying in the complete range of heads. For
example, 1 > @ FULL would set all heads of the same type as head 1 to FULL.
Increased the number of Pages from 100 to 200.
Increased number of parts in FX to 32.
Keypad now has ESC and ß buttons.
Fixes
Fixed problem with intensities when running in theatre mode – i.e. when the option to activate
a playback when the fader is raised is turned off. In this mode, the first time a cue stack was
run after a page change, the intensities could play back at 0. Nudging the fader regained the
correct intensities. To work around the problem move the playback fader before activating
the Cue Stack with the GO button.
Fixed problem with LTP faders and FX – previously if one fader controlled a LTP channel
and a FX was running on that channel from another fader then releasing the LTP fader could
cause the channel to go to zero.
Fixed problem in 1.3.1.6 and 1.3.1.6 regarding using external keyboard.
Recording direct to playbacks was allowed even in “inhibit record” mode.
Fixed possible reset when removing Cues from Cue Stacks.
Fixed problem when advancing pages using Cue Stack Macros.
Fixed problem when patching a head with no channels.
Fixed problem with using SHIFT buttons where button text was not correct.

New Functions
Support for remote input switch on MagicQ consoles.
Fixes
Improvements to Elo touch screen driver.

New Functions
Keyboard shortcuts or programming. There are now 3 modes for the keyboard on MagicQ
PC:
1. Normal: the keyboard is used for naming items and selecting heads
2. Programming shortcuts: the keyboard is set up for shortcuts to programming keys
3. Playback shortcuts: the keyboard is set up for shortcuts for playback keys
The programming shortcuts are as follows:
¬ 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 - + ß
TAB NEXT PREV ODD REC UPD INC PREV THRU *

EVEN ORD HEAD
PAGE PAGE ATE ENTER
ALL SET REM FAN SIN HICH LOC @ FULL

LIGHT
OVE GLE ATE
SHIFT CLEAR COPY BLIND MOVE NEXT . / SHIFT

HEAD
CTRL ALT SPACE ALT CTRL
Windows are opened using CTRL and the alphanumeric keys
CTRL A
CTRL B Beam
CTRL C Colour
CTRL D
CTRL E Execute
CTRL F Fx
CTRL G Group
CTRL H Help
CTRL I Intensity
CTRL J
CTRL K
CTRL L Cue Stack
CTRL M Media
CTRL N Macro
CTRL O Outputs
CTRL P Position
CTRL Q Cue
CTRL R Programmer
CTRL S Setup
CTRL T Patch
CTRL U Page
CTRL V Playback
CTRL W Cue Stack Store
CTRL X Cue Store
CTRL Y
CTRL Z
New Functions
Improved Outputs Window
There are now four different options for viewing complete head or channel data:
q Normal – all heads/channels

q Programmer – only heads/channels in the programmer
q Sel Hds – only heads/channels currently selected
q Sel PB – only heads/channels active on the currently selected playback
In addition it is now possible in View Chans to remove the head names so that only head
number and current level are shown. This allows large numbers of dimmer channels to be
viewed at one time.
The Outputs Window now shows the range names for attributes with ranges.
Improved Head Editor
The Head Editor has been improved to make it easier to add Ranges and Palettes. The top
right encoder wheel can now be used to alter the item where the cursor is placed.
In addition there is a “Attr test” mode which enables the range or palette to be tested on any
patched heads of this type. In this mode moving up/down in the Range / Palette Window
outputs the Range or Palette to all patched heads of this type.
In the Range View the value output is the middle point between the minimum and maximum
– except when the cursor is placed in the minimum or maximum fields – in which case the
actual minimum or maximum value is output.
Modification of Intensities in Cues
It is now possible to add or change the intensity of heads (or dimmer channels) recorded into
a Cue on a Playback directly on the Playback without using the programmer. Press and hold
the SELECT button of the Playback with the Cue to be modified. Then use the keypad to
adjust the intensity channels – e.g. typing 1 THRU 4 @ FULL will add channels 1 to 4 at
FULL into the current Cue on the Playback. The programmer is not affected.
Fixes
Selection of multiple heads improved when changing layout views.
New Functions
Cue Stack macros – change page – you can now change to the next page by using page 0 (i.e.
P0). This is useful to automate page changes at the end of a song.
MaxiWing view on MagicQ PC - added white lines to make it easier to see which soft button
to select.
Fixes
Refresh problem when clearing programming, removing items from lists has been fixed.

New Functions
FX Library
The FX Window has now been improved so that FX can be played back on any selected
heads regardless of which heads the FX was originally recorded with. Select the heads you
wish to apply the FX to, and select the FX in the FX window.
If no heads are selected then the FX is played back on the heads that the FX was recorded
with.
The FX in the FX Window can be stored to a FX library file so that the FX can be reloaded
and reused in any MagicQ show. Use the SAVE FX LIB to make a FX library file – all the
FX in the FX window are stored to the file. The FX are saved as generic FX – i.e. they can be
played back on any type of head as long as it has the same attributes. Reload a FX library
using the LOAD FX LIB.
Set lists
It is now possible to save and load set lists in the Page Window. Set lists are simply text files
with a list of page names. When the set list is loaded, MagicQ rearranges the pages so that
they are in the order specified in the set list. Pages that are not specified in the set list (for
example songs not being used today) are moved after all the pages specified in the set list file.
To use set lists, first name all the pages in the Page Window according to the song name or
section name. You can then save this as a set list by pressing the Save Set List soft button –
the file is saved into the show folder with a .txt file extension. You can now edit this file with
a text editor (e.g. Windows Notepad) to rearrange the songs. Load the set list back into
MagicQ using the Load Set List soft button.
Multiple selection in Group Window
This has been changed so that multiple groups are only selected when no action has been
performed on the selected groups – once heads in the groups have been changed then the next
group selection will start from no selected groups. The previous behaviour is still available
via the “Select Multiple Groups” option.
MagicQ Media (bitmap/text generator)
This has been improved with a choice of 2 different fonts – select using the Text Mode
attributes. Also when mapped to grids with 6 or less pixels high there is now a small font.
Disabling macros
There is now an option to disable macros. This is in the security settings in the Setup
Window.
Cue Timings
In the Cue Stack and Cue Windows delay and fade times are now shown with a ‘>’ symbol
after them when there are advanced times set for the Cue – e.g. when different heads have
different fade times. The time shown is the longest fade across all the heads in the Cue.
New Personalities
New personalities for Radical Systems PixelDrive, Martin Maxedia, High End Catalyst,
Coolux and various moving lights.
Fixes
Some fixes to LEDs and DMX outputs on MQ50.
Outputs window – scrolling right in different views could cause problems in other views.
Patch, test heads – test level was not operating correctly.
View Palette. Encoder E did not work correctly on intensities.

New Functions
FX – a new parameter has been added to the FX generator – FX part. This enables the FX to
be automatically split across a number of heads.
The FX part can have the values “none”, “2s”, “3s” etc. For example when set to “3s” the FX
will be played back spread over the first 3 heads and then this will repeat over the remaining
selected heads – i.e. heads 1,4,7,10 will do the same thing, heads 2,5,8,11 will do the same
thing. When a “FX part” is selected, the “spread” determines how the FX is spread across
the 3 heads.
Fixes
Copying from Advanced view of file-manager only worked when cursor was in the first
column – now works from any column.
Copying from Advanced view to Basic view of file-manager did not work correctly – now
once you start a copy, or move it is not possible to change mode.
Copying to the same position (same item box) in different folders/disks in file-manager did
not work.
Include in tracking mode. FX could get lost from the programmer when doing an Include,
Update.
“Take Control” soft button was hidden in v1.3.0.1 although the blank soft button in Setup,
View DMX/IO still worked to take control.
SHIFT + RECORD using PC screen did not bring up the record options.
It is now possible to select a Playback in the Playback Window when in View Faders mode.
When Fader controls HTP is not set, the Playback now releases correctly when fader is raised
/activated.
MaxiWing SELECT button was mapped to SHIFT.
Modifying Cue FX live could under certain obscure conditions could cause a reset.
Closing the keyboard, select or confirm windows on MagicQ consoles using the close (x) icon
in the top right corner of the window would cause problems.
Selecting Record Options from the keypad did not work on the console.
Cue Stack Window could should erroneous time-code values when playback inactive.

New Functions
Option “Keypad always selects heads”. When this option is turned on, entering head numbers
on the keypad followed by return always selects the heads. When this option is turned on
some of the advanced features of MagicQ are not available directly from the keypad. When
editing numeric fields in the spreadsheet style windows in this mode, the operator must use
the SET button rather than editing the field directly.
This option is provided for users who are used to older less advanced “fixed syntax” consoles
which do not support the large range of live keypad options and Windows editing features
provided on MagicQ.
Option “Crossfade always controls PB1”. This option enables the user to lock the manual
playback section of MagicQ to Playback Fader 1 regardless of the currently selected
Playback. This is designed for theatrical use where Playback Fader 1 always contains the
master Cue Stack.
Encoder F now in the Cue Stack Window now scrolls the window.
Support for MSEX protocol for communicating with Media Servers such as Arkaos – enables
thumbnails and live previews viewing from these media servers.
Fixes
When recording a FX into the FX Window you can now enter the name during the Record.
Fixed problem when selecting heads or groups in reverse order – e.g. 5>1@@ or 3>1**
Fixed lock-up in console software when pressing CLOSE button (only affected v1.3.0.0).
FLASH buttons no longer affect any keypad input.
Fixed text message when recording in multiple record mode.
Fixed refresh problem with Plan View when changing DMX address of heads.
In the Cue Stack to insert a Cue into a Cue Stack at a particular position you can now press
RECORD and select any column in the Cue stack.
Fixed selecting FX ADD options in Prog Window.

New Functions
Formal support for MagicQ PC on Mac and Linux platforms.
Double clicking Select buttons now always opens the Cue Stack in View Cue Stack view.
Triple clicking opens it in View Options view.
Outputs window labels added to show attributes real attributes of selected head.
ChamSys Remote Protocol now supports synchronised operation of Add/Swap, Swap and
DBO between multiple consoles.
Fixes
Fixed problem with 12 universe operation which could cause resets.
Fixed problem with head selection in Media window when selecting

multiple servers / layers.

New functions
Auto saving of backups has been modified so that by default auto saves are only made when
changes are made to the programming - e.g. new Cues are recorded. This ensures that during
show playback the console does not save unnecessary back-ups.
The Setup window now indicates when the show has not been saved (or autosaved) for over
10 minutes.
When reloading shows, the outputs are temporarily suspended until the new show has been
loaded - this enables different versions of a show to be loaded without causing a complete
blackout.
When starting up outputs are suspended until all wings have been checked - previously
outputs were enabled as soon as the application started. This means that if faders are left up
on the wings then those faders will become active before the outputs - this helps to avoid
unexpected blackouts.
Start up time of PC Wing and Playback Wings improved.
Performance of Enttec dongle driver improved to avoid jittering of DMX outputs.
Close Window soft button on Cue Window moved to avoid accidental use.
Improved button test mode to view all buttons pressed. Also LED test mode added - in button
test mode press CTRL 1 and CTRL 2 to test the different colour LEDs. Press CTRL 0 to go
back to normal state of the LEDs.
Bugs fixed
Crash during playback when using GO buttons on Cue Stacks after using the programmer to
overide features (affected versions v1.1.7.10 to v1.2.0.0).
Problems when updating Cues using in multiple Cue Stacks.
Outputs window, View Chans view refresh problem fixed.
Dim chase FX size corrected. Modified so that it works like other FX in that it is applied to
the current level - so to get a full 100% change you need to set dimmer levels to 50%.
FX contrast - now when set to 0% or 100% it is not affected by FX speed. When set to other
values and the FX speed is reduced, the contrast will change to show the new contrast.
Show files sometimes got much larger than expected.
Auto release at end of Cue Stack now works.
Crashes when editing and updating cues.
The first Cues in a Cue Stack (including mark cues) did not playback correctly the first time
they were replayed after editing of the Cues in the Cue Stack.
Patching using + did not work for the first head if the specified channel address was already
used. When patching multiple heads using + this would mean one less than the required
number of heads was patched.
Recording a Palette into the Personality file did not work correctly.
Removing Cues from Cue Store. If the Cue was used in a Cue Stack the Cue Stack number
was incorrect (1 greater than it should have been).
Inserting a Cue after a Mark Cue caused the new Cue to also be a Mark Cue.
Shutting down the console using the keypad ENTER to confirm YES rather than the
touchscreen sometimes caused a reset rather than a shut down (holding ENTER for 2 seconds
avoided the problem).
After removing a Cue from the Cue store, if the Cue was re-recorded, then when it was played
back it initially used the old Cue data. Using Include and Update on the Cue enables the
problem to be worked around in previous versions.

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ChamSys Ltd MagicQ Software Changes

MagicQ version 1.3.6.0

Remove + FX now removes FX from both Programmer and Outputs. (#190)

MagicQ version 1.3.5.4

2nd Monitor Support

Extended the timeout times for MagicQ on Mac.

MagicQ version 1.3.5.3

Outputs grid view multi selection was broken in 1.3.5.2 only.

Fixed page number display when using remote control (#188).

Tracking mode. Recording to a different Playback or an “out of sequence” Cue Id recorded

Remove of FX from Programmer by holding REMOVE and pressing FX or by holding FX

0@@ now refreshes windows (#198).

MagicQ version 1.3.5.2

Improved Execute window naming of special functions.

Made naming of “Rel old Chans” option consistent.

Added Setup option to swap Palette and Cursor Page buttons.

Wing contrast defaults to 50%.

MagicQ version 1.3.5.1

Improved Execute window naming of special functions.

Added extra FX to Media Engine (Bitmap FX) – random dots.

Fixed problem with morphing between CMY and RGB heads.

Web server Execute Window showed incorrect Page number.

Windows installer now allows screen resolutions down to 800x600.

MagicQ version 1.3.5.0

Fixed default ranges so 0% is 0% and 100% is 100%.

Fixed problem in v1.3.4.9 with remote MultiWindows.

MagicQ version 1.3.4.9

Added support for thumbnails when using MBOX media server.

Fixed problem with Mac version and latest FTDI drivers.

Fixed intensity sub masters so that they affect FX as well as levels.

MagicQ version 1.3.4.8

With FX Segments = 2’s

With FX Segments = 3’s

With FX Parts = 2’s

With FX Parts = 2’s, Segments = 3’s

There is now an option to CANCEL in all selection boxes.

Enabled MagicQ PC to work in low-res resolutions down to 640x480.

Fixed problem with reporting of % complete on Playbacks with 1 step.

Architectural controller stills shows “Demo mode”.

MagicQ version 1.3.4.7

Morphing heads was broken in recent beta versions.

MagicQ version 1.3.4.6

The setting affected by changing mode are:

Setting Normal Theatre Theatre Hog II

Setup “Keypad Encoders”

Cue Stack Defaults “Fader”

Cue Stack Defaults “Flash”

Cue Stack Defaults “Step”

Cue Stack Defaults “Step Times”

It is now possible to insert a Mark at the start of a Cue Stack.

Copy Groups to Playbacks.

Command line syntax changes

GROUP 2 COLOUR 3 BEAM 4 POS 5 ENTER

Playback Option to support SELECT + GO to perform a BACK function on MagicQ

Media Engine FX run on HTP channels still required a base channel.

MagicQ version 1.3.4.5

Keypad Syntax improvements

For operating on the selected playback:

RECORD <cue id> ENTER

For operating on Groups, Positions, Colour, Beam

RECORD GROUP <group number> ENTER

And also for INCLUDE and REMOVE.