Qlab 4 show control: projects for live performances & installations, 2nd edition – ebook pdf version

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Contents

A. General

22

Cue Triggering

22

GO Button Settings

23

Panic Duration

24

Cue Numbering and Auto-Load

24

Lock Playhead

24

Cue Row Sizing

24

B. Audio

24

C. Video

25

D. Light

25

E. Network

25

F. MIDI

25

G. Cue Templates

27

H. Key Map

27

I. MIDI and OSC Controls

28

2.8 QLab Preferences

29

At Launch

29

Updates

30

Send Aggregate Usage Data

31

Disabling OS Features

31

Audio Device Buffering

31

Art-Net Lighting Network Interface

31

Broadcast Mode

32

Logging Level

32

2.9 Preparing Your Computer for Running a Show

32

Design Tips: Using Terminal

33

Internet Related Concerns

33

Delete All Extraneous Software

34

Disable Notifications

34

Disable Screen Saver

35

Disable Spotlight

35

Disable Time Machine

35

vii

Contents

Video Concerns

35

Design Tips: Backup Systems and Saving Protocol

37

Chapter 3 Understanding the QLab Workspace

39

3.1 Understanding Cues and the Cue Structure

39

What Is a Cue?

39

Design Tips: Using Time Display Modes

42

How Do Cues Operate?

42

Cue Lists

43

Cue Sequences

43

Playback Position

43

3.2 The Workspace A. GO/Standby/Notes Panel

43

B. Toolbar

44

C. The Main Cue List

45

Design Tips: Toolbox and Load to Time

45

D. Inspector

47

The Basics Tab

47

The Triggers Tab

48

Design Tips: Assigning a MIDI Trigger

49

New Trigger Settings

50

E. The Workspace Footer

51

Edit/Show Mode

51

Cue and Cue List Count

52

Warnings Panel

52

Lists, Carts, and Active Cues Sidebar

52

Status Window

54

Settings

55

3.3 Adding Cues

55

3.4 Setting Targets for Cues

55

3.5 Navigation and View Quick Keys

57

Design Tips: Searching the Workspace

viii

43

58

Contents

3.6 Paste Cue Properties

58

3.7 The Tools Menu

58

Load to Time

59

Renumber Selected Cues

59

Delete Number of Selected Cues

59

Jump to Cue

59

Jump to Selected Cue’s Target

59

Record Cue Sequence

60

Live Fade Preview

60

Highlight-Related Cues

61

Black Out and Restore Desktop Backgrounds

61

A. Fade Tools

61

Set Parameters from Target

61

Set Audio Levels from Target

62

Set Video Geometry from Target

62

Revert Fade Action

62

3.8 The Window Menu

62

The Audition Window

62

Override Controls

63

Lighting Controls

63

Timecode Window

64

3.9 Cue Carts

64

PART II: QLab Audio Control Chapter 4 QLab and Audio Basics

69

4.1 Audio Systems

69

4.2 Basic Audio Equipment and Terminology

71

Microphone

71

Input Source

71

Mixing Console

72

ix

Contents

x

Signal Processors

72

Amplifier

72

Speaker

72

4.3 Understanding Basic Signal Flow: Input/Output

73

4.4 Understanding Software Signal Flow

73

Audio File

74

Audio Cue

74

Inputs

74

Crosspoints

74

Levels Faders (Cue Outputs)

75

Audio Patch

75

Audio Device Output Routing

75

4.5 A Word About Audio Devices

75

4.6 Audio System Configurations

76

Basic Stereo Playback with Multiple Speakers

76

Multichannel Playback System with External Signal Processing

77

Multichannel Playback System with QLab Signal Processing

78

Design Tips: Redundant Systems

79

Chapter 5 Setting Up QLab with Your Audio System

81

5.1 Multichannel Sound Systems

81

5.2 Audio Settings

82

Volume Limits

83

Mic Settings

84

5.3 Cue Templates

85

Audio Output Patch

86

The Matrix Mixer

86

Inputs

87

Crosspoints

87

Cue Outputs

88

Setting Levels Faders

88

Contents

Master Fader

89

Design Tips: Balancing Audio Output

89

Default, Silent, and Gangs

90

5.4 Editing Audio Patches

91

Audio Patch Editor: Cue Outputs

91

Audio Patch Editor: Device Routing

91

Crosspoints

92

Audio Patch Editor: Device Outputs

92

5.5 Setting Up QLab with an Audio Device

93

Customizing Your Audio Patches

93

Project 5.1 – Setting Up Your System

93

5.6 Audio Device Volume Levels

96

Balancing Audio Device Output

97

5.7 Audio Effects and How to Use Them

98

Audio Effects and Cue Outputs

99

Project 5.2 – Creating a Reverb Send in QLab

99

5.8 Using Multichannel Audio Files Chapter 6 Audio Cues

104 106

6.1 Inserting an Audio Cue

106

6.2 Inspector: Basics

106

6.3 Inspector: Triggers

107

Affecting Other Cues

107

6.4 Inspector: Time & Loops

107

The Waveform Display

107

Waveform Zoom

110

Design Tips: Multitouch Gestures

110

Preview Cue

110

Times, Loops, and Slices

110

Design Tips: Looping Sliced Tracks

113

Integrated Volume Levels and Playback Rate

113

Controlling Playback Rate

114

xi

Contents

Project 6.1 – Manipulating Start/End Times

115

Project 6.2 – Adding Slices

116

Project 6.3 – Manipulating Playback Rate

116

6.5 Inspector: Audio Levels Audio Output Patch and Device Edit

118

Set Default Levels

118

Set All Levels Silent

118

Assign Gangs

118

Visible Channels

118

Audio Levels and Crosspoint Matrix

118

6.6 Inspector: Audio Trim

119

6.7 Inspector: Audio Effects

119

Project 6.4 – Editing with Audio Effects Chapter 7 Mic Cues 7.1 Understanding the Mic Cue

120 122 122

Signal Flow

122

Buffering

123

7.2 Setting Up Your Audio Device

125

Design Tips: Getting to Know Your Equipment

125

Mic Settings

126

Setting Default Levels for New Mic Cues

126

Mic Patch

127

Device Routing

127

7.3 Inserting and Editing a Mic Cue

xii

117

128

Inspector: Basics

128

Inspector: Triggers

128

Inspector: Audio Levels

128

Audio Input and Output Patch

129

Visible Channels

129

Default Levels

129

Set All to Silent

129

Contents

Assign Gangs

129

Levels & Crosspoint Matrix

130

Inspector: Audio Trim

130

Inspector: Audio Effects

130

7.4 Audio Effects and Mic Cues

130

Cue Output

131

Project 7.1 – Creating a Global EQ Send with Cue Outputs

131

Device Output

134

Project 7.2 – Assigning an Audio Effect to a Device Output

134

Chapter 8 Fade Cues 8.1 Inserting and Editing Audio Fade Cues Design Tips: Cue Naming

136 136 137

8.2 Inspector: Basics

137

8.3 Inspector: Triggers

138

8.4 Inspector: Curve Shape

138

1. S-Curve

138

2. Custom Curve

139

3. Parametric Curve

140

4. Linear Curve

140

Audio Domain

140

Fade Cue Duration

141

Reset to Default Shape

141

8.5 Inspector: Audio Levels

141

Fade Type: Absolute vs. Relative

141

Stop Target When Done

142

Design Tips: Fading Group Cues

143

Levels and Crosspoint Matrix

143

Set from Target/Set All Silent

143

Assign Gangs

144

Live Preview

144

xiii

Contents

8.6 Inspector: Audio Effects Fade Rate

144

Stop Target When Done

145

Set Audio Effects from Target

145

Audio Fade Cue Summary

145

Project 8.1 – Pitch Bend to Replicate a Reel-toReel Malfunction

146

8.7 Mic Fade Cues

147

Inserting a Mic Fade Cue

147

Basics, Triggers, and Curve Shape

147

Audio Levels

147

Audio Effects

148

8.8 Manual Fades

148

Project 8.2 – Creating a Zero-Count Fade Cue 8.9 Automatic Fades Project 8.3 – Automated Fade-In and Fade-Out of an Audio Cue 8.10 Panning Project 8.4 – Panning via Fade Cue 8.11 Ducking Audio

149 150 150 153 153 155

Project 8.5 – Ducking Audio

155

8.12 Copy/Paste Fade Parameters

156

8.13 Exploring Trim

157

Chapter 9 Control Cues

158

9.1 Start, Stop, and Pause Cues

158

Start Cue

158

Stop Cue

158

Pause Cue

159

9.2 Load Cue

159

Design Tips: Load Cues and Playback Position

xiv

144

160

9.3 Reset Cue

161

9.4 Devamp Cue

161

Contents

Project 9.1 – Vamping an Audio Cue with Loops

162

Project 9.2 – Vamping an Audio Cue with Slices

163

9.5 GoTo and Target Cues

164

GoTo Cue

164

Target Cue

164

9.6 Arm and Disarm Cues

165

9.7 Wait Cue

166

9.8 Memo Cue

166

9.9 Script Cue

167

Design Tips: Hotkey Safety

168

Project 9.3 – Creating a Hotkey Activated Script Cue

168

Chapter 10 Group Cues

169

10.1 Understanding Group Cues

169

10.2 Inserting and Editing Group Cues

170

10.3 Inspector: Basics

170

10.4 Inspector: Triggers

170

10.5 Inspector: Mode

171

10.6 Workspace Function

172

Cue Name

172

Notes

173

Hiding Group Cue Contents

173

10.7 Group Cue Projects

173

Project 10.1 – Using the Group Cue to Create a Playlist

174

Project 10.2 – Simultaneous Playback of Children

175

Chapter 11 Cue Carts

176

11.1 Understanding Cue Carts

176

11.2 Creating a Cue Cart

177

11.3 Cue Cart Setup: Inspector

178

Basics

178

xv

Contents

Triggers

178

Grid Size

179

11.4 How to Use Cue Carts

179

11.5 Integrating the QLab Remote

181

Project 11.1 – Using a Cue Cart for Flexible Playback

182

Part III: QLab Video Control Chapter 12 QLab Video System Basics

187

12.1 Understanding Video Systems

187

Video Playback Systems

187

Video Reinforcement Systems

188

12.2 Video System Components

188

The Digital Video Camera

189

Computer

189

Interface Connections

190

Video Only – Analog Video Graphics Array (VGA)

191

Composite Video

191

Separate Video (S-Video)

192

Component Video

192

Video Only – Analog/Digital Digital Visual Interface (DVI) Video and Audio – Digital

xvi

191

193 193 194

High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI)

194

DisplayPort

194

Mini DisplayPort/Thunderbolt 2

195

Thunderbolt

196

Thunderbolt 3

196

IEEE 1394 (FireWire)

197

Contents

Universal Serial Bus (USB)

197

Category 5/6 (CAT 5/CAT 6)

198

Output Devices

199

Digital Projectors

199

Flat Panel Displays

200

12.3 Understanding Video Signal Flow

201

Video/Image File/Video Feed

201

Video Cue/Camera Cue

201

Video Surface Patch

202

Design Tips: Surface Control

202

Output Device

204

Audio

204

12.4 Hardware Considerations

204

The Bottleneck Dilemma

205

Data Path

205

Hard Drive/Data Storage

206

External Storage

206

The Need for Multiple Drives

207

RAM

207

CPU

208

QLab Video CPU Usage

208

Regarding Codecs and Compression

209

Video Card

209

vRAM

209

GPU

210

Output

210

12.5 Connecting to a Video Display

210

What Types of Connector(s) Are Needed?

210

Cable Runs

211

Signal Amplifiers

212

12.6 Graphics Expansion Devices

213

xvii

Contents

Chapter 13 Video System Preferences and Setup

214

13.1 Workspace Settings: Video Surfaces

214

Video Surfaces

214

Adding Surfaces

215

Duplicating Surfaces

215

13.2 Editing Surfaces Editing the Single-Screen Surface

215

Surface Name and Dimensions

216

Editor Canvas

216

Screens

217

Individual Screen Controls

218

Surface Controls

219

13.3 Creating and Editing New Surfaces

221

Tools of the Trade: Remote Control for Your Workspace

222

13.4 Setting Up a Graphics Expansion Device with QLab

223

Project 13.1 – Plug-and-Play Setup

224

Project 13.2 – Individual Screen Control with an Expansion Module

225

13.5 Creating a Surface with Edge Blending Project 13.3 – Creating a Surface with Edge Blending

228 228

13.6 Workspace Settings: Camera

229

Camera Patch Settings

229

Tools of the Trade: Syphon Output

230

Chapter 14 Video, Camera, and Text Cues

xviii

215

231

14.1 Inserting a Video Cue

231

14.2 Inspector: Basics

232

Cue Info

232

Design Tips: A Word About FileFormats

232

14.3 Inspector: Triggers

233

14.4 Inspector: Display & Geometry

233

Contents

The Video Stage

233

Video Surface

234

Mode: Full Surface

234

Mode: Custom Geometry

235

Design Tips: Rotation Options

236

Project 14.1 – Fade Controls for Video Cues

237

Project 14.2 – Animating Image Rotation with Fade Cues

238

Project 14.3 – Using the Anchor to Your Advantage

239

14.5 Inspector: Time & Loops

241

Waveform Display

241

Preview Cue

241

Times, Loops, and Slices

242

Integrated Fade Envelope and Playback Rate

243

14.6 Inspector: Audio Levels, Audio Trim, and Audio Effects

243

14.7 Inspector: Video Effects

244

Tools of the Trade: Quartz Composer

245

14.8 Camera Cues

246

14.9 Inspector: Basics and Triggers

246

14.10 Inspector: Display & Geometry

247

Project 14.4 – Creating a Ghostly Effect 14.11 Inspector: Video Effects Quartz Composer Integration 14.12 Text Cues Inspector: Text 14.13 Text Cue Projects

248 249 250 250 250 251

Project 14.5 – Singalong Lyrics

251

Project 14.6 – Intergalactic Title Effects

253

Chapter 15 Video Effects 15.1 Video Effects Presets: Color and Exposure Color Controls

255 255 255

xix

Contents

Exposure

256

Gamma

256

Sepia Monochrome

257

Tools of the Trade: macOS Color Picker

258

Min Max Invert

261

White Point

261

15.2 Video Effects Presets: Titles Font Placement

262

Blend Mode

262

Font Name

264

Font Size

265

Show Cue Image

265

Text

265

Color

265

15.3 Video Effects Presets: Blur/Sharpen

265

Box/Disc/Gaussian Blurs

266

Motion Blur

266

Sharpen Luminance

266

Unsharp Mask

267

Zoom Blur

267

15.4 Video Effects Presets: Textures and Edge Effects

xx

262

268

Pixellation

268

Screen

269

Bloom and Gloom

270

CMYK Halftone

270

Color Posterize

270

Crystallize and Pointillize

271

Edge Work

271

Kaleidoscope

272

Median and Comic Effect

273

Noise Reduction

273

Contents

15.5 Video Effects Presets: Distortion Effects

273

Circle Splash/Hole Distortion

273

Pinch/Bump Distortion

274

Torus/Lens Distortion

274

Twirl/Circular Wrap/Vortex

275

Glass Lozenge

275

15.6 Video Effects Presets: Tiles

275

Op Tile

276

Perspective Tile

276

Quad Tiles

276

Reflected Tiles

276

Rotated Tiles

276

15.7 Video Effects Presets: Custom Compositions

277

Tools of the Trade: Syphon Recorder

277

15.8 Video Effects Projects

278

Project 15.2 – Video Effects and Fade Cues

278

Project 15.3 – Combining Video Effects

279

Chapter 16 Projection Mapping and Surfaces 16.1 Mapping vs. Masking Design Tips: Gradation and Masks 16.2 Overlapping Geometric Surfaces Project 16.1 – Creating Surfaces for Overlapping Geometric Areas 16.3 Mapping on Non-Planar Surfaces

281 281 283 284 285 289

Project 16.2 – Mapping to 3D Surfaces

289

Tools of the Trade: External Mapping Options: MadMapper

294

16.4 Masking Made Easy Project 16.3 – Using QLab as a Masking Tool

295 295

xxi

Contents

Part IV: QLab Lighting Control Chapter 17 QLab Lighting System Basics

301

17.1 Understanding Lighting Systems

301

Power

301

Control

302

Lighting Instruments/Accessories/DMX-Controlled Devices

302

What Is DMX?

303

What Is an Address?

303

17.2 Understanding Lighting Consoles Input/Output

305

Channels

305

Master Control

306

Submasters and Groups

306

Playback

307

Palettes

307

Effects

307

17.3 QLab as a Lighting Controller

308

How QLab Communicates

308

USB-DMX Interfaces

308

Channels

309

Master Control

309

Submasters and Groups

309

Playback

309

Palettes

310

Effects

310

Summary

310

Chapter 18 Preparing to Cue Lights 18.1 Network Setup Design Tips: A Word About Polling

xxii

305

311 311 314

Contents

18.2 Adding Your Lights

314

Patch

315

MIDI Control

316

Groups

316

18.3 Definitions and the Light Library Light Library

317 318

18.4 Putting It All Together

318

Setting Up Your Lights

318

Chapter 19 Light Cues

321

19.1 Inserting a Light Cue

321

19.2 Inspector: Basics and Triggers

321

19.3 Inspector: Levels

322

Command Line

322

Add Command

322

Prune Commands

322

Safe Sort Commands

322

The Lighting Commands List

323

Design Tips: Live vs. Blind Programming

324

Collating Effects

324

19.4 Inspector: Curve Shape

324

19.5 The Light Dashboard

324

19.6 The DMX Status Window

326

19.7 Understanding Lighting Command Language

326

Selection Ranges and Passing

328

Pulling Values

328

Up Arrow

328

Ad-Hoc Groups

329

19.8 Cueing Examples Project 19.1 – Creating a Chase Effect

329 332

xxiii

Contents

Part V: QLab Show Control and Networking Chapter 20 Show Control Systems 20.1 Terminology

337

Entertainment Control Systems

337

Standards

338

Show Control

339

Network

339

20.2 Entertainment Control Systems

340

Sound Control Systems

340

Lighting Control Systems

340

Video/Projection Systems

341

Additional Control Systems

342

20.3 Show Control Systems

342

Sound Control Systems

343

Lighting Control Systems

343

Video/Projection Control Systems

343

20.4 Show Control Considerations Chapter 21 Understanding OSC and Network Cues

344 345

21.1 What Is OSC?

345

21.2 OSC Settings

346

Settings: Network

347

Design Tips: Networking Options

348

21.3 Network Cues

xxiv

337

349

Inspector: Basics and Triggers

349

Inspector: Settings

350

OSC Messages

350

Commands

351

QLab Messages

352

Playback Control Commands

352

Contents

Parameter-Change Commands

352

UDP Messages

352

21.4 OSC and Cue Carts

353

Project 21.1 – Creating a Cue Cart Interface

353

Tools of the Trade: OSCulator

354

Chapter 22 QLab and MIDI

356

22.1 MIDI Basics

356

22.2 What Is MIDI Show Control?

356

22.3 QLab and MIDI

357

Workspace Settings: MIDI Controls

357

Workspace Settings: MIDI

359

Design Tips: MIDI Across Network

359

22.4 MIDI Cues Inspector: Basics and Triggers

360

Inspector: Settings

360

22.5 MIDI Voice Message

361

22.6 MIDI Show Control (MSC)

364

General Commands

365

Sound Control Commands

366

22.7 MIDI SysEx

367

22.8 MIDI File Cue

368

Tools of the Trade: Go Box Chapter 23 Timecode

Index

359

368 370

23.1 How Timecode Works

370

23.2 Timecode Settings

371

23.3 Triggering Cues from Timecode

372

23.4 Timecode Cues

372 374

xxv

Foreword

From black box theaters to Broadway, cues are being fired and organized in Figure 53’s excellent application, QLab. What started in 2006 as a simple way to cue and fade audio playback has grown into a staple of the live entertainment industry, now being used in classrooms, cruise ships, mega churches, and arenas alike, controlling not just audio, but video, projections, and network show control protocols and even running the lighting rig.

As a multimedia artist with a wide range of projects myself, from concerts to Broadway to industrials to installation and gallery work, I have used QLab on many occasions as an indispensable tool to produce my effects and show control sequencing. On some shows, I utilize nearly every function of it, providing video playback for projection mapping, controlling audio levels, and sending lighting commands, while on other shows I might just be using it as a hub to control the other show control computers, such as Watchout rig or ETC Eos lighting desk.

Just as the magic that we see on stage is powered by the unseen machinations of designers and technicians such as myself, behind QLab’s friendly and simple user interface lies an astonishingly powerful tool capable of sequencing and managing even the most complicated technical shows. Fortunately, Jeromy Hopgood has provided a text resource matching the excellence and beguilingly elegant simplicity of the software itself. In fact, I was fortunate enough to use QLab 3 Show Control as a primary text for a Projection Design course I taught at Pace University. Jeromy carefully laid out every part of QLab 3 in great detail, providing my students with a perfect reference.

This new version expands on the approach of the first one, adding new projects and designer tips while streamlining the examples without sacrificing clarity or utility. One of the major themes I have learned in my career is that it isn’t just what you know, but also how you go about applying it. Fortunately for the reader of this new edition, they are given the opportunity not only to add to their knowledge base but also how to apply it to their projects. I look forward to the continued success of both QLab and this accompanying text.

Foreword by Projection Designer Daniel Brodie (Broadway: Motown the Musical, Disney’s Aladdin, large-scale video designs for Kanye West, Mariah Carey, and the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival)

xxvi

Acknowledgments

As a theatre artist and a teacher, I constantly extoll the virtues of collaboration to my students. Writing a book is a similar undertaking, in that there are countless people who work together towards a common goal. There is no way I would have been able to finish this book without the help of so many people along the way.

To Stacey, Meredith, and the rest of the team at Routledge, many thanks for helping turn this into a reality. As always, thanks are due to the amazing group at Figure 53, who continue to answer so many questions and requests and without whose support this text would not have happened. Special thanks to Mic Pool, Rich Walsh, Jeremy Lee, Sam Kusnetz, and Andy Lang for always being willing to field a question – no matter how obvious the answer seems. To Daniel Brodie, an exceptional projection designer and all-around good guy, thanks for taking time from your busy schedule to write the foreword for this edition.

I have had the pleasure of working closely with the folks at TLS Productions, Inc., in Michigan for the better part of the last decade. Thanks to Dustin Miller of TLSP for his editorial assistance and general wealth of knowledge when it comes to macOS nomenclature. There are a number of colleagues who answered questions, explained things that I didn’t understand, and generally were there to offer support at the right moment: Wendall Harrington of Yale, Alex Oliczewski of the Ohio State University, Daniel Fine of the University of Iowa, David Stoughton of Illinois Wesleyan, and Jake Pinholster of Arizona State University. Thanks also to Ellen Lampert Greaux and the good people at Live Design for always being so supportive of my work.

It has been a pleasure to serve as a professor at Eastern Michigan University over the last nine years. I am proud of the work we do here and so happy to call EMU my home. To my ED&T and Theatre students, thanks for being such an inspiration and helping keep my batteries re-charged. You are why I do this work. Thanks, especially, Kathy Stacey, Don Ritzenheim, and the College of Arts and Sciences for supporting my research. To John Charles, Melanie Bond, and Madeleine Huggins, in particular, there aren’t enough words in the English language to say how much you have helped me over the years.

Finally, so many thanks are due to my family for their love and support in everything I do. So many times, the work that we do in this field can really take a toll on family life. I’m so lucky to have the team of Katie, Kira, and Isabella to keep me going. Thanks, ladies, for all that you do and for understanding the hours of time I spent at the laptop. I truly am the luckiest guy on the planet.

xxvii

Preface

If it is true that an artist is only as good as their tools, then we are all very lucky to be living in this time period with so many excellent design and technology tools at our disposal. These days, the entertainment industry seems to evolve at a breakneck pace, with new resources and even fields popping up all around us. As a designer, I know that I am always looking for a new tool to speed up my workflow and assist me in turning my concepts into reality. For me, few have been such a game-changer as QLab. Back in 2008, I started showing some of my design students this new application that offered Mac users an alternative to SFX for sound playback. It was a robust program with an interface that my students took to effortlessly. What’s more, Figure 53 (the makers of QLab) was a small company that really got how customer service needed to work for those in show business. I quickly implemented QLab control systems into my performance spaces and classrooms.

With each subsequent version of QLab, more features have been introduced, from video to show control – and lighting. Over the years, even though the company has grown, it has maintained that same commitment to customer service and its user community that it had back when there was just one person on the payroll.

In 2013, I released QLab 3 Show Control, a text I envisioned as one part handbook, one part workshop. The concept was to create a practical book that would function both as an instructional manual with hands-on projects and a useful quick reference guide. In addition to the book itself was a collection of supplemental material on a companion website with instructional videos and dozens of downloadable project packets for the reader to work through on their own. In the years since the book’s release, I have been pleasantly surprised at the number of people who have reached out to me with stories of how it has pulled them out of a bind or helped figure out a nagging problem.

In late 2016, Figure 53 launched QLab 4 with a number of changes to the software, most notably the inclusion of lighting control. This new book addresses the changes in QLab since Version 3 and offers a number of new projects and exercises. Furthermore, this edition adds dozens of new Design Tips to help the designers better understand how to work with QLab and develop their own sense of workflow. The chapters are broken down in concise numbered sections that allow you to easily identify and focus on a topic. Like the QLab 3 text, this edition also makes use of a companion website with instructional videos and project packets. By downloading the project packets from the companion

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Preface

website (focalpress.com/cw/hopgood), not only can you read through the projects in the text, but also tackle them at your own pace on your computer.

QLab 4 is a requirement for the projects accompanying this text. To download a copy, visit figure53.com/qlab/download. One of the things that makes QLab so great is a strong user base that loves to share their own experiences and assist one another. The QLab Discussion List, housed on Google Groups, is a great place to access years of data and connect with other QLab users. To see the discussion list, visit figure53.com/support and click on the Discussion List button by the QLab icon.

Finally, one of the difficulties of writing about digital technology in the print medium is how very quickly software can change in relation to a book’s print cycle. In an effort to keep up with major software updates (which often come out every 6–10 months), visit my Entertainment Design & Technology blog at jeromyhopgood.wordpress.com, where I will post important update information as it is available.

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PART I QLab Basics