Congo v6 Previews at ABTT (London) and Showtech (Berlin) shows in June
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So, what have the Congo team been up to since the release of
v5 you may ask? Simple – we’ve been busy designing a new version of Congo
software we hope will please you. This version – v6 – contains some massive,
but subtle (and some not so subtle), changes to the internal structure of Congo making it even more
flexible. Here are some highlights:
1)
More Preset numbers – from 0.001 to 9999.999.
2)
Finer timing resolution under 10 seconds – 0.01
to 9.99 seconds now possible.
3)
Increased intensity resolution with the support
of 16-bit intensity parameters.
Channel Views
We’ve changed up the channel views a bit by redesigning the way
channels are displayed and have given you a lot more options for how much
information is displayed within a channel box. We’ve also added a set of new
symbols in the Channel Layouts supporting more TV/film fixtures and adding
special purpose symbols as well. And you can now draw circles!
Blind Editing
We have also changed the way that blind editing is done,
allowing for live moving light controls to be used within blind views. This
means that instead of using table editing like one would in a spreadsheet, you
can view blind data and move encoders, use direct selects and other keyboard
commands to select channels and enter data directly, as you would in Live.
New Docks
We have added a number of new docks including the Designer
Summary dock which collects important data about the main playback and/or
selected channels and puts it in one compact location on-screen. We’ve added a
Timecode dock displaying a large clock for internal or external time code, and
have enhanced Congo’s functionality with support of the Net3 Show Control
Gateway for interaction with MIDI and SMPTE on the network as well as adding an
internal backup clock within Congo itself. There’s also the new Selected – Live
dock that shows the channels and effect playbacks you’ve selected in the Live
tab
Learn Profile
As for playback improvements, we have added the ability to
learn a fade profile for crossfades in the Main Playback. Simply enable “Learn
Profile” on a soft key and then move the faders in the manner you want the
crossfade to happen. We’ve also added in an indication of the current playback
location (what’s in A and B) within the Sequence List editor.
These changes are important for the day-to-day programming
of Congo shows, but on the fun side, we have made a lot of improvements for
those of you who like to “play” the console more like a musical instrument.
Masters, Masters, Masters...
First, we have increased the number of Master Playbacks to 80 and we’ve made a
lot of changes to the Masters, allowing once-global settings to be applied per
master – including rubberbanding and exclude-from-record. Also, we’ve added new
settings including the ability to choose what look a rubberbanding master
returns to – this can be the previous state (as it has been from the beginning
of Congo), back to the main playback or to a designated preset. We have also
improved the Masters display and dock so that you can see a lot more
information about your masters, including more steps of a sequence on a master.
Jam Mode
We have done a lot of work on Jam mode, making it easier for
you to determine what data gets generated and where that data ends up in your
play. You can also regenerate data quickly using the new Jam Mode Wizard. For those
who really like to play their console, we’ve added in Two Scene Masters where
you can create a look “blind” using the top row of masters, then fade into that
look in time using the Master Controls. The scene you created on the top row of
masters becomes “live” on the bottom row of masters where you can make
additional adjustments on the fly. This powerful feature of Congo v6 makes
busking a breeze.
New Image Effects
Lastly, we’ve added another powerful effect to the Congo –
Image Effects. Image Effects use the Effect Playback concept from v5 to
associate a layout of channels (which create a graphical or positional
relationship among included channels) with a source image or text. Parameters
of the Effect Playback include positioning of the image on the layout, scale and
aspect of that image/text, rotation, and effects like constant rotation,
scaling or scrolling of that image or text.
Where can I see it???
Come and see Congo v6 in action at the ABTT show in London 10-11.June, or at the Showtech show in Berlin
16-18.June. Congo v6 software should be released later this summer.