Beats Per Minute

For step-based and absolute effects, you can set a beats per minute (BPM). For step-based effects, BPM affects the Step, In, Dwell, and Decay times, and for absolute effects, this affects the time/ dwell. Note that BPM impacts the effect directly.

There are two different ways for assigning BPM to effects:

Setting BPM

If you know the BPM, you can assign that directly to the effect by using the {BPM} softkey, which is available when in the effect editor display.

  • [Effect] [1] {BPM} [1][9][0] [Enter] - sets the BPM of effect 1 to 190. The step times will be adjusted for step-based effects, or the time/ dwell will be adjusted for absolute effects.

The BPM will display on the right side of the effect editor beside the effect number/ label. Editing the cycle time, the step time for a step-based effect, or the time/ dwell for an absolute effect will remove the BPM.

Learning BPM

If you don't know the desired BPM, you can learn the BPM.

From Live, with the effect running:

  • [Effect] [1] [Learn] [Time] - posts Effect 1 Learn Time Sample BPM to the command line, and opens the effect editor display.

While in this mode, press [Enter] to establish the BPM. The console will use an average of the last three times you press [Enter] in this mode to calculate the BPM. Pressing [Learn] again will stop this mode.

In this mode, every time the BPM changes, a live running effect will be modified accordingly without stopping.

Learning Discrete Step Time

In learning discrete step time mode, every time you press [Enter], the time since the last press of [Enter] is used to set the next step's step time for a step-based effect, or the next step's fade/ dwell time of an absolute effect.

  • [Effect] [1] [Learn] [Time] [Time] - posts Effect 1 Learn Time Discrete Steps to the command line, and opens the effect editor display.

Pressing [Learn] again will stop this mode.

Instead of pressing [Enter], you can press [At] while in this mode to add new steps to the end of the effect. Pressing [Enter] will send you back to the first step in the effect.

BPM as a Cue Level Override

BPM can be applied to an effect or individual channels as only a cue level override in Live and Blind. As a cue level override, the effect step/ action times will not be affected.

Note: The effect editor cannot be open when applying a cue level override. The effect status display does need to be open though. You can open the effect status display from the home screen or by pressing [Effect] while in live.

With an effect recorded into a cue and playing back in live, [Effect] [1] {BPM} [3][0] [Enter] will change the BPM of the effect running. This change will happen immediately but the step or action times will not change. You can see the BPM value, which will be in red, in the Effect Status display.

When the cue is updated or recorded with the new BPM, an “*” will appear next to the effect number in the Ext Links column of the PSD and the cue list. The BPM value in the effect status display will now be displayed in blue.

[1] [Effect] [1] {BPM} [3][0] [Enter] will only change the BPM for channel 1. A “+” will display in the BPM column of the effect status display, and the BPM will display in red in the effect channel display.

Once the cue is updated or recorded, the BPM will display in blue in the effect channel display. The “+” will still be displayed in the effect status display, and an “*” will appear next to the effect number in the Ext Links column of the PSD and the cue list.