Blaze from Memo Akten on Vimeo.

The show consisted of 18 sections (group cues), each with its own MTC. Some of these cues would roll onto the next automatically, others were triggered manually after audience applause or depending on improvisation on stage. Each of these groups had a few cues, to trigger audio, send MTC, and trigger visuals via a midi note (visuals were running on custom media server written in openframeworks running on a separate machine). Also notes and reminders for directing the cast and backstage. The same MTC was driving the lighting desk and the visuals, but due to delay in projection etc. we were also using a midi note to trigger the visuals and compensate for the delay between projection and audio (trial and error showed this to be around 0.4-0.5 seconds depending on venue). We used AppleScript in QLab to automate updating of all the cues (I think it was you who I emailed to ask about that actually!).

Nice work Memo!

Hello, I was looking at your site and thought I’d tell you how I am using your product. I am the Lighting Director for the band Daughtry and I use QLab to call all my spotlight cues. My lighting console is able to send MIDI so I came up with the idea of having it trigger some prerecorded clips during the show. I’m coming out of my lighting console into my Mac via a USB to Midi adapter, then coming out of my Mac headphone port into my Clear Com base station via a 1/8 to XLR adapter. From there I put that into the program feed of the Clear Com base station. I have QLab configured with all my pre recorded spot calls, about 35 of them, and I have my console triggering them at the appropriate time. It has been working out great, been doing it for about 30 shows now. And the spot light operators love it because there is never an open mic picking up all the audio from the show. Just thought I’d share this with you. Great product, Matt

I thought that was pretty clever. Thanks for sharing it Matt!

Here’s a tasty excerpt:

The final audio requirement, but no less a priority, was the flexibility and utility needed to provide an integrated broadcast feed for the billions of viewers each evening. The processing and control architecture required a sophisticated playback solution utilizing networked computers to store and ultimately play back the music, anthems and composer tracks for the ceremony. The playback solution incorporated both Pro Tools and QLab as audio editing and playback tools, allowing for stereo feeds to the live audience and mixes to the international broadcast.

Wait, what—”billions“? Seriously? That’s a typo, right?

Turns out: Yes. Billions. As in, an estimated 3 billion people.

So. We’re kind of stunned and buzzing here. And honored. And very proud that QLab could be there to help celebrate these amazing athletes. Thanks to all of you for helping us make a product that could be part of it!

(Please note: If the F-word is not welcome in your workspace, then this video is Not Safe For Work.)

Edited to add: I just stumbled across some of Ole and Jonas’s work from a few months ago, which shows you what kind of amazing effects they can achieve from their custom video programming. What an honor to have QLab triggering their custom code!

The reporter, Gus Sentementes, also posted extra notes from the interview on his blog. This includes a video of me attempting to summarize QLab in 60 seconds. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thanks Gus! (And thanks to all the folks on the QLab mailing list who sent Gus a quote! You guys rock!)

I am, of course, contractually obligated to mention that both of these designs were powered by QLab. I’m also just flat-out proud that QLab could be useful to them. Both artists were kind enough to say I could mention it on the blog.

The show ran flawlessly on QLab. So thanks to you! And thank you for version 2. It really is a very special tool.

— Greg

Congratulations to you for QLab 2. It’s a delight to use. I’m perfectly happy to endorse such a well-designed and reliable product. I have now done three shows using QLab 2 and have specified it for the next three.

— Paul

We’ve only had Tony awards for sound design since last year, when QLab user Scott Lehrer won the first-ever award for Best Sound Design of a Musical. So, hey, that’s 75% of Tonys for sound that have been powered by QLab. Cool!

If you have used QLab 2, you have already benefitted from Sean’s skill. He designed and built QLab’s SMPTE timecode synchronization mechanism and the entire license and authorization system.

I feel extremely lucky to welcome Sean to Figure 53. He communicates with care and precision, he writes code cleanly and efficiently, he is a first-rate engineer with a deep involvement in the arts, and above all he is a good guy with a sense of humor. His creativity has helped me out of a coding jam more than once.

Sean is based in California, and will continue to live and work there now that he has joined Figure 53.

In addition to his development work on QLab, Sean will gradually become available as a second support resource, allowing us to improve the support “coverage” we can provide across the world’s time zones. (I might even get to take an occasional vacation!)

Moreover, Sean will be working on some brand new applications. We’re not yet ready to announce the specific nature of those apps, but I’m excited to begin broadening the stable of Figure 53 products.

More about Sean: He started his undergraduate pursuits with a double major in oboe performance and electrical and computer engineering at Northwestern University, finished them with a B.A. in music composition at Carleton College in 2002, and followed them up with a graduate certificate in film scoring from the University of Southern California in 2004. He joins Figure 53 after several years independently creating OS X applications for film scoring and post-production. In addition to his development work, Sean is an instructor in USC’s Scoring for Motion Pictures and Television program, where he torments students with the arcane details of music technology. (The dude is a timecode ninja. Seriously. If you have questions about timecode? Ask Sean.)

Please welcome Sean to the Figure 53 team!

It’s one of those great little apps that does one thing and does it well: it uses the new scripting hooks in QLab 2 to provide customizable periodic backups of your workspace.

It’s even smart enough to skip a save if you’re in the middle of running a cue.

Congratulations to Jason for a slick little app! QAutoSaver extends QLab’s existing functionality in a really nice way.

What cool utility will show up next?

This time, however, Mark simply had a report about how the workflow in version 2 compares to version 1. Here’s what he said (emphasis mine):

Hey Chris,

Just thought I’d send you a quick note. I recently did a show which I both co-designed and operated. It was a one-off for a much larger show that normally does 3-4 week runs. Fly in – Load in – Show – Load out. Anyway, I had to use QLab 1.3.5, because my little G4 laptop doesn’t quite have the power I need to feel comfortable with a real show using QLab 2.

So, I wrote the show on my laptop using QLab 1.3.5 and a MOTU 828mkII (using 8 outputs). Took about a day and a half to write the show. As expected, everything was great. No glitches, no troubles. I got to rehearse half the show in the afternoon, then get ready to open house and do the show with an audience (I love these types of schedules). Show went great. Real tight cuing, because a number of Cues are triggered to accompany a live player in the middle of a song. As expected – I was thrilled with the results.

After I saw the release of QLab v2.1 today, I decided to sit down on my Mac Pro Quad Core at home and re-write the show again using QLab 2.1. It took me less than an hour to re-write the show (with volume & routing automation and everything) and took up 34 lines fewer cues that the same thing using version 1. Why so many fewer Qs and so much less time? That’s easy: Integrated fades. It rocked. I didn’t need all those separate fade cues and I could see the waveform, so writing in the volume automation was as easy as: Look, Write, then do one listen to check.

Alright – time to buy a new laptop so that I can have the same great experience no matter where I am!!!!

As always, thanks for everything, Chris. QLab rocks!

Take Care,
Mark Hartshorn

By my estimate that’s about a ten-fold increase in productivity. Am I proud of that? You bet I am.

Saul reports on his award-winning high school production. It is so awesome to see students like Saul who are able to make something like this because of the new rental licenses. That makes me happy.

Dave Mickey (now making his fourth appearance on the Figure 53 blog) not only gives us a great report on his latest multimedia extravaganza (yup, he uses a wireless video camera), but he also managed to get us (and by “us” I mean “you”) a discount on tickets! Yes, folks, if you head over to Brimmer Street Theatre in Los Angeles you can use box office code “QLAB” to get a $2 discount on <3. You’ve got until May 9, 2009. Get over there!

And if you’ve got your own v2 story to tell, get it in my inbox!

P.S.: Myyy god. You’re reading Dostoevsky. I. Love. Dostoevsky.