COBRA addressing and racking

[AviatorRuss]

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I think this will be a thread with many sub questions in it, depending on the answers that flow. I’m running into issues with addressing, and I’m running out of time to learn/self-teach and starting to feel some pressure.

 

Cobra “Channel” = F3D “Rail”

Cobra “Cue” = F3D “Pin”

 

I have physical constraints (multiple positions, separated by WATER, ie barges). I need specific modules addressed to specific positions, and SOME of those pins on those specific modules addressed to specific effects. I have LOTS of single pin/multiple effect, plus I have 9 “sequencers” in both step (requires same Rail/Pin firing, over and over, for 13x) and auto-step (requires only one Rail/Pin firing once, which sets off an autonomous, 13shot timed sequence). I have not tackled “racking” yet…I’m currently overwhelmed with addressing. I’m about to say screw-everything-auto-addressing-everything, print out the 37page un-addressed script, handwrite my addressing, retype into script window, lock it, and export to cobra.

 

COBRA user. Finale3D Hobbyist. 39 COBRA modules, a mixture of 72Ms, 36Ms, 18Ms. Some are quickplug at the module, some have slats. 18Ms have both QP and cat5e slats. I’ve already “addressed” my cobra modules to my 18R2 remote, which means I already have Channels programmed to specific modules.

 

Question #1. How do I assign (Channel 0,1,2,3) of 72M#1 to position#1, then (Channel 4,5,6,7) of 72M#2 to position#2, then (Channel 8,9,10,11) of 72M#3 to position #3 etc?

 

Question #1A: subsequently, how do I assign (Channel 12,13) of 36M#1 to position#1, then (Channel 14,15) of 36M#2 to position #2, then (Channel 16,17) of 36M#3 to position #3 etc?

 

Question #1B: subsequently, how do I assign (Ch 12, cue 01) of 36M#1 to effect XYZ (gerb/strobe/candle), then (Ch14, cue 01) of 36m#2 to effect XYZ (gerb/strobe/candle) with same effect time of (Ch 12, cue 01), then (Ch 16, cue 01) of 36M#3 to effect XYZ (gerb/strobe/candle) with same effect time of (Ch 12, cue 01)?

 

Once these 1,1A,1B, are completed, I don’t care what rail/pin combos are, OTHER than keeping the modules (ie…the specific channels) tied to specific positions. I’m not having any luck automating this addressing for these issues.

 

I fear…I’m limited by HOBBYIST version.

 

Thanks,

-Russ

 

 

[DrewFinale]

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Hey AviatorRuss, thanks for the detailed and well-organized post, I appreciate your methodical approach!

 

Here are some preliminary answers to your questions:

 

#1. In Finale 3D Hobbyist and Pro, you can right click on a position, select Edit position properties, and use the Pre-Assigned Rails field to allocate specific rails (i.e. modules, channels) to the position. If a position includes pre-assigned rails, only those specific rails (an no others) will be used when you address your show. For more details and an example using a 72M, check out The Start Module, and Pre-Assigned Rails fields on positions documentation in the Finale 3D Help Center.

 

#1A. Same as above, simply add the channel numbers to the Pre-Assigned Rails field in position properties.

 

#1B. The order in which pins are assigned at each position is determined by the sort criteria you select in the second section of the Address Show dialog. The addressing algorithm will start with the lowest module number available each position and count up from there.  In Hobbyist and Pro, there are many individual sort criteria and millions and millions of ways to combine them to get the desired result. Sorting typically begins with Position Name. This means the addressing algorithm will go through positions in alphabetical order by position name.  Then, to determine the order within each position, subsequent criteria like Part Number, Description, Size, Cakes First, and Event Time are often used. In some situations, when intrinsic properties of the script events (e.g. Size, Type, Description, etc.) don’t get the job done, a custom field can be used used. For example, you can enter any values you like in the Custom Script Field in the script window, then use the Custom Script Field as a sort order criterion when addressing the show. The key is selecting the right sort criteria and stacking them in right order to achieve the desired result. In rare cases, when a specific item needs to be on specific address, you can fall back to hand-typing addresses into the script window. Re-firing the same pin multiple times in a show also requires hand-typing the address (or using copy and paste for efficiency). To prevent hand-keyed addresses from changing, you can use Addressing > Lock addresses to prevent those addresses from changing while you address the remainder of the show using the automated addressing tools.

[AviatorRuss]

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Thank you Drew…this is EXACTLY the info I was looking for. Somehow…I missed reading chapter 28 of addressing. I don’t know how, but I did.

 

Follow up question: The Custom Script Field can be used as a sorting qualifier. Can the Notes, Notes2, Notes3 fields be used in the same manner? If so…I can see some powerful custom sorting options available to drive specific orders of addressing, which is what I’m looking for.

 

Copy all on the manual addressing for the sequencers (firing same pin multiple times)…that is what I assumed.

 

Also, I’m running into large issues with racking. I sent an email…

 

-Russ

[DrewFinale]

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AviatorRuss wrote:

The Custom Script Field can be used as a sorting qualifier. Can the Notes, Notes2, Notes3 fields be used in the same manner?

 

Check out the Special Sort Terms documentation in the Finale 3D Help Center.

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