List of Tech needed for a QLab Show Control

So I'm assembling a list of Tech that I have tested and used in my shows, that work for the Macbook Pro with USB-C:

VIDEO ADAPTERS

You will plug this into your Macbook as your main video out allowing you to send HDMI to a projector or screen.

HDMI to USB-C

https://amzn.to/2RDbEmi

VGA to USB-C

Ok I would advise never to use VGA however as old as this technology is

you would be surprised how many times I am told "We don't have HDMI"

and not from some old Historical Theatre, but Modern Million Dollar facilities that simply haven’t updated their tech yet. (I Know)

VGA usually has a quality of only 640x480 Pixels  think the TV set that you grew up

Watching as a kid! (barf) Compared to the 1920x1080 of standard HDMI

So if you have an option ALWAYS choose HDMI   but i suggest always have an HDMI adapter on hand.

another thing you will want is a short 8'-12'  HDMI cable on hand 

I don't like being told I need to stack my computer on this rickety old table full of the venues gear 

and im now sharing the space with about 10" left and the guy who has his soda sitting 2" from my mac! auugh 

So I always carry a small HDMI cable that allows me to move or set up my own table safely and more conveniently to a better location. And if their cable is damaged (happens all the time you always have replacement ready to go! 

Another thing you wont need BUT sure wish you had purchased one day.
is the HDMI DOCTOR
this little device was shown to me by the Owner of Audio Ape Remotes,
when we were both discussing the huge amount of problems both of us were having connecting our gear on Disney Cruise lines, see they have some of the most advanced venues in the world.
but instead of that making things easier.. for us it makes it so much more complicated, because instead of just plugging in HDMI and it being routed directly to the projector or LED walls, it goes thru a a million different systems, including Converters, Boosters, Splitters, and then is all controlled by a computer system call Watch Out, and although it works perfectly for their in-house systems, it can be a disaster for Mac's because Mac computer have a little thing called Handshake
which is the process of each device recognizing each other and determining that they are both authorized to transport this high quality digital signal. This process is repeated constantly while the digital signal is being sent over the HDMI connection.

So when you plug in your mac see's their Display, but wont send anything except black!
and thats because the Handshake is lost in all those devises and basically you end up with a black screen, however this little DR HDMI forces those signals 99.99% of the time thru and i go thru & instantly solves so many potential issues. So i strongly suggest carrying this with you like I do. 





another thing that is a must have for me is a
HUB
there is only 4 USB's out on a macbook pro, and if you're like me your mac will end up with so many cables and plugs the poor thing looks like its on life support!
so I use this HUB which I love.



i also have this one





When it comes to LIVE CAMERAS
you will need a Capture Device. My first choice used to be the industry standard BLACK MAGIC but I recently switched to these fantastic little Magewell USB capture devises that unlike the Black Magic that uses Thunderbolt and then requires yet another adapter for the "DongleBook Pro!" ha ha
 I use this USB to HDMI! Thats right it's Bloody USB how brilliant is that! I literally have this plugged into the Hub shown above, and it works perfectly I run 2 of these on one hub along with tons of other USB and other devices plugged in with no issues at all! they are just SOLID!



of course you will need a male to male USB plug which one is supplies however i always keep a spare. (as media monkey always uses this same plug)



If you are using a GOPRO as your Live Camera like I do for some routines,
then you will of course need a Micro HDMI to HDMI cable,
I like this one because  its so light and thin and doesn't kink easy on stage




Depending on the HDMI our of your camcorder and or GOPRO
you may need this adapter which allows you to go from Micro, Mini to HDMI.




In most cases you will need more then 15' of HDMI cable,
for instance my stages are usually 40' 50' wide, so if my Live Camera is located stage right.
i need approx 25' of cable.. but remember you need to factor in the height of the computer table AND the height of the camera stand! if the camera stand is 5.5' tall you are now approx 10' short of cable between the two ends..  so you will need to add an additional cable using this
Female to Female HDMI adapter here.





HOWEVER the less adapters the better!
less chance of it coming unplugged or cheap adapters getting stepped on and breaking..
so i prefer using Extension  HDMI cables like this:




CAMERA MOUNTS! 
I use 4 Live Cameras on stage and Film my show from FOH
and i travel with NO TRIPODS!
Yep this is my little hack i discovered 5 years ago. i can basically travel with all my tech gear in my
hand luggage, and when i arrive i simple ask for 4 mic stands! i take off the Mic adapter, and simply attach these amazing clamps that securely hold the cameras in place with a Ball joint that can be positioned in nearly any angle!




CAMERA LIGHT 
and then I add my own battery Powered LED camera lights right on top of that same camera mount eliminating  the need to program lights for the close up camera tables
and im telling you these things are great they are full dimmable, plus have built in color temp
so your live camera routines will look amazing.. you dont want washed out over exposed bright BLUE Cards LOL 😂



And if you're curious which camera's im using..
im using the GOPRO 5 there is no reason to upgrade to the later models for a LIVE HDMI OUT
you will just be spending more money for no reason. (unless you want it for fun after the show too then cool but i keep my show gear locked up in my show case.. and they are not allowed to go out and play! ha ha )




CONTROL
when it comes to Controlling the show..
I USE ONE AND ONY! (the best!)

REMOTE CONTROL for QLAB

Drum Roll please ... Pyro, Confetti Crowds Cheering! ha ha h (ok ok Isolation is getting to me!)

MEDIA MONKEY REMOTE!
(Made by Audio Ape Remotes)

CLICK THIS LINK:
https://www.audioaperemote.com/?wpam_id=7

MEDIA MONKEY REMOTE

the other option is amazing in so many ways, but its not a remote and you cant go wireless

but seriously check it out.. its incredible how each button is its own little screen and you can create your own images and text for each show making it so easy to see what to fire at what time. 

check out 

ELGATO STREAM DECK 

3 different sizes are available, a 6, 15 & 32 key option is available.
this is so cool for Qlab software among other softwares. 

of course you will need a high quality DIRECT BOX for no hum audio out.
remember your computer will have a lot of stuff plugged into it, and 75% of the time the HDMI will bring with it bad power or there is a ground lift somewhere in the theatre, and as soon as you turn on the audio there is a HORRIBLE HUM! this DI will prevent that and give you options to change things at each venue to solve any audio issues before it goes to the venues sound board.
and and I use :





well i think this is all that you will need for now.. if you want to get into Lighting, and MIDI and WIFI ohh.. yeah if you use Audio ape
s free app LAB MONKEY
downloadable from the app store at : https://apps.apple.com/us/app/audio-ape/id1402050005

you will need Wifi to connect your mac with your iphone or ipad to be able to view on stage whats happening on your computer screen.. (i use this every show!)

you NEVER want to use the venues wifi which has tons of users and loaded with traffic, and the last thing you want is to fire a cue and it go wrong because you were using a bad wifi network.
so i always carry my own.

I like these Eero Mesh systems because you can keep extending them and it gives you plenty of range, and i use wifi for many things in my show and i want it to have a long range with no issues.



ok thats it for now.. have fun and if you have any questions feel free to message me via my website at www.QLabTutorial.com

Happy Programming!

--JZ

How to Save money on WiFi!

How to Save money on WiFi: 

So for Cruise Ship entertainers we use Wifi as our lifeline back home while we’re at sea. 

Some companies like Royal Caribbean (who has ZOOM the fastest WiFi at sea!) you pay a flat $18 a day for unlimited wifi that’s good enough to stream Netflix, Facetime, and basically like your average home WiFi (on the newer ships) 

Other companies like Disney and Norwegian charge per data amount. So I can purchase $5.00, $10 or $20 plan, and in this case A $5 card gets you 72mb of data (yeah not much) and the speed we’ll be happy if it’s anything above 1.5 or 2MBPS 

OH YEAH welcome to our world! Nothing like waiting 15min and $5.00 to see your friends Cat photo on Facebook! Ha ha 

The problem is I can blow thru a $5.00 card in seconds just by turning on my phone! 

So the old trick was “Low power mode”

And that prevented the phone from using background app refresh etc to conserve battery while saving you money on Internet.

But if you plug in your iPhone and it hits 80% 💥 your phone goes off low power mode and drains your entire data plan in minutes (which is why I buy $5.00 plans frequently instead of $20 gone every time I plugged in my phone and forgot to sign out. 

However the IOS13 has a nice feature for WiFi 

Called 

“LOW DATA” 

Turn this on and it works great! 

Read the details below and see the photos attached to where to find it. 

What to expect in Low Data Mode

Different apps use different ways of reducing data usage in Low Data Mode. In general, here's what you can expect:

Apps might stop using network data when you're not actively using them.

Background App Refresh is turned off.

The quality of streaming content might be reduced.

Automatic downloads and backups are turned off.

Services such as iCloud Photos pause updates.

Built-in iOS apps and services adapt to Low Data Mode in the following ways:

App Store: Video autoplay, automatic updates, and automatic downloads are turned off.

Music: Automatic downloads and high quality streaming are turned off.

Podcasts: The frequency of feed updates is limited, and episodes are downloaded only on Wi-Fi.

News: Article prefetching is turned off.

iCloud: Updates are paused, and automatic backups and iCloud Photos updates are turned off.

FaceTime: Video bitrate is optimized for lower bandwidth.

Hope this helps you keep that data plan running all day and not just minutes! 

Happy Surfing and don’t forget to visit my website at 

www.QLabTutorial.com 

VANISH MAGAZINE ARTICLE

Check out my Article in VANISH MAGAZINE
 "Take Control of Your Show"
Click here to get access to the full story.
https://joom.ag/qh7e/p24

www.QlabTutorial.com

that’s because Qlab Show Control was firing all the lighting, sound and video cues as well as triggering curtain cues and even calling all spot light cues automatically into the wireless comms. This not only allowed us to produce
a bigger production with less expenses but it enabled spot light operators and stage crew to be swapped out during the 51 show run without any rehearsals! Qlab took care of everything.
The most popular comment I get from other acts is “that wouldn’t work for me because my show runs live and needs to have cues handled manually”.
Well then, that is where the worlds most amazing remote system comes in... Media Monkey! It’s the remote designed for Qlab by Audio Ape.
Many of you have been using the Audio Ape Remote for your iPhone or iPad for years, controlling only your audio cues. Media Monkey is slightly different, first it’s more advanced then Version 1.0 which many of

you might have used, and more importantly it is USB, designed to run many apps in your computer, specifically designed to fire Qlab Cues! And this is what allows the performer on stage to now have full control over Lighting, Video, Live Cameras and of course Sound cues and overall Volume.
So many times I’m doing a show and the sound tech decides the volume is too loud and lowers it. With media monkey remote you can immediately tap your pocket and the volume is restored! What if I told you not only can you have your show run live, but actually skip full routines, add new ones, and even
do impromptu close up magic with a specific lighting, live cameras and music that was never part of the original running order!
You can!
On the remote are 5 simple buttons, Volume Up, Volume Down, Go, Move Up, and Move Down, pretty simple, however, there are 3 additional buttons which can be fired by holding down one of three buttons for 3

seconds. If you hold the Go button for 3 seconds all cues will gently fade out and stop, allowing you to do any number of things, like restart, skip the trick, etc. Holding down the Move Up or Move Down buttons fires one
of two possible Hotkey cues, which could
be assigned to anything you wish in Media Monkey. In my case I assigned the key to a live camera routine where I can immediately stop all cues, fade in a live camera, play background music and go to a specific lighting cue, all by pressing 1 button! The programing possibilities are nearly endless, it’s just deciding what you want to use it for.
I am often asked about the signals range? I can safely say Its amazing!
For example, at the end of my shows, I go to the lobby to do a Meet & Greet but I have a cue that must fire after the Cruise Director finishes his talk, on his last word I can activate that cue from the lobby using the remote. The most impressive Media Monkey example, for me, happens while performing on Disney Cruise lines. As I begin my show in what’s called the Mod Lift, basically like the elevator pit on other ships, except it’s 20 times faster

and has a ceiling that opens mere seconds before you appear. This means I fire my first cue to start the show 15’ under the stage beneath an 8” thick floor! And Media Monkey has never failed.
Not only do I use the remote in my large production shows, but I find it even more beneficial for my smaller one man comedy magic shows, which again, puts me in complete control.
Another included add-on to this remote system is the free app called “Lab Monkey,” a remote viewer for iPhone, iPod or iPad, which displays your Qlab; cue list, next cue, time before the cue is completed and many other features in giant bold letters that can be seen from across the stage. In my case I bought a large iPad Pro which sits right in front of the monitor, giving me a huge 10” screen allowing me to see my show cues, running order, and a clock, great for certain acts who tend to run overtime, (which never happens to me “cough cough” ha ha!)
You can add notes, for instance, you want to thank the host or sponsor of your event and don’t want to forget their names, you type that on the cue list reminding you live on stage. I often use it to help advertise my next event, I just add the information to the notes of the cue, and with a simple glance at my iPad I don’t miss a beat. You can even have your assistant type something backstage and see it live on stage... hmmm, which opens a few fun possibilities!
I keep the tiny remote (about the size of a Key Fob) in my right pocket, using double sided tape to keep it from sliding around so it’s exactly where I want, the exact distance my index finger ends up when hooking my thumb into my pocket, in this position I can simply press buttons through the outside of my pants, easily feeling the correct button due to the layout. A little trick I use is gluing a bead to the center button creating a protruding bump which can easily be felt through your pants, even jeans.

The possibilities are endless, if you’ve never used Qlab before you might feel a bit lost, well this is where I come in. Okay, fine, there is a catch! lol
I’ve created a website called Qlab Tutorial where I teach everything you need to know about using Qlab for your shows, along with the hardware needed. There are over 2hrs of FREE (that’s right Free) online tutorial videos. You can learn every step necessary to program your own shows; from basic play, loop and fade out cues, advanced programming ming and using Qlab to automatically call all your own spot light cues using a cheap battery bluetooth speaker!
And, I’m adding new videos and series every month! Numerous great tips and tricks, so check out the site to start learning today.
If you are stuck or don’t want the hassle of programming then I offer One-on-One consults and can even program your entire show for you and teach you how to run it.
Links to both a free download of QLab software and Audio Ape can be found
on my website at: www.QlabTutorial.com
It’s time to take control of your show! With Qlab Show control and Audio Ape Remotes the possibilities are endless!
-Justino Zoppe www.QlabTutorial.com

Live Camera's in Qlab

HOW TO USE LIVE CAMERAS IN QLAB

I have been getting asked a lot about using IMAG in Qlab. (IMAG = Image Magnification)
Live Cameras are a very large part of my shows for many years now, and that wouldn't have been possible without Qlab. Each show will have different needs and require different hardware to accomplish the effect they require.

For instance, when I perform close up magic I use am HD Sony Camcorder,  https://amzn.to/2NsZDy7

as I require control over exposure, white balance, and optical zoom, in addition to the fact I face the audience with the video walls behind me so I cant actually see what's on the screen without looking behind me, so having a camcorder with a flip screen allows me to always monitor any possible glare from the lights, if im centered in the screen or if I need to zoom in out out etc..

However, when I am performing certain routines without a table, I currently use a GoPro 5 camera
https://amzn.to/2WRxtzR

I use this link because it's commerce packaging and only $169.00
The GoPro works fantastic for face on Live Camera shots where you do not require a Zoom Feature.
the Go pro also does not have a Screen facing forward so I always perform facing stage right which allows me to glance at the LED wall, with the corner of my eye, however, due to GoPro wide angle it's nearly impossible to not be in the shot! I will give some advice however when using GoPro, you will get a fisheye distortion on the sides, really noticeable in one of my routines where im performing with 2 vertical columns which looks like bananas on the screen if I don't change the settings in the GoPro from Wide or Narrow to LINER. Liner immediately zooms in a bit and also straightens the entire image and prevents that fisheye look, which you may or may not want.

as far as lighting goes, yes I always use stage lighting, but I also always have my own camera lights attached directly on top of the cameras to prevent any issues live in the show,
I also love the fact that these lights are battery and have both brightness and color adjustments.
https://amzn.to/2PXmUtE

Since I have to fly to 90% of my venues, I cannot afford to bring camera stands for the 4 live cameras   I would have 40lbs in excess baggage just for the stands, so I found this great hack by using these simple clamps, and then all I do is ask for 4 mic stands which every venue has mic stands, and tada instant camera stands that fit in your carry-on luggage! 

https://amzn.to/2qtQMTN combined with these extension arms https://amzn.to/2CkLKLS

Once your cameras are mounted and lights adjusted I then use a 25' or Longer 

HDMI cable to run the feed to the Mac backstage.

https://amzn.to/2WTFXq0

(remember if you need a really long run you will require a BOOSTED HDMI as you cannot just extend HDMI too long of a run and you will lose connection. I have run over 150' before for many shows and I use these boosted HDMI's which NOTE: also are directional so when plugging them in, make sure you have the arrows facing the correct direction for the run. 

https://amzn.to/2CoIsY3

Once you get the HDMI cable from the camera to the Mac, you will need a HDMI Capture Card, and although yes I think Black Magic is a Top quality product and the industry standard, my new favorite capture card is the USB thats right I said USB! Magwell USB to HDMI HDMI Capture 

https://amzn.to/2CoIsY3

Special Thanks to Charles Peachock from Audio Ape Remotes for bringing this great capture device to my attention. I have been using this in my shows for over a year now and Knock on Wood, I've never had a single issue with it! The only this I feel you should be aware of, is the device does get pretty hot, so make sure you give it some ventilation. 

Once you have all of this plugged in.. thats it! there is nothing to download no drivers to install just open Qlab and you will see under the video settings, CAMERA PATCHES, just change it from Facetime Camera to USB MAGEWELL (or whatever is shows?) 

and now you can start programming live video in your shows, and then when you want to take it to another level start messing around with Effects, Geometry, Custom Masks and more!

I do teach all of this on my Qlab Tutorial website 

just click, "Advanced Video Series" (shameless plug 😂)

www.QlabTutorial.com 

If you have any questions feel free to visit my Qlab Facebook Group at 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/703563116782430/

Announcing QLab 4.5

Check out Qlab's Latest Update! Its Illuminating! (pun intended!) 

Direct from Qlab's New Site www.Qlabapp.com

Announcing QLab 4.5

We’re very pleased to release QLab 4.5, which brings a number of new features, free for all v4 license holders.

Light Submasters

Any Light cue can now be used as a submaster in the Light Dashboard. When a light cue appears as a submaster, it will appear with a scaling factor between 0 and 100. You can adjust this up or down to scale all the lights in the cue relative to that factor. The values set by submasters are treated in a “highest value takes precedence” manner with respect to Light cues. Thus, any lights brought up by submasters will be at least at the level specified by the submaster. They can not be faded to a lower value by Light cues until the submaster is brought down.

Virtual Parameters, Color Pickers, and Pan/Tilt controls

You can now create “virtual” parameters out of an instrument’s raw parameters, which allow you to use a single control to modify several parameters at once. For example, if you have an RGB light you can create a virtual color parameter which combines the raw red, green, and blue parameters into a single “color” parameter.

Virtual parameters appear as custom controls on the right side of the light dashboard and the light cue levels tab of the inspector.

We have updated the instrument definitions shipped with QLab to include these new virtual parameters, but if you open an old workspace you will need to manually update the instrument definitions in the workspace to access the new controls.

Scaled Light Pulls

Previously, a light command like “all = cue 10” would set exactly the values specified by light cue 10. Now, you can scale the values of cue 10 between 0 and 1 when they are pulled into another light cue.

QLab 4.5 Release Notes

★ Stars denote major new features.

New Lighting Features

★ADDED

Light Submasters. Any Light cue can now be used as a submaster in the Light Dashboard. 

★ADDED

Virtual Parameters, Color Pickers, and Pan/Tilt controls.

★ADDED

Scaled Light Pulls. You can now scale the values of a light cue between 0 and 1 when they are pulled into another light cue.

OSC Library Additions

ADDED

/workspace/{id}/go/{cue_number} and /workspace/{id}/go {cue_number} which allow setting the playhead to the specified cue and then triggering a GO on that cue in the same action.

ADDED

/cue/{cue_number}/setDefaultLevels, /cue/{cue_number}/setSilentLevels, and /cue/{cue_number}/setLevelsFromTarget which replicate the behavior of the "Set Default Levels" and "Set All Levels Silent" buttons in the Audio Levels tab of the inspector for Audio, Video, and Mic cues and the "Set from Target" and "Set All Silent" buttons for Fade cues.

ADDED

/cue/{cue_number}/setGeometryFromTarget which replicates the behavior of the "Set Geometry from Target" button in the Geometry tab of the Fade cue inspector.

Workflow Improvements

ADDED

Support for dragging multiple cues simultaneously within a cart.

ADDED

Support for creating multiple cues at once in a cart by dragging in files or a folder from the Finder.

ADDED

Inspector windows can now be floated above other windows.

ADDED

Support for batch editing Network cues.

ADDED

Support for background color formatting for Text cues.

ADDED

Text cue OSC and AppleScript hooks for setting background color, strikethrough color & style, and underline color & style.

ADDED

The Light Patch now has an “Output” column to show which USB device or Art-Net settings are in use by each instrument.

CHANGED

All light definitions which include pan and tilt now use 50% (center) as the home values for those parameters.

CHANGED

The popped-out inspector panel can now be duplicated into a secondary cue inspector.

CHANGED

The audition window’s “Keep window on top” option has been renamed to “Float”.

CHANGED

The audio level output fields will now constrain the displayed output level to the maximum value allowed by the workspace audio settings.

CHANGED

The Rate field in the Time & Loops tab of the Audio and Video inspectors, and the Audio Effects tab of the Fade inspector, now sets the the cue’s rate to 1.0 when using option-click.

CHANGED

When importing .gobutton and .gobundle files, cues that can be imported as just Audio or Wait cues are no longer nested inside Group cues.

CHANGED

Light cue OSC method /cue/{cue_number}/removeLightCommandsMatching {string} now requires a match on the full text of the light command string. Previously, {string} only needed to match the instrument or group name to remove a command. This change also fixes a bug which caused QLab Remote to be unable to delete certain light commands from the Light cue inspector when connected to QLab 4.4.x.

CHANGED

AppleScript command "removeLightCommandsMatching" removes the parameter "selector" and replaces it with a new parameter "command". Like the OSC method of the same name, this command now performs matches on the full text of the light command rather than just the instrument or group name. In the Text cue inspector, you can now option-click on the font, text color, or background color panel toggle buttons to reset that attribute to the default format.

New Light Instrument Definitions

ADDED

Altman AP-150 RGBW LED Par.

ADDED

Chauvet COLORado Solo Batten, COLORado Solo Batten 4, Maverick MK3 Profile, and Maverick MK3 Spot.

ADDED

CLF Apollo, Orion, and Spectrum P2.

ADDED

ETC Relevé.

ADDED

GLP Highlander and Impression E350.

Bug fixes

FIXED

A bug introduced in 4.4.0 when pasting multiple cues into a cue cart that could cause the new cues to be placed non-sequentially.

FIXED

Integrated fades that are not locked to the start/end of Audio and Video cues are now displayed correctly in the Timeline tab.

FIXED

You can now use the same Syphon source in multiple Camera cues.

FIXED

Several issues when batch editing Wall Clock triggers in the "Triggers" inspector tab.

FIXED

Batch editing the Camera cue "patch" value in the "Display & Geometry" inspector tab now updates all selected cues.

FIXED

Scrubbing a still image Video cue with a duration in the active cues panel will now work.

FIXED

Attempting to set an invalid cue color name via AppleScript or OSC no longer sets the cue color to grey.

FIXED

A bug that could prevent update messages from being sent to QLab Remote after changes are made to the Light Dashboard in QLab.

FIXED

Paste Cue Properties now properly clears out previous gang entries.

FIXED

Fade Cue Templates now show tabs for Video Geometry and Video Effects.

FIXED

Broadcast mode has been enabled for outgoing UDP messages.

FIXED

Strikethrough formatting for Text cues is now visible during playback.

FIXED

Text cue now uses the Text cue template to derive default font attributes.

FIXED

Text cue font properties are no longer reset to the default format after using OSC or AppleScript to set the "live text" of that cue to an empty string.

FIXED

The Fade cue inspector now shows the proper tabs when setting its target to a Video, Text, or Camera cue.