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Version: 14.0

Editing Cue Lists

This section describes how to edit cues within a cue list. To copy, move or delete an entire cue list see the section Copying, Moving, Linking and Deleting.

Playback View Window

The easiest way to edit a cue list is using the Playback View window (press View/Open then the select button for the cue list to open it). This shows a grid with each cue and allows you to change most features of the cue. Select the item you want to change in the grid, and the softkeys will offer you options for what you can change.

Playback view

To change multiple cues at once, draw a box across the items you want to change.

Also, the Intensity View window is useful for seeing the state of all fixtures.

Editing Values in Cue View Window

You can edit the value of every fixture in each cue using the Cue View window. Press the View button in the column View Cue at the right hand end of the Playback View window.

Cue View Window

You can then click on the values you want to change and edit them using the softkeys.

  • The context menu buttons allow you to view levels, shapes, effects and times for each attribute of each fixture in each cue.

  • If levels are set from a palette, the View Palettes button either shows you the palette used, or the underlying value.

  • If the View Tracking Values button is selected, tracking values (values which have tracked through from another cue rather than being stored directly in this cue) are shown in light grey.

Moving, Copying and Deleting Individual Cues

There are several ways to copy or move cues within a cue list. You can also move cues to other cue lists.

You can use Unfold (as described in the next section).

To move a cue you can either click and drag the cue in the Playback View window, or click on the cue number and use the Change To softkey to enter the new cue number - once you have changed the number the cue will move to its correct position in the list.

To delete a cue press Delete, select the cue in the window, and tap the cue again, or press Enter or Confirm to confirm.

You can also use a command-line style series of keypresses:

  • {fader select} is a playback fader select button, n is the cue number and sections in square brackets are optional. The @ button is the one by the numeric keypad.
KeypressesAction
Copy {fader select} n @ m EnterCopy cue n as new cue m in the same cue list
Move {fader select} n @ m EnterMove cue n to cue m in the same cue list
Copy {fader select} n @ @Copy cue n as new cue at end of same cue list
Delete {fader select} n Enter EnterDelete cue n
Copy {fader select} n {fader select} m EnterCopy cue n as new cue m in a different cue list
Copy {fader select} n {fader select} EnterCopy cue n as new cue at the end of a different cue list
  • For the copy commands, you can use Move in place of Copyto move cues. For consoles which don't have a Move button you can press (Avo and Copy) together to get Move.

  • You can change multiple cues using Thru, And and Not. For example to copy cues 3, 4 ,5 ,7, 10 into a new block of cues starting at cue 20 you could do

Copy {fader select} 3 Thru 7 Not 6 And 10 @ 20 Enter- You can press Enter instead of @ if you are more familiar with that key sequence, for example to copy a cue onto the end of a cue list you can do Copy {fader select} n Enter Enter

Editing a Cue List using Unfold

The Unfold button places each cue of the cue list on one of the playback faders. This allows you to fire and edit each step individually as if it was a stand-alone cue.

  1. Press Unfold, then the Select button of the cue list to be edited.

  2. Cues are loaded into the playback faders. The display shows the cue numbers and legends (see more cues using softkeys F and G).

  3. Raise a playback fader to output the contents of that cue (fade times will operate as programmed).

  4. Various Unfold options are available, detailed below.

  5. Press Unfold again to exit unfold mode.


  • To edit the contents of a cue: Press Clear to empty the programmer, raise the fader to output the cue, make the changes, press Record Step, then the Select button for the cue number.

  • To merge the programmer into the live step, double tap Record Step.

  • To change the times or cue linking for the cue, press Edit Times, then the Select button for the cue, then set the times (see Cue List Timing)

  • To insert a new cue, set up the look for the new cue, press B

    Insert Step, then press the playback button where you want the new cue to go. All following cues will be shifted on by one and the new cue will be given a number in between the two existing cues *(for example, if you press playback 3, your new cue will be 2.5)*.
  • To move or copy a cue, press the Move or Copy button, press the select button for the cue you want to move or copy, then press the select button where you want it to go.

  • To delete a cue, press the Delete button then the select button for the cue you want to delete. Press the select button again to confirm.

  • To change the cue legend, press Set Step Legend then the playback select for the step you want to change.

  • If the cue list has more cues than there are playback faders, you can swop to the next page using softkeys F and G.

Using Update to Change Tracked Cues

Because fixture settings in a cue list are tracked through from previous cues, if you want to edit a setting you need to find the cue where it was originally set.

The Update function will go back through the cue list from the currently fired cue and automatically update the correct cue.

  1. With the cue list fired, select the fixtures and change them to the settings you want to store.

  2. Press Update (Record Cue, Update if the console doesn't have an Update button).

  3. Press Enter to immediately store the new values to the cue list.

Alternatively, the softkeys show a list of palettes and playbacks which can be updated. Select or deselect these as required.

If you have used the softkey options, press Enter to complete the update.

If the attributes you have changed were tracked through from a previous cue, Update will update that cue rather than the current one.

Editing a Cue List Which is Running

You can also edit cues in a cue list while you are running it without using Unfold.

  1. Fire the cue list by raising its fader.
  2. Use Wheel A to select the cue number you want to change then the

    Go button to jump to it. *(On Pearl Expert/Tiger Touch 1 press the white ↔ button above the Snap Back button instead of Go)*
  3. Press Clear to make sure the programmer is empty.

  4. Make the changes that you want to the current step.

  5. Press Record then Connect/Cue, then select Replace,

    Merge or Insert After to save the changes. *(On Pearl Expert and Tiger Touch 1 use the Rec Step button)*
  6. Press the Go button (on Pearl Expert and Tiger Touch 1 the white ↔ button) to jump on to the next step.

You can also merge your changes into the current live cue by
pressing
<Keys.HardKey>Record</Keys.HardKey> <Keys.HardKey>Connect/Cue</Keys.HardKey> <Keys.HardKey>Connect/Cue</Keys.HardKey>.

Edit Times of a Running Cue List

You can edit the times for a cue using the Live Time and Next Time buttons (not on all consoles) as follows:

  1. Fire the cue list by raising its fader.
  2. Use Wheel A to select the cue number you want to change then the

    Go button to jump to it (on Pearl Expert and Tiger Touch 1 the white ↔ button)
  3. Press Live Time to set the times for the current step, or

    Next Time for the next step. The Live and Next step numbers are shown on the display above the controller wheel.
  4. Use the softkeys to set the times, linking and overlap settings you want (see Cue List Timing for a description of the times). If you set the link option to Link With Previous Cue or Link after Previous Cue then this cue will not wait for the Go button but will start automatically.

  5. Press the Go button (on Pearl Expert and Tiger Touch 1 the white ↔ button) to jump on to the next step.

The Review button lets you test the live step with the new timings.

You can also use Unfold to set the times as described in the Unfold section above.

Editing a Cue List While Recording

You can edit cues while you are in the Record Cue List menu.

  1. Press Cue Number=x and type the cue number to be edited.

  2. The console will jump to the cue and show the output.

  3. Make the changes that you want to the programming of the current step, or to the timings using Edit Cue x Times.

  4. Press Update Cue x or the Rec Step button to save the changes.

Update Mode

The Update Mode softkey allows you to set how changes in the cue will be tracked.

Update ModeAction
 Forwards Cue List Update Mode ForwardsUpdates the channels in the current cue and tracks following cues until the channels are next changed. The values in cues before this one will not be changed.
 Backwards Cue List Update Mode BackwardsUpdates the current cue and tracks backwards through cues until the channels were last changed.
 Both Cue List Update Mode BothUpdates the current cue, tracking backwards through previous cues from the previous change and forwards through following cues to the next change.
 Cue Only Cue List Update Mode Cue OnlyJust sets the current cue.

You can't change the cue number using this menu - if you press

Cue Number this will change the cue you are editing. UseAdvanced Options to change cue numbers.

Updating Values in a Range of Cues

You can merge or replace values in a range of cues in a cue list (or a chase). This can be done either from the keypad or from the Playback View.

From Playback View, press Record then select a cue or range of cues by touching and dragging over the required cues. Select Merge or

Replace (or press Enter to merge). The current programmer will be merged into all of the selected cues.

From the keypad, connect the cue list (or chase) and press Rec Step. Then use the syntax n THRU m to select a range or n And m to select cues which aren't together. The selected cues will highlight in red in the Playback View if you have it open. When you have selected all desired cues press Enter, then select Merge or Replace (or just press Enter again to merge).

Disabling a Cue

You can temporarily disable a cue using the Disable option at the right hand end of the Playback View window. Tick the Disabled checkbox and the softkeys let you set Cue Disabled Yes. When a cue is set to Disabled it will be skipped. This can be a useful way to remove a cue, but still be able to put it back in later.

Extracting a Cue from a Cue List with Include

You can reload a single cue out of a cue list into the programmer using Include. Press Include, select the cue list, enter the cue number to be included, then press Include Cue.

If you want to do this from the currently connected cue list, Press

Include, Connect/Cue, type the cue number, Include Cue.

This is useful if you want to reuse a state from a cue list in another playback. It is also useful if you want to edit shapes/effects in a cue, although you can also do this from the Playback View window.