Front Panel Buttons
The Select and Flash buttons associated with fader handles, and the macro/executor buttons are configurable and you can use them in various ways.
Select and Flash buttons
Each fader handle on the console has buttons associated with it. These are called the Select and Flash buttons, though the actions can be reassigned using Key Profiles (see below).
A Select button
B Flash button
On the Diamond 9 and T3 the buttons are arranged like this for the rotary faders (D9 only) and the linear faders:
On the Sapphire Touch the buttons are like this for the upper and lower faders. The Sapphire Touch also has a black button with each handle which can be assigned a function using Key Profiles (see below).
On all other consoles, the buttons are arranged like this:
Key profiles
The console allows you to change the function of the Select and Flash panel buttons (and the black buttons on Sapphire Touch). You can also change the way some of the touch keys work. You can save your settings as a Key Profile. Different profiles can be selected for different users or to enhance the operation of the console for a particular use.
Key macro buttons
Lighting programming can sometimes require a repeated sequence of button presses. You can record sequences of keypresses and play them back with a single keypress - this is called a macro. The macro can reproduce the timing of your button presses (Real Time mode) or just repeat the sequence of buttons with no timing (Full Speed mode).
Real Time mode is useful when you are using a macro to reproduce a lighting effect, for example a sequence of flash buttons. Full Speed mode is more useful for admin tasks such as changing console mode.
Macros can be stored in most workspace windows, on the dedicated Macro/executor buttons and on the handle buttons. There is also a dedicated Macro button window which can be shown in the workspace. The macro/executor/workspace button legends are shown in the Static Playbacks workspace window. The 10 Macro buttons on the Tiger Touch 1 correspond to the first 10 macros in the Macros window.
The Diamond 9 has an additional six macro buttons with dedicated legend display in between the two banks of playback faders.
The Arena also has two additional Macro buttons on the bottom left corner of the console.
To record a macro:
- Press the Macro button (above keypad).
- Press .
- Select Full Speed or Real Time.
- Press to record the macro into the show library, or press a suitable empty button on the panel, or an empty button in the Macro window on the screen. Recording starts. The Macro button flashes during recording.
- Press the sequence of buttons you want to record.
- Press Macro to finish recording.
To play back the macro, just press or touch the button where you recorded the macro. The macro will repeat all your button presses, with correct timings if you selected Real Time mode.
- Macros will only record physical button presses and a few particular types of touch screen presses (selecting fixture handles; changing menus). Changing properties on the touch screen won't be recorded.
- You can also write macros programmatically, this is known as a script. See Avolites WebAPI which introduces scripting, the Avolites API documents which lists the API commands, and Avolites user scripting examples (external website).
Keyboard shortcuts
Many features of the console can be controlled by shortcuts on the keyboard. These are especially useful when using Titan PC Suite (Titan Go or Titan Simulator).
The Titan application "captures" the keyboard on start up, meaning that if you try to use other applications at the same time they will not receive keypresses. Pressing Break on the keyboard releases the keyboard for other applications but disables all text entry for Titan including the shortcut keys; changing menus will reconnect the keyboard to Titan.
| Key | Action | Key | Action | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1 | Open user manual | Ctrl X | Cut text | |
| F2 | Activate window | Ctrl C | Copy text | |
| F3 | Minimise/Maximise | Ctrl V | Paste text | |
| Shift F3 | Next window | Ctrl A | Select all text | |
| F4 | Size/Position | Ctrl Z | Undo | |
| Shift F4 | Move to other screen | Ctrl Y | Redo | |
| F5 | Close window | Alt C | Clear | |
| Shift F5 | Close all windows | Alt R | Record menu | |
| F6 | Open Playbacks window | Alt A | Toggle Avo menu | |
| F7 | Open Fixtures window | Alt L | Locate | |
| F8 | Open Groups window | Alt P | Patch | |
| F9 | Open Colours window | Alt ⇑ D | Disk menu | |
| F10 | Open Positions window | Alt ⇑ S | System menu | |
| F11 | Gobos/Beams window | Alt V | Open/View menu | |
| F12 | Open Channel Grid | Alt G | Go | |
| Esc | Exit menu | Alt D | Delete | |
| Enter | Enter | Alt ⇑ C | Copy | |
| Alt 1 | Softkey A | Alt M | Move | |
| Alt 2 | Softkey B | Alt U | Unfold | |
| Alt 3 | Softkey C | Alt I | Include | |
| Alt 4 | Softkey D | Alt ⇑ R | Release | |
| Alt 5 | Softkey E | Alt S | Shape | |
| Alt 6 | Softkey F | Alt ⇑ T | Fixture Tools/ML Menu | |
| Alt 7 | Softkey G | Alt B | Blind | |
| Alt ⇑ F | Fixture | Alt O | Off | |
| Alt ⇑ P | Palette | Alt F | Fan | |
| Alt ⇑ M | Macro | Alt ⇑ O | Attribute options | |
| Alt ⇑ G | Group | Alt ⇑ L | Latch menu | |
| / (num) | Thro | Alt Q | Cue/Connect | |
| * (num) | @ | Alt W | Open Window | |
| - (num) | Not | Alt T | Times | |
| + (num) | And | Alt ⇑ U | Update | |
| Alt ← | Previous fixture | Alt ⇑ I | Select If | |
| Alt → | Next fixture | |||
| Alt ↑ | All | |||
| Alt ↓ | Highlight |
⇑ means shift
(num) means on the numeric keypad