This article describes how to add automated lighting to a Q-SYS AV system triggering the Visual Productions CueCore2 solid state lighting controller.
Manufacturer QSC launched Q-SYS some years ago. The Q-SYS Audio, Video & Control Platform integrates audio, video and control into small to larger, easy to operate systems.
As the requirements for even more versatility have been growing, Q-SYS can also integrate and control 3rd party devices: integrated lighting control is now possible with Visual Productions’ lighting control solutions like CueCore2. CueCore2 is a 2 universe solid state lighting controller that can be controlled over the network by UDP, TCP, HTTP and OSC messages.
Once a CueCore2 has been programmed to perform specific lighting tasks, the Q-SYS platform takes care of triggering CueCore2 when controlling a fully integrated system, such as a meeting room, theatre or cinema.
Let’s discuss a typical example. Imagine we have a fully equipped meeting room with a nicely designed touch screen as the user interface to a host of audiovisual equipment. Now let’s start a presentation! Pushing only one button will close the blinds, lower the projection screen, switch on a projector and amplifier, select the right inputs and fade most lights to 50% and the lights in front of the screen to 10%.
When focusing on our part of the job, the lighting, assume we have programmed the CueCore2 earlier using its web interface: we created cues, added these to a playback, set fade times and programmed triggers.
Now Visual Productions have created a plugin to be certified with the Q-SYS Platform. The plugin will be included in Q-SYS Designer, and can be found in the Schematic Elements > Plugins section of the Q-SYS Designer interface.
This plug-in allows you to tailor the CueCore2’s behaviour to your system. Once configured, it ‘translates’ the messages sent by the touch screen user interface, through the Q-SYS Platform or Q-SYS Core processor, to the CueCore2 lighting controller. If a message is received, CueCore2 will act accordingly by starting a playback, jumping to a cue, changing a playback’s intensity, etc.
More integration options
Visual Productions’ lighting controllers may be integrated with other control systems as well: CueCores2 and LPU-2s are working closely with Atlona Velocity, Xilica, Crestron, AMX and other brands, either using a special driver or plugin, or by using CueCore2′s or LPU-2s extensive API, specified in the user manuals. For more information please contact Visual Productions here.