Did you know? #31 - Calculate with Masters

It happens from time to time that you need a certain flexibility in the programming of your projects. Whether it is the speed of an effect, which should be adjustable at the run time or multiple values at different places in DMXControl 3, which depend on each other. Therefore with DMXControl 3.2 the Parameter Masters and the Speed Masters were introduced. The first ones represent a simple value and can be applied for example to device function values like a dimmer value. The Speed Master, on the other hand, stores a speed value. It can be used for the frequency of an effect or as a beat source for beat triggers in a cuelist. To do this, simply enter {SpeedMaster 1} in the Frequency field of an effect while paying attention to the correct spelling and the space before the number. The speed of the effect is now controlled by SpeedMaster 1.

However, the whole thing becomes really exciting when you synchronize several different areas of DMXControl 3 with each other using these masters. For example, two different effects in two different cuelists can be synchronized with each other. Even if the Speed Master is changed while both scenelists are active, both effects remain synchronized.

In some cases, two effects shall be synchronized with each other, but not at the same speed. This is the case, when one effect shall be executed twice as fast as the other one. Since DMXControl 3.2.1 this can be solved very simply and elegantly: You can also calculate when using Speed Masters and Parameter Masters in the device control. Thus, the value of the respective master can be adapted where you use it. To adjust the master value, you simply have to store your formula according to the following scheme:

{<name of master>: <formula>}

For example, you can use {SpeedMaster 1: *2} to double the frequency of Speedmaster 1 at this usage point, or {SpeedMaster 1: /2} to halve it. This can be seen in the following picture.

But there is much more, because actually nearly every mathematical calculation is allowed. Thus, you can simply add {ParameterMaster 1: +10} to a dimmer property of one device for example to keep it always 10% brighter than the other ones. But also combinations or mathematical operations like sin(60), sqrt(9) and abs(-3) are allowed, as it is depicted in the following with ParameterMaster 2.

A special feature is the COUNT parameter. The parameter represents the number of devices in the device group that is controlled. This allows both speed and parameter masters to be scaled accordingly so that the same effect appears on two device groups of different sizes in an equal manner. This is shown in the following figure, using the chaser effect as an example, which is applied to both device groups with the same parameters. By using the COUNT parameters in the formula of the speed, DMXControl 3 plays the effect for both device groups in the same speed and the proportions are the same. Without the COUNT-parameter the lower device group would constantly overtake the upper one.

Effect speed using the COUNT parameter

Effect speed without using the COUNT parameter

We hope that we could show you the wide range of oportunities with masters.

Your DMXControl Team

PS: By the way, this information can also be found in the DMXC Wiki in the article about masters. The masters are also one of the topics we would like to show in more detail in our tutorial videos on our YouTube channel.