ecuetips.com

One trick that I’ve found very useful is to split my video cues into two cuelists. In one cuelist I run the video wizard without setting it to play any videos. In the other I create empty cues that contain only Media Player actions to start the videos. This allows your actual mapping to be [...]

I’ve decided to add a post that has all of the official e:cue training videos for two reasons. First, so you have easy access to them from here, and secondly because on the e:cue site they are not labeled and it may therefore be difficult to find exactly what you looking for. Unfortunately Youtube limits [...]

Using tringgers from the dry contacts on the butler XT is actually extremely easy although many people are confused (as was I the first time I used it) because the interface isn’t quite clear about how to do it.

I’m going to assume that you have your butler XT added and working properly for this tip.

In order to connect to e:cue devices your computer must be within the same subnet as the devices (192.168.123.x). This article, derived from an article at Wikihow, will show you how to change you IP address in the 3 most recent releases of windows.

Scripting is one of the most powerful, but least understood aspects of the ecue Programmer software. Although it can’t do everything, it expands the flexibility to a huge degree and adds an amazing array of options in terms of providing conditional logic for timing (very helpful in situations like room partitioning) and allowing for custom written effects.

The scripting language built into the Programmer is based on C. It is very important to note that, though it is based on C, it is not a full implementation of C. Reading some C tutorials online will go a long way toward helping you understand programming in the ecue environment (and it is highly reccommended to do so), just remember that there are some significant differences. Before I get started into how to program, I’ll provide a few bits of important info first. Don’t worry if you don’t understand what it means, you will find explanations below.

The e:cue Patchelor is, in my opinion, one of the best pieces of software out there for doing complex patches. The UI is fairly intuitive and easy to figure out without even looking at the documentation. There are, however, some tricks and tips that will make your life easier. This article is going to focus on patching for video content. As the effects engine is based on the video area, it will also be relevant for that purpose as well.

Getting a glass touch up and running is a fairly simple process, but there are a few little snags that many people hit, which are not immediately obvious unless you’ve read the manual (and, really, who reads the manual?). Getting the glass touch actually connected to the butler XT is simple and nearly impossible to mess up. There is a very good manual here which explains all of the layout possibilities and wiring options.

There are three things that seem to catch up users for the first time:

e:cue butlers and butler XT units are very versatile in that they can be used both as DMX engines while connected to the server or as playback units when used in standalone. Not only can a butler play back 2 universes, but multiple butlers can be linked on the network to provide synchronized playback of cuelists via networked timecode. The syncing is done down to the frame, so even video can be played back across several universes with relative ease.

RS-232 can sometimes be a bit tricky to get up and running, especially for someone using it for the first time. There are a few things to check that are the usual culprits:

1. Go to the serial device properties in the device manger.
2. Check that the Serial port selected is correct.
   

The e:cue support staff often receives calls for help from people who can’t get their butler to come online. It is very rare that the butler itself is faulty; generally there is one of a few things configured incorrectly. Here is a series of things to check before calling tech support:

1. Make sure your computer’s IP address is set in the 192.168.123.x range (where x is greater than 1 as this is the butler’s default setting).