Tutorial 8: Firing Cues and Executing Actions – Cues

About This Tutorial

This tutorial will provide you with an understanding of the firing of cues and the execution of
actions. Cues and actions – as important as they are in LiveProfessor – are really quite useless
without being able to be used automatically – especially in a live performance environment. As
you can see by the title, this tutorial is divided into two parts for the sake of brevity – otherwise
the tutorial would have been too long to be of any real practicable value.
Cues take precedence however – in that they do come first – as actions are an element of cues
– and not the other way around. In this tutorial, you will use an existing project and learn first,
how to go about initiating a cue which will in turn, execute the actions within that cue. This will
also give you a better idea of just how wonderful LiveProfessor really is – in both its design and
in its operation.
As you will see in this tutorial, there is a considerable amount of lesson material contained in it
– just to give some idea of how important – and extensive this topic is.
The Focus
The focus of this tutorial will be on cues and their operation – as indicated by the title. A
subsequent tutorial will deal with actions. Though actions will be referred to in this tutorial –
this reference is only to their relationship to cues and nothing else. Please keep this point in
mind as you continue.
Lesson 1: Firing versus Executing
In this lesson you will find out the differences between the terms fire and execute. The
following are the most important points you should be aware of:
§ The word fire is used only in reference to cues.
§ The word execute will only be used in reference to actions.
§ So, you fire cues and you execute actions.
§ The word fire is defined as "to cause to start operating" – and is a common term used in the
stage lighting industry. So, when you fire a cue, you are, in effect, causing something to
start operating. With regards to cues then, it is the cue itself that you are causing to start
operating.
§ The word execute is defined as "to perform indicated tasks according to instructions". With
regards to actions, an action contains a list of instructions for the action to perform.
§ Though cues can be used with a single action – this is not a common practice when using
LiveProfessor – as you will see.
Tip: You will learn more about the execution of actions in the next tutorial.
Lesson 2: Firing cues and executing actions
In this lesson you will learn about firing cues and executing actions. To fire a cue in
LiveProfessor you simply double-click on the Cue title bar. To execute an action within a cue,
you simply double-click on that action.
 Tutorial 8: Firing Cues and Executing Actions – Cues

However, as you will see, actions are never really to be executed on their own – that is,
manually. Actions are to perform their indicated tasks according to instructions caused by
something to start something operating. Very simply, actions are executed by the firing of a
cue.
Tip: Double-clicking on a cue fires the cue – which in turn executes the actions that are
contained in that cue.
Observation: When a cue is fired all actions in that cue are executed.
Manual or Automatic
In general, cues are initiated manually while actions are executed automatically – by the cue
itself. Taken in this light – this is what is really meant to "fire a cue". By double-clicking on a cue
– that is, initiating the cue – you will automatically execute the actions that are contained
within that cue. Another way to consider this is that cues are manual while actions contained
within a cue are automatic.
A Question
This presents an interesting question, "Can a cue fire another cue?" And the answer to that
question is, "Yes!" But...in actual practice, one cue does not really fire another cue. Cues are
cues – and as such they are the initiators of actions – in that they cause something else to
happen. As you will see later, in LiveProfessor you can fire a cue manually or you can fire a cue
automatically. However, at least one cue will need to be fired manually. As you will also learn in
a future tutorial, actions can indeed be used to fire a cue. But this particular procedure is
considered an advanced topic and will therefore, not be dealt with at this time.
Lesson 3: Precedence – or order of operation
In this lesson you will learn about the order in which cues are initiated – which is based on their
"precedence". The word precedence is defined as "consideration based on order of
importance" – and this definition fits very well with how cues are fired and, and you will see,
just how actions are executed. Very simply then, precedence means, "the order of operation".
An Example
Take the following as an example:

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Observation 1: In the above diagram, you have three cues, each with a single action. If you fire
Cue 1, the actions contained within that cue will be executed. However, the actions in Cue 2 will
not be executed simply because cues must be initiated – or acted upon – by firing the cue.

Tip: To fire Cue 2 and Cue 3, you would have to manually fire each of them individually.
Observation 2: You can continue to fire Cue 1 as many times as you wish – which, in turn will
execute the actions contained within that cue. Or you could fire Cue 2 – which, in turn will
execute the actions contained within that cue. Or you could fire Cue 3, etc. I hope you are
getting the picture here?
Though any of the cues can be fired in any order that you want – there should be some form of
a logical pattern to the order of the cues themselves – thus the purpose in numbering them.
We will not be looking at the numbering aspect of Cues here however. The point that I am
trying to get across to you here is – is that cues do not really have any defined order to them –
other than that which you have given to them – and by how they are placed in the Cue list
window workspace. Again, I sincerely hope that you are getting the picture here?
Lesson 4: Cue colours
In this lesson you will learn about an important feature of cues – and that is the colour that is
used to represent their firing order. There are three cue colours in total with each colour
representing one of the following:
§ Silver: The selected or active cue or the cue being fired.
§ Green: The next cue waiting to be fired or the cue set as Next.
§ Blue: The previous cue that has been fired or is the last fired cue.
You will now have the opportunity of the firing of cues and the testing of cues in a moment.
Lesson 5: Contracting and expanding cues
In this lesson you learn how to control the display of the cue list window workspace. In the
diagram below, you have three cues – with each cue containing a single action.

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Notice that immediately to left of each cue name is a "minus" sign. This minus sign is indicating
that the cues are "expanded" – therefore showing the actions that are contained within that
cue.

Right-clicking in an unoccupied area of the Cue list windows workspace displays a context menu
with the option to Expand all cues, or Contract all cues.

Selecting the Contract all cues option, will display the following:

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Notice now that the minus sign has changed to a “plus” sign – indicating that the cues are
"contracted".

Tip: You have the option of either expanding or contracting all cues.
Section A: Create a new project
In this section of the tutorial, you will create a new project and save it as Tutorial 8.
Observation: As with Tutorial 7, you will begin "from scratch" – providing you with another
opportunity to review some of the earlier operations.
1. Launch LiveProfessor.
2. Go to Project and select New project.
3. Save the project.
§ New filename: Tutorial 8.
4. Section A is now completed.
Section B: Adding a plugin
In this section of the tutorial, you will add the SWFP plugin, configure the audio outputs, add a
wave file and finally create two snapshots for this plugin.
1. Go to Add unit and select SWFP.
2. Expand the Audio routing panel.
3. In the Outputs section of this panel, select 01 - Not connected.
4. Select Output 1 - 1 SoundMax HD Audio 0 1.
5. Repeat Step 4 for the 02 - Not connected audio output.
6. Collapse the Audio routing panel.

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 Tutorial 8: Firing Cues and Executing Actions – Cues
7. Select the Load Wave file button.
8. Navigate to the Backing Tracks folder and select the acoustic_grt1.wav file.
9. Expand the Snapshots panel.
10. Select Create, rename the snapshot to Off – and select OK.
11. Select the Play/Stop button.
12. Select Create, rename the snapshot to On – and select OK.
13. Disable the Play/Stop button.
14. Collapse the Snapshots panel.
15. Save the project.
16. Section B is now completed.
Section C: Creating a new Cue list and insert a new action
In this section of the tutorial you will create a new cue list and then insert a new action into the
Cue list.
1. In the cue list panel, select the Add new cue list button.
2. Drag the Recall a plugin Snapshot tool to the Cue List window's workspace.
3. Release the left mouse button, the Select snapshot window is displayed.
4. Select the Off snapshot and select the OK.
5. Save the project.
6. Section C is now completed.
Section D: Create a second cue
In this section of the tutorial, you will create a second cue – just below Cue 1.
1. Drag the Recall a plugin Snapshot tool to the Cue List window's workspace.
2. Ensure that the mouse pointer is below the first cue – placing the green line below Cue 1.
3. Release the left mouse button.
4. Select the On snapshot and select OK.
5. Save the project.
6. Section D is now completed.
Tip: In Step 2 above, if you had placed the cue so that the green line was placed above Cue 1,
the new cue would have then been placed above Cue 1.
Section E: Create a third cue
In this section of the tutorial, you will create a third cue – just below Cue 2.
1. Ensure that the mouse pointer is below the second cue – placing the green line below Cue
2.
2. Release the left mouse button.
3. Select the Off snapshot and select OK.
4. Save the project.
5. Section E is now completed.
Observation: You should now have the following:

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Section F: Firing each cue individually

In this section you have the opportunity of firing and testing the results of each of the cues
individually.
1. Move the Cue list window to the right so that both the Cue list windows and the SWFP
plugin are visible.
2. Enable the Play/Stop button on the SWFP plugin.
3. Fire Cue 1.
Observation: The Play/Stop button on the SWFP plugin is disabled – Cue 1 turns silver and Cue
2 turns Green.

4. Fire Cue 2.
Observation: The Play/Stop button on the SWFP plugin is enabled – Cue 1 turns blue for a
moment, then turns black, Cue 2 turns silver and Cue 3 turns Green.

5. Select the Rewind button on the SWFP plugin.

6. Fire Cue 3.

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Observation: The Play/Stop button on the SWFP plugin is disabled – Cue 2 turns blue for a
moment, then turns black, Cue 3 turns silver and Cue 1 turns black.

Tip: Review Section F and ensure that you understand the order of operations, the various cue
colours and what the cue colours mean.
7. Save the project.
8. Exit LiveProfessor
9. Section F is now completed.
Summary
In this tutorial you have gleaned some important information about the firing of cues. Here is
list of the points covered:
§ The importance of cues and actions being able used automatically.
§ That cues come first, or take precedence.
§ The differences in firing and executing.
§ How to fire cues.
§ What is meant by the manual or automatic firing of cues.
§ Abut cues and the order of operation – or precedence.
§ Abut cue colours and what these colours mean.
§ About contracting and expanding cues.

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