![]() Just an example of what it can do: We did Diary of Anne Frank and I used QLab to control all sound and lights. Their current plan is renting for 110 days equals buying a license. If you search for "QLab After Dark" you'll find a series of 14 video tutorials that touch on a lot of the capabilities of this software. Current cost is $4.00/day, and it accrues towards me owning a copy. I've rented the audio version for my last three production. If you try something with a cue that is not allowed in the free version, the software will flag the cue to let you know. It is worthwhile to download it, and experiment. The free version is very capable for basic stereo sound cues and basic video to one external monitor/projector. Intelligent, professional and classy.I'll also chime in to recommend QLab. And if you have a very small budget, you can even rent those modules for a limited time for $3 a day each ! They also have discount for educational licensing. You don't pay for tons of features you will never use. But for a small structure, a theater company with limited finances, the free version is more than enough.Īnd if you go for the paying version, you pay only for the additional modules you actually need (pro audio, pro video or pro midi). Can be entirely driven through the keyboard through personalized shortcuts.įor more advanced features, the paying version will be needed. It's full of very usefull details but the interface is clear and uncluttered (and customizable). It is very stable (installed for me on a MacBook, never had a single problem). ![]() You can feed it with any file format supported by QuickTime. Right now we're running at about 1/4th! :-)Įven the free version is powerfull enough for a performance with loads of cues, overlapings and stuff (audio, video.). I also told my wife, Ellen Snortland, that it is my desire to one day do a show with her that takes advantage of at least HALF of everything QLab can do. Having the greatest accuracy and flexibility imagineable, and at the same time the smallest equipment footprint I've ever had, is truly a lifesaver. Everything is handled through the software, we never see a little "play" or "pause" graphic on the screen (all DVD players do them), and I can hit visual and audio cues with laser-sharp accuracy… even down to a SYLLABLE inside a word my wife is saying! It's everything I always wanted, and didn't realize it.Īs we are about to do the show for a solid month, every day at 5:30 pm at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival - and I've already been informed the booth barely holds one person - you can see what a relief QLab is going to be. NOW… thanks to QLab? All I need is my MacBook Pro. And if we were in a particularly cramped booth (aren't they all?) it was even more unwieldy. It worked, I got by with it … but it was not an elegant solution. And I would be cueing the lighting operator at the same time, typically sitting next to me. Since this was my first foray into theater (my primary field of expertise is music for film and TV), I was using my MacBook Pro and a portable sub-mixer (for added control) to run the sound cues via iTunes with my other hand I was pushing the pause button on a DVD player. I am the production coordinator and sound designer for my wife's Pulitzer Prize-nominated solo show "Now That She's Gone," which we've been doing theatrically for the last 3 years all over the world. QLab is truly one of those "how did I ever get along without it" items. ![]() Just one final thing next time you go to the theatre have a look what software the sound engineer is using, if they have a mac it will have Qlab on it! The free version is great for amateur groups for simple audio playback. The software is expensive, but is aimed at professionals and does much more than cheeper alternatives. However they now have some great tutorials on the website, I would suggest watching these before you start using the software as it covers the basics well. For example cross fading tracks into each other. The only negative is some of the more simple commands can take a while to get your head around. The software not only plays back the sound file, but also sends midi commands to the desk to raise the fader and lower the fader when the sound has stopped playing. The free version is great! I used this for ages but finally upgraded to the pro version just because I wanted to use the midi integration. ![]() I have used this for our amateur theatre group for the last 3 years and it works flawlessly. ![]()
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