1. Main window
2. Submaster Modes
2. Cuelist window
3. Channel Matrix
4. Moving fixture Controler
5. Channels window
6. Single channel window
7. Chaser config window
8. Menus
9. Using Cues
10. Quick Start Guide
11. Connection Guide

A1. Make your own skins

1. Grandmaster level

2. BlackOut button

3. Crossfader
Move to crossfade between loaded cues, when you reach opposite point next cue will be loaded.

4. Crossfader Mode
Switch timed crossfader or manual crossfader.

5. Stage button
Selects Stage page, every change you do in channels is sent to the dimmers.

6. Prog button
Selects Program page, you can modify levels of the channels of next cue loaded. channels page shows channel levels. changes are sent to the dimmers when you move crossfader.

7. Auto Crossfader section (Go Button)
Click go button to crossfade between scenes on a specified crosfade time. You can pause or cut crossfade time or go back one cue.

8. Direct Screen
You can change levels of any channel directly on this screen. Syntax examples:

• 01a80 (channel 1 at 80%)
• 05/20aFF (channels 5 to 20 at FULL)
• 05+08+10/15a00 (channels 5,8 and 10 to 15 at 0%)
• 05+07s10 (adds a 10% to the level of channels 5 and 7)
• 02/04d30 (substract 30% to the level of channels 2 to 4)

changes are sent to the selected page ( Stage, Prog, submaster...)
Click Right button to show the keyboard.

9. Submasters
Each slider controls one submaster level. Click the button over the submaster to select it and then modify channels with channels window, single channel window or direct screen.

If you Right-click the button over submaster you can change Submaster tooltiptext , submaster color, and submaster mode. Faders can control submaster level, audio volume, audio balance, fx speed ...

10. Flash Buttons and fader labels.
If you click flash button fader will move to max value. If you right click flash button, fader will move to zero if fader is raised or to max value if submaster is zero.
If you click on fader label, you can add a small description of submaster contents. If you double click this label you can change label color or text format.

11. Audio Controls
You can load sound effects or songs here. Player can be controled directly or using special cues.

You can drop sound files over the buttons to easily load them. If You drop a sound file over the play button it will be played but if you drop it in load button it will be loaded but not played.

12. Chaser Controls
You can setup and play two chasers. Chaser level and speed could be controled by faders on main window.

13. Cue Screen
On the top line you can read cue number and title you have loaded in stage (current cue) and the cue title on the botton line you can read cumber and title of cue loaded in program (next cue)

14. Cue times
On the top line you can see a red bar that represents loaded cue times, on the botton time you cab see a green bar that represents next cue times. A black vertical bar represent crossfade time position.

15. Channels screen
You can see device output here (only raised channels are shown).

There are three screen modes: Output mode shows master output, Live mode shows real DMX output, Selected mode shows only channels raised in selected submaster. You can see real values ( 0 to 255) or percent values (0% to 100%).

16. Menus
On file menu you can load and save desk setup file. On Window menu you can load other program windows. Use channels menu to copy channel values from one submaster to another. look menus section.

If you Right-click the button over any submaster, a new window will open.

There you can change: 1. Fader Mode Submaster Each fader control 1 submaster level Bypass Each fader control 1 submaster level (submaster is not affected by master level) Inhibit Submaster that inhibits previous submaster levels Submaster Master Fader controls Submaster Master level Audio Volume Fader controls Player 1 or 2 volume Audio Balance Fader controls Player 1 or 2 balance Audio Speed Fader controls Player 1 or 2 Speed Fx Speed Fader controls FX 1 or 2 Speed Fx Level Fader controls Fx 1 or 2 Speed 2. Tooltip text : Help text that you will see if you stay over the fader but out of the knob 3. Knob used : knobs can be changed to mark your submasters 4. Knob secondary color: You can change knob secondary color. 5. Midi Controler : Midi controller ( see Midi section for more help )

This window shows Status of each cue (scenes).

1. Show tittle

2. Show date

3. Cue Number

4. Cue Function.
There are several types of cue function:
· 1. "normal" or ligthing cues
· 2. Jump to cue number (not implemented yet)
· 3. Submaster load (not implemented yet)
· 4. Submaster level change
· 6. Run external program
· 7. Show message (still buggy)
· 9. Load a single file in stage (not implemented yet)
· 11. Load a single file in submaster 1 (not implemented yet)
· 12. Load a single file in submaster 2 (not implemented yet)
· 13. Load a single file in submaster 3 (not implemented yet)
...
· 30. Load a single file in submaster 20 (not implemented yet)

See Cues section for details.

5. Cue times
Here you can see four columns: Wait up time, up time , wait down time and down time.
You can change this times double clicking on each cue.

6. Cue name

7. Channels levels

This window shows output levels of every channel.

1. Channel guide

2. Desk Output
Shows device Output

3. Matrix
First line shows Stage channels levels. Second, Program channels levels (next cue). Third, submaster 1 channel levels. Fourth, Submaster2 channel levels ...

You can control moving fixtures with this screen. Select channel on X axis in (1), channel on Y axis in (2). Click and move (3) to move fixture.

You can raise channel levels moving sliders (1) as you wish.Change channels page with (2).
Slider affects channel levels of stage, program or the submaster page you have selected.

This window sets chaser channel values, there are two , one for each chaser.
Channels grid (4) shows a chaser step on each row and channels in columns. Click on the channel and the chaser step you want to modify in the grid (4), and change channel level with (3). You can double click a channel to set its level at 255.
The chaser lenght column (5) turns red from the first step to last. You can change it if you want.
The master fader (1) contols chaser output level and speed fader (2) its speed.
For example: if you set grid as follows:

The chaser will turn on channel 1 in first step, channel 2 in second and channel 3 on third.

1. File menu
New: Reset program
Open: Open a submaster config. file
Save as: Save the Submaster config file.
Exit: Close Program

2. Window menu
Cuelist: Open Cuelist window
Matrix: Open Matrix window
X/Y Control: Open X/Y Control window
Channels: Open Channels window
Simple: Open Simple window
Keyboard: Open Keyboard window

3 . Channels menu
Copy: Copy channel values on selected submaster to temp. file
Cut: Cut channel values on selected submaster to temp. file
Paste: Paste channel values on temp. file to selected submaster
Load Channels File: Load a previous saved Channel values file (*.sch)
Save Channels file as: Save a Channel values file (*.sch)
All to zero: put all channel levels on selected submaster to 0

4. Setup menu
Keyboard control: Use keyboard keys to control Abuelites
Space key GO!: keyboard space key can act as a GO! button.
Interface: Select interface you are using.
Midi Setup: Setup midi channels and controllers
Max Channels: Set up max. channels used
Change Background: You can use your own bitmaps as abuelites background

There are several types of cue function:

1. "normal" or ligthing cues : Used to set channels level. When you press go button or move Crossfader level, every channel will change to match next scene.

But you can use cues for various purposes, these are called "special cues" :

2. "Jump" cues : (not implemented yet) Will be used to jump to specified cue scene number.
3. Submaster load: Used to load a snapshot file. It will change every submaster content and submaster level.
4. Submaster level change: Used to set level of every submaster. Channel 1 holds submaster 1 level, channel 2 submaster 2 ... channels 21 and above are not used. Submaster contents will not change.
6. "External program" cues : When you press go a program will be launched.
7. "message" cues : (not implemented yet) When you press go message will be displayed.
9. "Load channels file" cues : When you press go a channel levels file will be loaded.
11. "Program submaster 1" cues : Used to program submaster 1 content. When you press go submaster 1 content will be changed for cue content.
12. "Program submaster 2 " cues : Used to program submaster 2 content.
31. "Load mp3" cues : When you press go mp3 will be loaded in player 1.
32. "Play" cues : When you press go player 1 starts playing

How to record a special cue :

1. Go to cues window
2. Click on "Add special cue" menu (new window will appear)
3. Choose cue function and fill needed fields. Click Ok button.
4. If you need to set channels level (in example: to use function 11, submaster 1 program) double click on channel square in cue window.

1. Raise channel level
Select Stage page on main screen
Open channel window and move a slider
or
Click direct screen on main screen and write a sentence (example: 01a80)
or
Open Single Channel window to control one channel.

2. Program a submaster
Select the submaster you want to modify by clicking the button over submasters slider (led blinks)
Raise channels as shown above
Raise submaster level to see changes.

3. Copy one submaster to another
Create one submaster (see above).
Select channels menu and select copy
select another submaster
Select channels menu and select paste.
You can paste channels to stage or program page too.

4. Save a scene (cue)
Click Stage page in main screen
Create a scene, rising a few channels.
Click 1st save button (next to S1 cue screen, the top button) give this scene a number. Scene is saved in cuelist window.

5. Save a scene in blind mode
Click Program page in main screen
Create a scene, rising a few channels.
Click 2nd save button (next to P1 cue screen) give this scene a number. Scene is saved on cuelist window.

6. Load a cue in scene or program window, crossfade between scenes
Save a few scenes, give a number to each of them.
To see a scene Click S1 button (next to cue screen on main window) type the number of the cue you want to load.
To load a scene in Program click P1 button (next to cue screen on main window), type the number of the cue you want to load. Move the crossfader slide. Scene will be seen as you move crossfade level when you reach the oposite side of the crossfade starting point, next scene will be loaded in Program.

1. Use Abuelites as a Portable DMX Desk
Simply conect your Pc to your USB-DMX widget and the widget and the widget to your DMX equipment. You can activate "Setup / Keyboard control" menu to control submasters and crossfader easily.

2. Use MIDI controler to move faders.
Usage of a MIDI controller is very recomended to use Abuelites on venues. Connect DMX equipment as show below and set up midi control change parameters on "Setup / Midi Setup" menu .
I use this method with a Yamaha 01v Digital desk on small venues, where a few channels are used for sound and the rest of faders are used to control DMX dimmers.

3. Use a Palm or PoketPc device to control Abuelites

This method is usefull when you are working on stage. You can control DMX fixtures on your Palm or Pocket Pc device simply installing a VNC server on your PC and a VNC client on your portable device. I recomend RealVNC for Pc as server and Mocha VNC in your Palm Device.

4. Use your favorite audio sequencer to link music with light effects.
If you need to move lights with a recorded music (in a dance venue for example) that's the best solution.
Install a midi loop program ,I use LoopBe from www.nerds.de (freeware) but there are others.
Select your midi loop program in your abuelites midi input, and in your midi sequencer program select your midi loop program as Output midi device.
You can send notes from C0 to B9 to control DMX channels 1 to 119. Or you can use midi controler to move submasters.

In this screenshot you can see FruityLoops as a abuelites controller.