A chase is a light sequence: several “frames” (steps) that the program cycles through. Each step is a snapshot of the light, like a scene; the chase steps through them at a set tempo — and the light “comes alive”: running colors, alternating groups, turning heads.
For grouping chases and setting a custom card order, see “Groups and card order”.
How to create a chase:
- Click “+ Chase” and give it a name (for example, “Strobe effect”).
- Fill it with steps — in two ways, which you can mix:
| Way | How |
|---|---|
| From ready scenes | Click scenes in the list — each one is added as a step |
| Capture the current state | Set the light by hand in the Programmer → the capture button — the current fixture state becomes a new step |
- If needed, set the tempo (by default — to the BPM beat).
- Click “Save” — the chase appears in the list. Click it to launch, click again to stop.
Editing steps (in the same editor):
| Action | How |
|---|---|
| Reorder steps | The ↑ / ↓ arrows on a step |
| Rename a step | The rename button (the default is the scene name or “Step N”) |
| Delete a step | The × |
| Tweak the light inside a step | Expand the step — the channel faders are right there in the editor |
If the chase is not running, the change goes nowhere: the room is lit by whatever is actually active (another scene or another chase). The same goes for movement in the «FX Engine» block — it reaches the fixtures only while the chase is running.
Keep in mind: the chase keeps stepping, so a change to the expanded step shows up exactly when that step’s turn comes round. To study one step calmly, hold the run with Freeze in Live mode. The «Switching: manual (GO)» mode also parks the chase on a step, but that setting takes effect only after the chase is saved.
Head movement on top of the chase (the “FX Engine” block). In the chase editor, if the project has moving heads, an “FX Engine” block appears below the tempo settings — the same smooth beam movement as in the scene editor:
- Click ON.
- Pick a figure (circle, figure-eight, panorama, etc.) and set the amplitude and speed.
- The heads start sweeping their beams right in the editor — the movement is visible in the visualizer.
This movement is one for the whole chase (not tied to a single step): it runs on top of whichever step is playing. When you save the chase, it’s stored with it and turns on automatically every time the chase is launched. By default the movement targets the heads that take part in the chase steps.
Movement aim (where the chase points). If the chase steps contain movement along the axes, a “Movement aim” block appears below. It answers two questions at once: where the heads point and how far they roam while doing it.
Click “Off” to switch the setting on and pick a method:
| Method | What you do | When it fits better |
|---|---|---|
| Stage point | Click the venue plan where the heads should hit; the frame sets how far the movement spreads around it | Fixtures are placed on the plan — the program works out each fixture’s own angles |
| Axis limits | Set the limits directly: Pan from … to …, Tilt from … to … | There is no placement, or thinking in percentages of travel is simpler |
The key difference from setting Pan/Tilt by hand: the angles are worked out for every fixture separately — from its spot on the plan, its rigging height and the way its body is turned. That is why a head on the left and a head on the right really meet at the same place instead of getting the same Pan. A fixture with several independent heads (a motorised bar, a twin head) gets its angle for each head separately, from that head’s own place on the body — so aiming and the sweep limit work on it exactly as they do on single heads.
The movement pattern is preserved: a circle stays a circle, a figure-eight stays a figure-eight, just smaller and around the place you need. The setting rewrites nothing in the steps — it is applied on the fly, so moving a fixture in the visualizer re-aims everything automatically.
