QLabAnnouncing QLab 5.1
Six months ago we released QLab 5, with a new video engine, multi-user collaboration, and a host of workflow improvements to help you bring your designs to life. Today we are pleased to announce QLab 5.1, a major update that is free for anyone using QLab 5.
Media logging
Folks using QLab in broadcast television and radio often need to generate detailed reports of what media was played and for how long. QLab can now optionally generate a log of all audio and video playback, using information from your workspace and metadata in the target media files, so you don’t need to worry about tracking it manually.
HSI color pickers for light instruments
Lights with hue, saturation, and intensity (or value) parameters can now make use of a graphical HSI color picker in the Light Dashboard and the Levels tab of the inspector. This picker works similarly to QLab’s existing RGB+ and CMY color pickers.
Timecode options
When using timecode to trigger a cue list or cart, it’s easy to know what should happen when you start at the top of the sequence. But what about jumping in to the middle of a sequence, like when you’re rehearsing? Sometimes you want “setup” cues, like MIDI cues which send scene changes to external hardware, to be started when you jump into the middle. Other times you don’t. QLab 5.1 has a new “on start” control which lets you choose how your workspace behaves when timecode starts rolling. Options include:
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Do not start cues whose timecode triggers precede the first frame of incoming timecode. This is similar to QLab 4's behavior; zero-duration cues (like those that send single MIDI or MSC messages) which have triggers that come before the first incoming frame of timecode will not be started. Cues which have a duration and which should still be running as of the first incoming frame will still be started, since that’s what timecode sync is all about in the first place.
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Start cues whose timecode triggers are within the most recent minute of the first frame of incoming timecode. If you program each timecode-triggered sequence to start at successive minutes (1:01:00:00, 1:02:00:00, 1:03:00:00, etc.), this option lets you start cues that belong to the current sequence only, and not cues from the previous sequence.
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Start cues whose timecode triggers are within the most recent hour of the first frame of incoming timecode. This option is quite similar, but uses hours instead of minutes.
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Start cues whose timecode triggers are within a user-defined “lookback” window of time. This option is also similar, but lets you define a specific number of seconds before the first incoming frame within which to look back and start cues.
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Start all cues whose timecode triggers precede the first frame of incoming timecode. This option triggers every timecode-triggered cue that comes before the first incoming frame. This can be useful if you need to be sure that every “setup” cue runs no matter when it came.
Timecode status
A completely redesigned Timecode Status window gives you detailed information about all timecode coming into QLab and going out.
Video grid powers activated
By popular acclaim, show all/hide all grids, black-on-white grids, and exporting grids are all back!
And more
Video pixel format choices for Blackmagic Designs and NDI outputs, new “paste” tools for media cues, lots of new light instrument definitions, updated NDI version, and a host of small fixes and improvements round out this update. All the little details are listed below. Thanks for using QLab!
QLab 5.1 Release Notes
Media logging. QLab can now optionally create a csv-formatted log of all audio and video file playback in a workspace, using information from QLab and metadata in the target media files. This is primarily intended to make it easy to create reports for rights-holding organizations, like ASCAP or BMI, but could be useful for other purposes too. This feature can be enabled in the QLab application preferences.
HSI color picker for light instruments. Light instruments with hue, saturation, and intensity (or hue, saturation, and value) parameters can now use a graphical HSI color picker in the Light Dashboard and in the Levels tab of the inspector.
New options to control how QLab behaves when it starts receiving a new timecode stream. Options include: do not start cues whose timecode triggers precede the incoming timecode (similar to QLab 4), start cues whose timecode triggers are within the most recent minute of the incoming timecode, start cues whose timecode triggers are within the most recent hour of the incoming timecode, start cues whose timecode triggers are within a user-defined “lookback” window of time, or start all cues whose timecode triggers precede the incoming timecode.
A completely redesigned timecode window, showing detailed information about all incoming and outgoing timecode streams.
Option to display video grids with a light background via the “Grid options…” button in the video stage editor.
Export video stage grid images via the “Grid options…” button in the video stage editor.
Show all / hide all video grids in the stage editor, via the “Grid options…” button or by option-clicking a grid checkbox.
You can now specify the pixel format of NDI and Blackmagic video outputs, which offers improved compatibility with some receivers.
“Paste audio levels” and “Paste integrated fade shape” commands now appear in the Tools menu when appropriate.
Instrument definitions for the Astera FP6 HydraPanel and PB15 PixelBrick.
Instrument definitions for the Blizzard Colorise Zoom RGBAW, Kryo Mix CMY, Stiletto GLO19, and Stiletto Ray-Z.
Instrument definitions for the Cameo Instant Fog 1700 Pro.
Instrument definitions for the Chauvet Maverick Storm 2 Profile, Maverick Storm 4 Profile, onAir IP Panel Min, onAir IP Panel 1, and onAir IP Panel 2.
Instrument definitions for the Chauvet DJ COLORband H9 USB, COREpar 80 USB, COREpar Q60 ILS, COREpar Q120 ILS, COREpar UV USB, COREpar UV 120 ILS, and SlimPAR 64 RGBA.
Instrument definitions for the Elation DLED Strip RGBAW, Opti Tri Par, and Platinum Beam 5R.
Instrument definitions for the ETC ColorSource Spot V.
Instrument definitions for the ETC/High End Systems Halcyon Gold, Titanium, and Platinum.
Instrument definitions for the Martin ERA 150 Wash, ERA 600 Profile, ERA 800 Profile, MAC Aura XIP, MAC Ultra Performance, and MAC Ultra Wash.
Instrument definitions for the Robe ProMotion.
Instrument definitions for the Showtec (Highlite) Compact Par 7 Tri MKII, Spectral PC 600Z IP, and Spectral PC 1800Z IP.
Network device description for the Mixeffect iOS app.
Network device description for Bitfocus Companion.
Sending an empty string argument to OSC command /replyFormat now resets to the default reply format.
Additional support for importing show files from Go Button.
NDI has been updated to version 5.5.2.
The expansion state of Group cues and cue lists is now synced to collaborators when they first connect.
Improvements to the search filter in the file target picker on remote collaborator workspaces.
The minimum volume level for a workspace is now limited to -180 dB.
All instrument definitions for Astera instruments have been updated to reflect the latest firmware from Astera.
All instrument definitions for Chauvet instruments have been appropriately categorized as either Chauvet DJ or Chauvet Professional.
A white flash that could show on some video hardware when stopping all video output.
A rare issue in which QLab could crash when stopping all video output.
A few cases where hiding video grid images did not work correctly.
An issue where QLab would sometimes complain and report an exception if an attached display was disconnected.
Video inputs such as webcams that have the same name but different internal identifiers are now managed better.
Audio inputs will no longer accumulate additional latency when restarted.
Timecode cues sending LTC output could previously emit invalid data when panicked.
Blackmagic DeckLink video inputs can now be paused correctly.
Video routes rotated 90° or 270° relative to their output device will now be scaled correctly.
A regression in 5.0.12 that made it difficult to construct a cue sequence that pauses a Video cue on the first frame of video.
A regression in 5.0.11 that prevented Text cues from respecting their duration.
Several bugs related to loading Video cues, where it was possible to construct a cue sequence where Video cues would not be loaded properly.
Video cues triggered via timecode and following the video clock will now have smoother audio playback.
A bug that could cause collaborator workspaces to crash when setting file targets on the primary.
Cues inside a group that was deleted and brought back via undo will now run.
Adding or removing audio and video effects will now ensure that Fade cues which target those Audio or Video cues will also get updated effects.
Changing certain attributes of a Network cue fade while the cue is running now properly resets the cue.
An error in the atemOSC network device description.
An error in the Behringer/Midas X32, M32, XR-18 network device description.
A bug that could cause Script cues to break with an error after sending an AppleScript command to the Light Dashboard.
Several issues when importing from a Go Button show file: cart cues now match the order of hits, Audio and Wait cue continue modes are now correct in a group created from a cue that has a go action but no start actions, and empty cues now import with the correct display name.
Assorted other small bugs.