Effects
Automate colors and movement with beat-synced effects — from simple color cycling to complex position patterns.
8. Color Effects
Color effects automate your fixtures' colors — cycling, chasing, pulsing, and more — without manual programming for every step.
Opening Color Effects
Navigate to Colors → Color Effects sub-tab.
Applying an Effect
- Select one or more fixtures
- Click an effect button to activate it — the effect starts running immediately
- Click No Effect to stop
Effect Library
Effects are organized into categories:
Color Cycling
Smoothly transitions between colors.
| Effect | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|
| 2 Color | Alternates between 2 colors you choose |
| 3 Color | Cycles through 3 chosen colors |
| 4 Color | Cycles through 4 chosen colors |
| RGB | Cycles red → green → blue → red |
| RGB Snap | Snaps between red, green, blue (no fade) |
| CMY | Cycles cyan → magenta → yellow |
| Red-Green | Alternates red and green |
| Red-Blue | Alternates red and blue |
| Green-Blue | Alternates green and blue |
| Random | Random color each cycle |
Flick Effects
Rapid single-color flashes against black.
| Effect | Color |
|---|---|
| Blue Flick | Blue flash |
| Green Flick | Green flash |
| Red Flick | Red flash |
| White Flick | White flash |
Sequential Patterns
Fixtures light up one at a time in order — like a marquee.
| Effect | Direction |
|---|---|
| Sequence | Left to right |
| Sequence Reverse | Right to left |
| Middle Out | Center outward to edges |
| Middle In | Edges inward to center |
Chase Effects
A “lit window” of fixtures moves through the line — the rest stay dark.
| Effect | Direction |
|---|---|
| Chase | Forward |
| Chase Reverse | Reverse |
| Chase Inside-Out | Center outward |
| Chase Outside-In | Edges inward |
| Chase Inverted (+ variants) | The dark window moves instead of the lit one |
Wave Effects
A rolling brightness wave moves through the fixtures — think of a stadium wave.
| Effect | Direction |
|---|---|
| Wave | Forward |
| Wave Reverse | Reverse |
| Wave Inside-Out | Center outward |
| Wave Outside-In | Edges inward |
| Wave Inverted (+ variants) | Inverted wave pattern |
Pulse Effects
Fixtures pulse in brightness — together, rotating, or phased.
| Effect | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Pulse | All fixtures pulse together |
| Pulse Rotate | Pulse point moves across fixtures |
| Hybrid Pulse | Combined pulse pattern |
| Phased Pulse (+ variants) | Fixtures pulse offset from each other |
Alternation
On/off toggle patterns.
| Effect | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Switching | All toggle on/off together |
| Alternate | Even/odd fixtures alternate |
| Alternate Reverse | Reverse alternation |
Wash Effects
Uniform color movement across all fixtures.
| Effect | Pattern |
|---|---|
| Wash | Uniform pulse |
| Wash Phased | Phased uniform wash |
Atmospheric
Complex decorative effects for special looks.
| Effect | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Twinkle | Random flicker (candle/star effect) |
| Rainbow | Moving color gradient (forward) |
| Rainbow Reverse | Moving color gradient (reverse) |
| Meteor | Rapid color sweep (comet trail) |
| Meteor Reverse | Reverse meteor |
| Fairground | Rapid on/off sweep (carnival lights) |
| Fairground Reverse | Reverse fairground |
Effect Controls
Three sliders control how the active effect behaves:
Speed (Beat-Synced)
The speed slider ranges from -3 to +3, representing beat divisions relative to the master BPM:
| Slider Value | Beat Division | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| -3 | 8/1 | One full cycle every 8 beats (very slow, dramatic) |
| -2 | 4/1 | One cycle every 4 beats (one bar in 4/4 time) |
| -1 | 2/1 | One cycle every 2 beats |
| 0 | 1/1 | One cycle per beat (default) |
| +1 | 1/2 | Two cycles per beat |
| +2 | 1/4 | Four cycles per beat (fast, energetic) |
| +3 | 1/8 | Eight cycles per beat (very fast, strobe-like) |
The BPM comes from your active beat source — audio beat detection, Ableton Link, or manual tap. If no source is active, it defaults to 120 BPM.
Tip
Double-click the speed slider to reset to 0 (one cycle per beat).
Crossfade (0–100%)
Controls how smoothly colors transition:
- 0% — Hard snap between colors (dramatic, punchy)
- 100% — Fully smooth blend (gentle, flowing)
Not all effects support crossfade. When unsupported, the slider dims to 30% opacity.
Spread (0–100%)
Controls how the effect is distributed across selected fixtures:
- 0% — All fixtures do the exact same thing at the same time
- 100% — Maximum offset between fixtures (creates movement across the line)
Not all effects support spread. When unsupported, the slider dims.
Multi-Color Effects
Effects like 2 Color, 3 Color, and 4 Color need you to choose which colors to cycle between:
- Activate the effect — color selection buttons appear
- Click a button to choose from presets, or click the palette icon for a custom color picker
- In the custom picker modal, drag on the color wheel and click Apply
Walkthrough: Setting Up a Beat-Synced Chase
- Select all 8 of your LED pars
- Press C → click Color Effects sub-tab
- Click Chase — fixtures start chasing left to right
- Set Speed to 0 (one chase cycle per beat)
- Set Crossfade to about 30% — gives a slight fade between steps
- Set Spread to 50% — the chase window is wider, covering ~4 fixtures at once
- The chase is now running and synced to your music's BPM
- You can record this look as a cue (see Section 10)
9. Position Effects
Position effects create automated movement patterns for moving fixtures — circles, figure-eights, sweeps, and more.
Opening Position Effects
Navigate to Positions → Position Effects sub-tab.
Applying a Position Effect
- Select one or more moving fixtures
- Click an effect pattern button — fixtures begin moving immediately
- Click No Effect to stop
Available Patterns
| Effect | What It Looks Like |
|---|---|
| Circle | Circular motion |
| Figure-8 | Horizontal figure-8 |
| Vertical Figure-8 | Vertical figure-8 |
| Up-Down | Vertical sweep |
| Left-Right | Horizontal sweep |
| Box | Rectangular path |
| Diamond | Diamond-shaped path |
| Arc | Curved arc motion |
| Burst | Radiating burst outward |
| Cross | Cross-shaped movement |
| Opposites | Paired fixtures move in opposing directions |
| Random | Unpredictable random movement |
| Random Pairs | Paired random movement |
| Triangle | Triangular path |
| Star | Star-shaped path |
Position Effect Controls
| Control | Range | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Speed | 1–100 | How fast the pattern cycles |
| Size | 1–100 | How big the movement is (% of available range) |
| Phase | -50 to +50 | Timing offset between fixtures (creates wave-like staggering) |
| Direction | Forward / Reverse / Bounce | Which way the pattern runs |
Tip
Double-click any slider to reset it to its default value.
Direction Modes
| Mode | What Happens |
|---|---|
| Forward | Pattern runs normally |
| Reverse | Pattern runs backwards |
| Bounce | Pattern alternates forward and backward |
Combining Position Effects with Fan
The Fan Pan and Fan Tilt sliders in the Position Effects panel are synced with Manual Control. Adjusting the fan spreads the effect's center point across your fixtures — creating complex composite movement.
Example: Set a Circle effect, then add Fan Pan of +20. Instead of all fixtures circling in the same spot, each fixture circles around a different center point, spread across the stage.
Limits Warning
If position limits are enabled (from Manual Control), an alert appears in the Position Effects panel. Effects are constrained within the limit area — so your circle effect won't send beams where you don't want them.
Walkthrough: Creating a Phased Circle Effect
- Select your 4 moving heads
- Press P → click Position Effects sub-tab
- Click Circle — all heads start circling
- Set Speed to 40 (moderate pace)
- Set Size to 60 (medium circles)
- Set Phase to +25 — each head is offset in timing, creating a “wave” of circles rippling down the truss
- The result: a flowing, organic movement pattern across all your movers