Why Qlab?

TL;DR:
Qlab is supposedly a powerful application – but why is Brian spending a year to write about it?

The Story:
As anyone who has worked with me on a live show will attest, I am a HUGE Qlab junkie. I try to use it for everything – partly just to test the limits of it as an interface for everything. I cover a lot of ground working across audio, video, and lighting on productions of all sizes. So, consistency is a nice luxury. I like to say that it does everything for me except make coffee at the beginning of a work call (which, with a networkable coffee maker, that would be TOTALLY possible).

The Esoteric Bit:
In last week’s post, I presented a number of topics that I will be covering. Most, but not all, were related to Qlab (let’s be honest, almost all of the rest are related to the work I do around Qlab!) But what are some of the scenarios where I am/have used this program, which is often associated with audio & video playback? Why should you care? Imagine these scenarios where I have used Qlab:

• Designing digital scenery during a schedule crunch and manipulating video content in real time, saving on re-rendering
• Syncing audio, video, and lighting cues, or supplying power to audio practicals without having to add “empty cues” to the lighting team
• Generating automated show reports that are emailed to the Stage Manager immediately after the show, with all of the times that they would have had to use a stopwatch or clock for, thereby freeing up their focus and time
• Automating sound check so that the engineer has more time for other duties, or to ensure that no matrices are missed
• Creating an entire backup band in a box, complete with video projections and MIDI triggers
• Giving a countdown timer and 5/3/1 Minute warnings to corporate event speakers
• Use a PDF copy of your script marked with all of your cues, and reading it and flipping pages while still running your cues.
• Taking a photo of the band’s set list with your phone in the dressing room, and have it pop up on your laptop screen when you get to the FoH mixing position, along with your mixing notes for those songs, the archive recording of the show is rolling, house music fades out, and the band’s stage computer with the backing tracks starts.  All with ONE button.

So…yeah. That is why I’m writing these tutorials. Next week we’ll do a basic run-through of the interface, which I give all of my students, just so everyone reading this is up to speed.

Cheers!
-brian