Controlling track contents via triggers

This function requires the Pro License or higher. See Licenses and functions.

In order to be able to fade the entire track contents in or out at a mouse-click or push of a button, you need to assign variables to the tracks and create triggers with the corresponding action for the fade. These triggers can later be placed into the Control panel or, alternatively, executed via remote control. See also Executing triggers.

Grouping tracks and linking them up with variables

In order to fade the track contents in or out during a presentation you need to form groups by assigning variables which allows separate fading in/out of the tracks via triggers.

In the Media Pool highlight Variables and right-click the right Media Pool section. Select Add variable Value Out.
Name this variable A, for instance, and create a second value variable of type Value Out named B likewise. It is useful to choose short names as they are shown in the track head in front of the actual name. These two variables allow you to from two track groups. Add new variables if you need more groups.
Highlight a track and, in the Properties Table, click on tab Picture Track or Video Track or Audio Track. Drag variable A from the Media Pool in the Properties Table and drop it into the field on the right next to Mix Variable. Repeat this for all tracks to be controlled via variable A.
Assign variable B likewise to the other tracks, thereby making two track groups available for controlling.

Continue by defining the triggers for controlling.

Creating triggers and defining fades

Right-click category Trigger in the Media Pool.
Right-click some free space and select Add trigger for the Properties Dialog to appear. Enter an appropriate name for the fade.
For Category select Variable and for Action choose Fade, for example. The following actions can be selected:
Continue + fade ...continues paused playback and fades over to the specified track group.
Fade ...fades over to the specified track group during playback.
Fade + pause ...fades over to the specified track group, followed by putting playback into Pause Mode.

In field Parameter on the right, you specify which track group is to be faded in in what way:
Variables ...here you specify the groups addressed by this particular trigger.
However, it makes a difference whether a mix group is entered in capital letters or in small letters:

- End value ...defines the target value for brightness, opacity, or volume for the mix groups in capital letters.
- Time ...defines the duration of the fade. Please note that entry must be in tenths of seconds.

Click OK and create further triggers likewise, e.g. Fade in A, Fade out A, Fade in B, Fade out B or Continue show, depending on what the trigger is to achieve. Tip: Right-clicking an existing trigger and selecting Add trigger duplicates the corresponding trigger, so that you only need to enter the name and change a few parameters.

Note: A trigger only allows fading in or fading out of a track group. For a dissolve you will have to combine two triggers in a trigger list. See Executing several triggers according to a list.

Now click on tab Control Panel. The Control Panel tab is located in the same place as the Audio Level tabs. See also The Program Window. As an alternative, you can assign a function key to the trigger. See also Executing triggers via function keys or remotely controlled via the Wings Avio System using Wings Touch.
Grab the triggers in the Media Pool at their icons and drag them into the Control Panel one after the other for the corresponding control panel fields to be created.
These control panel fields can be grabbed at the title bars and moved. The control panel fields snap to the suggested checkerboard pattern on the Control Panel.

Live fade between mix groups

After completing all the preparations you should have a sufficient number of parallel objects, i.e. pictures, video or sound, etc. on the tracks of the mix groups. You can now test playback:

During playback you can fade over from the current image blend to the other mix presets. To do so, click one of the trigger buttons on the Control Panel. Or press a function key, if one has been assigned to the triggers. See also Executing triggers.
Status bar Mix in the track head will show you how the track transparency has been changed by the mix variable.

By executing a trigger via a function keys, all other triggers for which the same function key has been specified, will be executed as well. This way you can execute one trigger for fading in and one for fading out simultaneously.
When sound is late in crossfading, this may be due to the playback mode selected. Choose a faster mode, provided that your sound card is still able to work reliably. See Options – Project Options – Audio.
However, triggers can also be executed via external keypads or serial commands. See also Wings Vioso RX remote control.
When presenting from the computer, you should set up two monitors or a monitor and a video projector, respectively, with extended desktop and assign the screen to one of the displays, so that Wings Vioso RX and the Control Panel remain accessible.