Great recommendation! For learning any lighting console, I think there are three functions you need to get a handle on to be show ready. 1. PATCH - Patch fixtures and set addresses effectively. Cloning, multi-instance fixtures, networking and how to setup your show file for touring with new rigs every night are more advanced skills. But for starters, can you get the desk talking to the fixtures? 2. PALETTES / PRESETS - You need some kind of reference material to build looks and to busk with. A set of intensities, set of colours, a set of positions, a set of effects. Now you haven't done 4 things, you've created a matrix and have 16x options ready at your finger tips. Some guys refer to "corporate programming" as creating a look and then saving ALL: save your walk-in, show look, and video blackout, and there you go "a show". But I would never do that. My own pride wants to be able to drive & navegate this rig live, even with big look playback in place. 3. PLAYBACK - You may have very orderly and logical programming. Perhaps you "could" do anything. But can you activate that idea, seamlessly, in the hot-seat, within a beat of the show? When there is no time to navigate menus, or pages, or to toggle whatever. Can you press one button, and 'it' happens? Every show I do has an intensity fader for each fixture group. This fader is coupled with a stack of intensity effects & bump. Having a button that scrolls through each of your palettes is handy: color, positions, gobos, prisms. MA calls it a "temp" fader and many other consoles have a similar feature, where a fader gradually moves into a piece of content. Having fixture tilt as a single parameter record on a temp fader can be super powerful. Let your imagination explore other applications! Finally don't forget your base show cues; you should have a handful in your pocket regardless of the show type (walk-in, default show/or busk look, and a rig blackout (not the DBO Master)) . And a ballyhoo, chase effect, and blinders on the ready.

Mark Hunt 40+ Lighting & Drafting (primary)