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Effect Wizard: beat-locked effects

Select fixtures, build Movement, Intensity and Color layers, lock the timing to the beat and save the result as a cue, with the Demo Venue rig.

The Effect Wizard takes a pattern, spreads it across the lights you select and saves the result as a cue list — no step-by-step recording required. This guide builds one beat-locked color effect on the PARs and one movement effect on the moving heads, using the Demo Venue rig’s patched fixtures and groups.

Open the Effect Wizard

  1. Click the Fixture Control card on the home screen.

    Home screen with the Fixture Control card, not yet clicked.

  2. Click Effect Wizard in the top bar.

    Effect Wizard screen: step indicator Fixtures / Layers & Preview at the top, stage layout in the middle.

Step 1 · Select your lights

  1. Click the group button text “All PARs (6)” above the stage layout — not the × next to it, which deletes the group.

    All PARs group selected; a '6 fixtures selected' badge at the start of the group row.

  2. Click Next.

    Layers & Preview step: three cards, Movement, Intensity and Color, all off.

Step 2 · Three layers, one preview

There are three layers here: Movement, Intensity and Color. Turn on one or more and pick a pattern for each; the wizard merges them into a single effect. The six PARs you just selected have no pan or tilt channels, so the Movement card says Not supported. The Live preview panel on the right starts playing the effect on the selected lights as soon as you turn on a layer. With no layer on yet, the bottom shows Enable at least one layer. and a grayed-out Save as cue button.

Set up the Color layer: Color Chase + Neon palette

  1. Click Off on the Color card.

    Color layer on, Rainbow pattern selected, preview running on the PARs.

  2. Click Color Chase in the pattern grid.

    Color Chase pattern selected in the grid, highlighted border.

  3. Click Neon under Palettes.

    Neon palette applied; four color swatches in the Colors row.

Set the tempo: BPM Mode

  1. Click BPM Mode in the bottom bar.

    Bottom bar with BPM Mode on: beat dots, BPM value, Tap and preset tempo buttons.

  2. Click the “128” preset.

    BPM value reads 128.0, the 128 preset button highlighted.

Lock the timing to the beat

  1. Scroll the left column down to Global settings.

    Global settings section: Offset source Sequence, Timing in Seconds, Duration slider, Steps 32, Phase spread 1, Direction Forward.

  2. Under Timing, click Lock to beat.

    Timing set to Lock to beat: Cycle (beats) 4, Delay (beats) 0, and a '4 beat @ 128 BPM = 1.88s' line.

  3. Drag the Phase spread slider from 1 to 0.

    Phase spread slider at 0.

Add the Intensity layer

  1. Click Off on the Intensity card.

    Intensity layer on, Chase pattern selected, Minimum and Maximum sliders visible.

  2. Drag the Minimum slider from 0 to about 60.

    Minimum slider at about 60; preview summary shows two badges: Intensity · Chase and Color · Color Chase.

Save the effect as a cue

If you wanted the same settings on other lights, Save template stores the layers and timing, and Load template brings them back. Here we save the effect itself.

  1. Click Save as cue.

    Save as cue dialog open, Name field filled with a random FX- name.

  2. Clear Name and type “Beat Colors”.

    Name field reads Beat Colors.

  3. Click Save in the dialog.

    Cue Stacks screen open; Beat Colors listed on the left, not yet selected.

  4. Click “Beat Colors” in the list on the left.

    Beat Colors selected; summary line shows 32 steps, loop mode.

  5. Click GO.

    Status reads Playing; the effect is live.

The cue follows the live tempo

  1. Click the “140” preset in the bottom bar.

    BPM value reads 140.0, the 140 preset highlighted, cue still playing.

Here’s the best part: the cue remembers the tempo it was saved at, 128 BPM. With BPM Mode on, raising the tempo speeds the effect up while it stays on the beat; bring it back to 128 and it slows down again. Even if the tempo changes later, you don’t have to rebuild the effect.

The Movement layer with moving heads

  1. Click the back arrow (←) in the header.

    Effect Wizard reopened on the Fixtures step, no lights selected.

  2. Click the group button “Spots (2)”.

    Spots group selected; a '2 fixtures selected' badge.

  3. Click Next.

    Layers & Preview step for the two moving heads; the Movement card is no longer marked unsupported.

  4. Click Off on the Movement card.

    Movement layer on, Circle pattern selected; both moving heads start drawing circles.

  5. Drag the handle in the Center (Pan / Tilt) pad downward.

    Center pad handle dragged toward the lower middle.

  6. Drag the Pan size slider from 64 to about 100.

    Pan size slider at about 100.

  7. Scroll down, click Lock to beat; drag Cycle (beats) from 4 to 8.

    Timing locked to beat, Cycle (beats) set to 8, with an '8 beat @ 140 BPM = 3.43s' line.

  8. Click Save as cue; type “Spot Circle” into Name; click Save.

    Cue Stacks screen with two cues listed: Beat Colors and Spot Circle.

Two effects at once

Since Beat Colors and Spot Circle drive different fixtures, they can run together: start Spot Circle, then start Beat Colors, and the moving heads trace a circle every eight beats while the PARs change color on every beat. The Cue Stacks header’s status and GO button only track the most recently started cue, though — the other one keeps playing quietly in the background.

What’s next

To sum up: select your lights, turn on the layers, pick a pattern, lock it to the beat and save it as a cue. Up next: Music Library and playlists, where you’ll manage your tracks and playlists in the same app.

Updated: October 8, 2026

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