Sean - I'll e-mail you directly & explain this rather than post something that goes too far off-topic.

[quote="Bob Ennis"]Personally, I subscribe to the opinion that if I need to use a macro (on ANY switcher) then it means that the switcher itself is inheirently lacking the functionality that I need - for example, I believe that I should be able to attach a replay wipe to a crosspoint WITHOUT having to go through a macro or a timeline.[/quote] Bob, I've been rolling this one around in my little brain for awhile now with no luck. Can you clarify for me? Sure you can call it something else, but if you are going to attach a replay wipe to a button, doesn't that inherently include some sort of programming, be it a timeline, a macro or a Photoshop action? Sean

I know that you can recall a snapshot via macros...don't know if you can use a macro to press the EFF DIS button. But if a 2nd snapshot has an EFF DIS as an attribute, then the macro should be able to accomplish what you're asking.

Can you program a macro to recall a snapshot, then effects dissolve to another snapshot?

AJR - Another difference is that while macros edit like timelines, they record button presses on the panel, while effect timelines record switcher states. So it is true that you could record an INSERT AFTER (effects editing) command into a macro - because it's a panel-oriented button press. Pressing a crosspoint button (like CAM 1) while recording a macro will store that crosspoint change in the macro register. Doing the same thing and inserting the condition as a keyframe stores it in the timeline. Playing back either the macro OR the timeline will in this case do the same thing. But a macro can be used to call up a timeline & play it. On a SONY, the timeline cannot be used to recall a macro. A timeline will interpolate between states - if a DME box is in the upper left on KF 1 & in the upper right on KF 2, running the effect will usually cause the DME to move from one position to another. A macro can record the two DME positions (if you specifically enter X, Y & Z values), but when played back the DME position won't interpolate...it'll pop from one place to the other. A timeline that does a transition on an M/E will try to take into account each & every part of the M/E state (like the condition of the keyers & their on & off states) - unless you take the time to cause a path ignore. A macro can initiate a CUT or AUTO TRANS & not care what type of transition is selected, what keyers are part of the effect, or the transition time...unless you force it to care by inserting macro steps that recall the states. In a nutshell, macros & timelines are separate memory areas that let you store various repeatable functions - the macros can't do everything a timeline can do, and a timeline may be more restrictive than a macro playback of simple button presses. One technique may be better for a given task than the other, but don't let the fact that the SONY lets you treat macro steps as if they were keyframes confuse you between what a macro is designed to do (replay button presses) vs. what a timeline can do (interpolate between switcher states). They're separate but equal tools. Personally, I subscribe to the opinion that if I need to use a macro (on ANY switcher) then it means that the switcher itself is inheirently lacking the functionality that I need - for example, I believe that I should be able to attach a replay wipe to a crosspoint WITHOUT having to go through a macro or a timeline.

[quote="AJR"]Rick, What I'm basically trying to figure out is how does the switcher know the difference between me hitting a button and inserting a keyframe vs. me hitting a button on the macro bus and inserting a keyframe vs. me hitting a regular old crosspoint button that has been "replace attached" with a macro and inserting a keyframe? -Allan[/quote] One difference I think is that to use macros on key bus, you need to turn on 'macro enable' on that ME

Rick, What I'm basically trying to figure out is how does the switcher know the difference between me hitting a button and inserting a keyframe vs. me hitting a button on the macro bus and inserting a keyframe vs. me hitting a regular old crosspoint button that has been "replace attached" with a macro and inserting a keyframe? -Allan

Hey Rick (or anyone), at NAB we were playing with building timelines with the path off. Is there anyway to have the transition module ignore itself as well. So if it is built with bgd as next trans, and I want to go with key 1, I am not able to. Theory being key 1's path is off, etc., Obviously macros do this just fine, but we were just playing with some ideas, etc thanks Bill

[quote="AJR"]All, I've only been in front of an 8k a handful of times and I'm not quite sure when I'll be back in front of one. As I've said in a previous post or two, my station is in the process of getting 2 8k's. A coworker of mine and I were talking the other night about how we could possibly build and manage effects. From what I understand, unlike the Kalypso, you can't include macros in a timeline. If this really is the case, is there anyway to get around it? Lets say I make M/E 3 key 4 my macro bus and at xpoint 1 on my macro bus, I have a macro that changes DSK 4 to a DDR source, split keys DSK 4 with another source, and turns DSK 4 on. I could build a timeline where the first keyframe kicks DSK 4 to the DDR as well as make it a split key, and the second keyframe turns the key on or I build a macro to do it all in one shot. What I'm basically trying to figure out is how come I can mimic a macro just by hitting a button, inserting a keyframe, hitting another button, inserting another keyframe (i.e. the way you'd build a timeline on 3/4k or a 7350) but can't include a macro into a timeline just by hitting a macro button (M/E 3 key 4 xpoint 1) on the macro bus and then inserting a keyframe? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance, -Allan[/quote] Alan, Like most things software-based, what you are asking for is coming -- jsut not here yet. Just like the Kalypso cannot edit any macros and has many other things that it can't do that the 8000 series can (and in a few cases, visa vera). However, there are serveral features you may not be aware of that will likely do what you want. First off, the 8000's timelines have a feature called PATH OFF that can tell the switcher to compltetly ignore a certain portion of the M/E on a timeline. while not perfect, you can do things like set KEY 4 to PATH OFF, then even when the timeline is running on the M/E, you can bring Key 4 in and out at will becuase it's been "removed" from the timeline. Maybe I read your scenerio wrong, but I didn't see anything there that even required the use of a timeline. What you described is just a simple macro. So, again unless I read it wrong, you would not need to have a timeline fire the macro -- just press the button. RE