Dear Showtec Support Team,
I am currently using a Showtec Lampy 20 for live lighting control, primarily for concerts with bands whose setlists, songs and tempos are unknown in advance.
First of all, I really appreciate the straightforward programming workflow and the flexibility of the FX engine. However, I have encountered a significant limitation regarding tempo control during live performances.
My current setup uses cue lists containing different movement effects, such as Circle, Figure-8, Random Movement and Pan/Tilt effects. These are programmed using the FX engine, allowing me to switch between different movements using the GO button.
During a live performance, I need to adjust the speed of these effects immediately to match the tempo of the music.
As far as I understand, the Lampy currently offers:
Global Chaser Speed with Tap Tempo
Global FX Speed with relative speed adjustments
Half / Double speed functions
Individual effect speeds defined in CPM
Effect Speed control via playback faders
However, I have not found a way to synchronize the FX engine directly to a global Tap Tempo.
When operating lights for bands without predefined setlists or click tracks, the tempo can change significantly between songs or even during a song.
Manually adjusting an FX Speed fader is not a reliable way to synchronize movement effects with the music. Even when the approximate BPM is correct, the effect may still be out of phase with the beat.
For example, when operating a punk or rock concert with songs ranging from 110 to 160 BPM, I need to be able to tap the current tempo and have my running movement effects automatically follow it.
Programming these movements as traditional chasers would create unnecessary programming work and defeat the purpose of using the FX engine, which otherwise allows complex movements to be created within seconds.
In my opinion, direct tempo synchronization is an essential feature for spontaneous live busking.
My suggestion would be:
It would be extremely useful to introduce the following functionality:
Global Tap Tempo for FX: A global Tap Tempo function that also controls the FX engine, rather than being limited to traditional chasers.
Selectable synchronization: The ability to assign individual effects, cue lists or playbacks to the global tempo master, while allowing other effects to run independently.
Musical subdivisions: Support for rhythmic divisions and multipliers (e.g. one complete effect cycle per 1, 2, 4 or 8 beats), allowing different effects to run at musically related speeds.
Physical Tap Tempo button: The possibility to assign Tap Tempo to a physical playback button for immediate access during performances.
FX phase synchronization: Ideally, an option to synchronize or restart the phase of running effects, ensuring that movements remain aligned with the beat rather than simply running at the correct speed.
There are some more quistions i would like to ask
Is there already a way to synchronize FX engine effects to Tap Tempo that I may have overlooked?
Is such functionality currently planned or being considered for a future firmware update?
Would it be technically possible to link the existing global Chaser Tap Tempo to the FX Speed master?
Is there an alternative workflow you would recommend for controlling FX-based movement effects in spontaneous live busking situations?
I believe this would be a major improvement to an otherwise very capable lighting console.
The Lampy already provides an excellent foundation for live operation, including cue lists, playback faders, virtual executors and a flexible FX engine. Adding proper BPM synchronization for FX would make it considerably more powerful for live music applications.
I would therefore appreciate it if you could forward this request to the Lampy firmware development team.
I would be very interested in your technical feedback and whether this functionality could be implemented in a future firmware release.
Thank you very much for your time and support.
Best regards,
Korbinian Messerer