SoundSwitch's Static Looks feature is a quietly powerful creative tool that allows you to craft finely tailored moments that can be deployed in a variety of methods within your larger lightshow. This guide serves to cover the fundamentals of creating and confguring static looks, as well as outline some creative solutions that static looks can contribute to in your lightshow. 


Getting Started with Static Looks


If you're new to using static looks, or care for a refresher on the fundamentals, please begin by checking out the step-by-step tutorial video below. This guide will get you up to speed and comfortable with the creation and configuration process:





Fixture Inclusion During Editing


When configuring your static looks, it's important to remember that the fixtures you wish to include in that static look must be defined in order to function as expected. To include a fixture in your static look, ensure that the checkbox to the right of that fixture's name has been selected in the Static Look Settings menu:


With this in mind, be aware of the following rules in respect to fixture behavior based on inclusion/exclusion from a static look:


  • If you want a fixture to be included with your static look, ensure the checkbox shown above has been checked.
  • Fixtures not included in the static look will continue to operate in accordance with the currently playing autoloop or autoscript. 
  • If you want a fixture to be included in a static look, but remain off while the static look is enabled, ensure that the inclusion checkbox has been ticked and the intensity value for that fixture set to zero. 


With these rules in mind, you stand to encounter minimal confusion when configuring and customizing your static looks. 



Creative Solutions with Static Looks


At their core, static looks function precisely like scenes in traditional DMX software. This allows for granular editing of fixture settings that are otherwise not feasible when generating autoloops or autoscripts. They also allow for more diverse on-the-fly effect moments during live performance that extend beyond the scope of Performance Mode's override controls. Below, we've included some examples of useful deployments of static looks:


  • Creating Event Scenes: Be it a first dance, cocktail hour, or any other singular vibe, you can enable to static look to dial your exact specifications for any planned or emergent moments during your performance or event.

  • Granular Effect Fixture Control: Since static looks allow you to specify attribute behavior on a per-fixture basis, you can use a static look to trigger a specific combination of your effect fixtures to add an exclamation mark to your drops, hooks, or other climactic moments. For example, if you are running fog machines in combination with lasers or cold sparklers (or any other effect fixture, really), you can dial a static look to trigger those fixtures to your exact specifications in those moments of punctuation in your performance.

  • "Expanded" MIDI Control: Following the logic of the above strategy, you can MIDI map your supported MIDI controller to specific static looks, creating an ersatz bandolier of pre-built effect triggers and looks to interstitially color your autoloops and scripted tracks during performance.


If you're interested in learning more and sharing your creative solutions with static looks, consider joining the SoundSwitch User Group! Our users are enthusiastic to share their builds and creative deployments within SoundSwitch. 


Need Help? Feel free to reach out to us at [email protected]