FocusMANUAL & QUICK START
Your first
focus session.
Get connected, make your controller feel right and find help when something does not work.
For the Windows app, version 1.0.1. macOS and Linux builds are targeted for later this month. Control labels in this guide match the English app.
Quick start.
You need a Windows PC or handheld, a recognised gamepad, a v1 license and access to your MagicQ system. Start with a small test group so you can check the result on the console.
Download and activate.
Sign in to the customer portal, purchase your license and download the available Windows build. Open FocusRemote, sign in with the same email address and activate this device. A license supports up to two active devices.
Prepare MagicQ.
Connect both systems to the same network. Open Setup → View Settings → Network. Set Ethernet Remote Protocol to Chamsys Rem (RX no header). Enable the MagicQ web server as well. FocusRemote sends commands without a CREP header; a header-requiring receive mode will not work. In MagicQ, select Group Window → View Heads → Sel Group. FocusRemote does not turn this setting on for you.
Apply your connection.
Open Network. Start with Direct IP, enter your MagicQ computer or console’s address and choose the appropriate adapter, or Automatic. If MagicQ runs on this same computer, use 127.0.0.1. Default ports are UDP 6553 and HTTP 8080; they must match MagicQ. Advanced fields are in Ports & help.
Press Apply connection, then Check names connection. Confirm that your groups and Positions load. Applying a connection ends the current session and turns Remote off.
Check your gamepad.
Connect the controller and open Controller. Move the sticks and press buttons to check the drawing responds. Select Classic for the default layout. Return to Focus, release every button and centre both sticks.
Focus your first head.
Enable Remote. To save your adjustments later, select a Position to recall it automatically first. Then open Select Group and choose your test group. Wait for Group Ready, then press Start Focus. The app checks the heads page again before starting. If the selected-group list format is missing or the head order changed, focus stays blocked; check Sel Group and reselect the group. Move the left stick gently and verify the intended head moves. Use A for Next, B for Previous, LB for Fine and RB for Fast.
Save and finish.
If you recalled a Position and want to keep your adjustments, press Update and check its target and any confirmation on MagicQ. End Focus stops local focus tracking; it does not clear MagicQ’s programmer. Turn Remote off when finished. To start again, reselect the group and press Start Focus.
Everyday controls.
These are the Classic preset assignments. Your custom mapping can be different.
| Control | Action |
|---|---|
| Left stick | Pan / Tilt |
| Right stick | Focus horizontally / Zoom vertically |
| A / B | Next / Previous head |
| LB / RB | Hold for Fine / Fast movement |
| X / Y | Locate / All Heads |
| View / Menu | Toggle Remote / Clear |
| D-pad | Unassigned in Classic |
On-screen Beam controls provide Focus, Zoom, Iris and Frost steps. The fixture personality must support the attribute. Movement requires Remote, an active focus session and movement transmission enabled.
All Heads and Clear invalidate local focus tracking. After a selection change on MagicQ, reselect the group and start focus again. FULL or F11 toggles fullscreen.
Recall & Update.
You must Recall a Position before saving with Update. Update stays locked until a Recall command has been sent successfully. Clear or changing the connection locks it again. Selecting a Position now sends Recall automatically when Remote is enabled. Opening the picker or editing an unfinished manual number does not send Recall.
- With Remote enabled, choose a Position by name to recall it immediately. For a manual number, finish editing or release the drag to recall it. The Recall button can recall the current selection again.
- Reselect your group and press Start Focus before moving.
- Adjust the intended fixtures.
- Press Update and check the target and any confirmation on MagicQ.
There is no Store button and no separate macro is required for every position. End Focus does not save your adjustments to a palette.
Your focus screen.
The main page has Group/Head and Position/Beam panels. On roomy landscape displays, the head number and buttons grow to use the available space. The head-order strip highlights the current head and the progress bar shows your place in the group. This is local tracking, not confirmed console feedback.
The status distinguishes active focus, Remote off, activation required, Raw Mode and movement transmission off. A green Remote button alone does not mean a focus session is active.
On larger screens, Focus, Zoom, Iris and Frost have direct step buttons. Compact screens open these controls in the Beam popup. Where space allows, the lower-right Live Sticks preview shows both physical stick inputs, their assigned functions and whether controller movement is enabled or paused. The square plots show controller input, not fixture position.
The small Session details & setup link beside the title opens a separate, resizable window with connection status, setup reminders and controller diagnostics. Close it with Close or the window’s X. There is no separate footer strip. Use FULL or F11 for fullscreen.
Your controller, your layout.
Open Controller and select a control in the drawing, or press its physical button to identify it. Choose the action in the editor. Select a stick’s horizontal or vertical axis to assign Pan, Tilt, Focus, Zoom, Iris, Frost or Unassigned, and reverse the axis if needed.
- Classic: A/B navigation, X Locate, Y All Heads; left stick Pan/Tilt and right stick Focus/Zoom.
- Focus & Update: Y Update, D-pad Up Recall of the selected Position, D-pad Down All Heads.
- Left-handed: right stick Pan/Tilt, left stick Focus/Zoom; D-pad Left/Right navigation, RB Fine and LB Fast.
Current edits save automatically. Use Save as new to keep a named custom preset. Use Update saved preset to replace your selected custom preset after editing. Built-in presets cannot be overwritten. Sensitivity settings are shared across presets.
Controller output pauses while Controller, Settings, Network or the account page is open. Return to Focus and release buttons and centre sticks before continuing. Rear buttons are available only if your controller driver exposes them as separate inputs.
Settings & network.
In Settings, adjust movement speed, Fine and Fast multipliers and deadzones. Increase the deadzone slightly if a resting stick drifts. You can also keep the app window on top, choose startup behaviour and access advanced movement limits.
Network fields are a draft until you press Apply connection. Use Direct IP for one known MagicQ address. Broadcast needs the correct network adapter and still requires a concrete MagicQ address for reading names over HTTP. Refresh adapters if your connection changes.
Groups and Positions have separate read statuses. Refresh explicitly when console data changes; FocusRemote does not continuously poll the console. A stale status means the last successful read is no longer recent.
Something not working?
Start with the symptom below. Turn Remote off while changing connection or controller settings, then test on a known group.
No groups or Positions appear
Check the MagicQ IP, web server and HTTP port. From the FocusRemote computer, open http://MAGICQ-IP:8080/group.html?1=Groups and http://MAGICQ-IP:8080/position.html in a browser, replacing the address and port with yours. If those pages do not load, check the local network, firewall and MagicQ web server. Allow the required traffic rather than disabling the firewall. In FocusRemote, Apply connection and Check names connection again.
Groups load, but no fixture moves
HTTP and UDP are separate. Check Setup → View Settings → Network → Ethernet Remote Protocol → Chamsys Rem (RX no header), the matching command port (default 6553), the target IP and the selected adapter. Return to Focus, enable Remote, select a group, wait for Group Ready and press Start Focus. Check movement transmission is enabled and Raw Mode is off. UDP Ready alone is not proof of console communication.
The wrong head or whole group moves
The app recognises the selected-group list by its End marker; this is a format check rather than explicit filter-state feedback. Stop movement and turn Remote off. Check Group Window → View Heads → Sel Group on MagicQ. Reselect the group in FocusRemote and start a fresh focus session. Console-side selections, Recall, Clear or All Heads can invalidate the local head tracking. Confirm the first head on MagicQ before continuing.
My controller is missing or stops responding
Check Windows recognises the gamepad, then reconnect it and check the Controller drawing. Advanced diagnostics includes device selection and input information. Return to Focus, release all buttons and centre the sticks. Setup pages intentionally pause controller output. Check your selected preset and that Raw Mode is off. If the controller disconnected during focus, reselect your group and start focus again.
The sticks drift, feel too fast or run backwards
Check axis assignments and reversal on Controller. In Settings, increase the deadzone for drift or lower movement speed. Use Fine for smaller adjustments. Save a named controller preset if you want to keep an alternative mapping; movement sensitivity is shared across presets.
Focus, Zoom, Iris or Frost does nothing
Check the selected fixture supports that attribute and its MagicQ personality exposes it. Confirm Remote is on, focus is active and movement transmission is enabled. Check the axis assignment for stick control, and try the corresponding Beam step button. These controls do not provide Colour or Intensity control.
Update is greyed out
Enable Remote, then select a Position to auto-recall it. Update unlocks only after a Recall command has been sent successfully. A failed Recall, Clear, a connection reset or sending a manual raw command requires another Recall. After Recall, reselect your group and Start Focus before adjusting. The app does not receive a console acknowledgement; check MagicQ’s target when you Update.
Start Focus reports “Selected-group list not detected”
On MagicQ select Group Window → View Heads → Sel Group, then reselect your group in FocusRemote. The app checks for the standalone End marker observed in selected-group HTML. Before Start Focus, it reads the page again and checks the ordered head numbers. A missing marker, changed order or failed read blocks starting. This recognises a page format; it cannot prove MagicQ’s filter state or group identity. If the error remains with the correct filter, send support your MagicQ version and the heads-page HTML.
Where is Highlight?
Locate and Highlight are different functions. This version provides Locate; it does not include the custom OSC-to-Highlight macro integration. Use Highlight on MagicQ itself when needed.
Recall stops movement, or Update changes the wrong palette
Selecting a Position automatically recalls it. Recall deliberately ends local tracking: reselect your group and press Start Focus. Update uses MagicQ’s current update targets, independently of the Position picker. Check the programmer, intended palette and any Update confirmation on MagicQ before trying again. See Recall & Update.
Remote is locked or my license will not activate
Version 1.0.1 requires an activated v1 license. Sign in with the email used for your purchase and check your license in the portal. Use the account link to open the portal in your default browser, or Copy portal link to paste the address yourself. If both device slots are occupied, deactivate an unused device there, then activate this one. Internet is needed for sign-in and activation. An already verified activation can work offline, but a local connection to MagicQ is still required. A portal deactivation takes effect at the app’s next successful online check.
I changed settings, but they do not apply or save
Network changes require Apply connection. Correct any validation errors first. If the app reports a save error, use its retry option and check the configuration location is writable. Applying a network connection turns Remote off, ends the session and locks Update. Enable Remote, select a Position to Recall it again, then reselect your group and start focus.
Still stuck?
Email info@4on.nl with:
- Your FocusRemote version, Windows version and MagicQ version.
- Your device and controller model, and Direct IP or Broadcast mode.
- The exact error, what you expected and the steps that reproduce it.
- The Network status and a screenshot. Use Copy log from the app’s log view if useful.
Check logs and screenshots for personal or show information before sharing. Never send sign-in codes, session tokens or private license signing keys.
Contact support