grandMA3 Plugin
The FrenschPress plugin for grandMA3 lets you set up the FrenschPress right on the console. You map buttons, encoders and Stream Deck keys with colours, images, button sets and pages, and save everything to the FrenschPress in one step. You don't need a browser for any of it.
The import creates three entries in the Plugins pool:
| Plugin | Job |
|---|---|
| FrenschPress Setup | The editor: map controls, save, sync, presets and layouts |
| FrenschPress Feedback | Reports executor state to the FrenschPress so its buttons light with the console |
| FrenschPress Encoder | Helper for the Attribute Encoder type: selects attributes and turns them like a wheel of the encoder bar. You don't run it yourself. |
Requirements
| FrenschPress | Firmware 1.5.6 or later (plugin 2.0) |
| grandMA3 | Version 2.5.1 or later |
| Network | Console and FrenschPress on the same network and IP range |
| FrenschPress plugin "grandMA3" | Installed on the FrenschPress and up to date (1.8 or later), see Network Targets & Plugins |
| Stream Deck | Optional. Supported: 15-key deck (MK.2) and Stream Deck + |
Installation
The plugin comes as a single download, FrenschPress Plugins.xml. It holds all three plugins plus the logo and pool image.
- Copy the file to a USB stick under
gma3_library/datapools/plugins/FrenschPress/. On grandMA3 onPC, use the same folder of the local library. - On the console, open Show Creator → Import → Plugins and import
FrenschPress Plugins. - FrenschPress Setup, FrenschPress Feedback and FrenschPress Encoder appear in the pool.
First start: setup assistant
The first time you run FrenschPress Setup in a show, the setup assistant opens. It takes you through the connection in three steps.
1. CONNECTION
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| FrenschPress IP | Address of the FrenschPress. Factory default 192.168.1.10. |
| Username / Password | The login you set in the FrenschPress web interface |
CONNECT checks that the FrenschPress answers and accepts the login. While doing so, the plugin also reads:
- the address through which the console reaches the FrenschPress,
- the FrenschPress OSC input port,
- the connected Stream Deck model,
- the active button set.
The result shows on the left, in green when the connection succeeded.
2. GRANDMA
| Field | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| grandMA3 IP | Console address the FrenschPress sends its commands to. Detected automatically; it should be in the same IP range. | – |
| OSC port | Port on which the console receives OSC from the FrenschPress | 8012 |
| Feedback port | Port on which the FrenschPress receives OSC (its OSC input port). Read from the FrenschPress. | 53001 |
You can usually leave these values as they are. If your network differs, adjust them here.
3. FINISH SETUP
FINISH SETUP stores everything and sets up:
- the OSC line on the console that the FrenschPress sends commands through,
- the Feedback plugin, which starts right away,
- with a Stream Deck attached: a short press on the TOOLS key opens the editor from then on,
- if the FrenschPress already carries grandMA3 mappings, the editor takes them over.
The editor then opens. If you close the assistant before FINISH SETUP, nothing is stored and it comes back next time. SETTINGS → Setup assistant → START opens it again at any time.
Loading the template
TEMPLATE → LOAD TEMPLATE (PRESET + LAYOUT) loads a ready-made programming template: a preset for Set A and a three-page Stream Deck layout (Program, Select & value, Store & edit) with feature groups, encoders and the most used console keys. The Stream Deck + gets its own four-page template. The template replaces the deck's current layout without backing it up first. Save it under Presets & layouts beforehand if you want to keep it. The same template is also under PRESETS / LAYOUTS → Recall Stream Deck layout.
The editor
The device picture is on the left, the properties of the selected control on the right. Every change is stored in the show straight away. It reaches the FrenschPress only when you press SAVE TO FRENSCHPRESS.
Title bar
| Button | Function |
|---|---|
| Device name | Green with the FrenschPress name while it is reachable. Red with no login or NO DEVICE otherwise. Tap to check now. |
| SYNC FROM FP | Reads the shown button set or Stream Deck page from the FrenschPress, see Syncing |
| FEEDBACK ON / OFF | Starts or stops the Feedback plugin. Green: running. |
| PRESETS / LAYOUTS | Presets and Stream Deck layouts on the FrenschPress, see Presets & layouts |
| SETTINGS | Connection, login, Stream Deck model and further settings |
Below it, FRENSCHPRESS (showing the active set) and STREAM DECK (showing the model) switch between the two views.
FrenschPress view
The eight FrenschPress controls: < LEFT, RIGHT >, PUSH + LEFT, PUSH + RIGHT, ENCODER PUSH, STOP, GO and PAUSE. They match the controller view in the web interface.
SET A / SET B / SET C at the top left switch the button set you are editing. Each set has its own mapping in the editor. When the FrenschPress is reachable and the password is stored in SETTINGS, the FrenschPress switches its active set along with it.
Stream Deck view
Every key except the reserved TOOLS key can be mapped: keys 1–14 on the 15-key deck, keys 1–7 and the four encoders on the Stream Deck +. Keys carry their page in the name (P1 KEY 1, P2 KEY 1 …).
Keys the FrenschPress uses itself on that page are grey and locked:
TC: the fields of the timecode row,STOP/GO/PAUSEandQLAB: the middle keys of the display rows.
If such a key was mapped before, the mapping is kept. The editor names it as hides …, and on pages where the key is free it works as usual.
| Button (bottom) | Function |
|---|---|
| P1 – P4 | The FrenschPress pages |
| + PAGE | Adds a new page on the FrenschPress and selects it |
| - PAGE | After a confirmation, removes the last page on the FrenschPress, with everything mapped on it |
| DISPLAYS | The deck's timecode, STOP/GO/PAUSE and QLab displays: on/off, pages, row. Sent to the FrenschPress straight away. |
| MOVE KEY | Moves the selected key: tap MOVE KEY, then the target key on the same page. Tap again to cancel. |
Since firmware 1.5.7, page keys (Next page, Previous page) are assigned in the web interface with the Key action.
Mapping a control
- Tap a control. The right side shows only the fields its type needs.
- Choose the Type and fill in the fields, or take the mapping from the console with LEARN FROM CONSOLE.
- Optionally set Label, Appearance and, on Stream Deck keys, an Icon.
- Write it to the FrenschPress with SAVE TO FRENSCHPRESS.
Type
| Type | Effect |
|---|---|
| Empty | Not mapped |
| Executor Key | Presses an executor key. Press and release sends press and release, Latch releases on the next press. |
| Executor Fader | Sets the fader to a fixed value (button) or changes it relatively (encoder) |
| Executor Encoder | Turns the executor encoder relatively, step −10 … 10; minus turns left |
| Attribute Encoder | Works like a wheel of the encoder bar on the current fixture selection, see Attribute Encoder |
| Speed Master | Taps the tempo (Tap) or sets a fixed value (Set BPM) |
| Custom Command | Any grandMA3 command line. Execute runs it at once, Add to Command Line only appends it. Optionally with its own release command. |
| Sequence from pool | Places a pool sequence on an executor of the FrenschPress bank |
| Macro from pool | Runs a macro from the pool |
| Feature Group | Selects a feature group (Dimmer, Position, Gobo, Color, Beam, Focus, Control …) |
| Console Button | A console key such as Store, Fixture, Group or Please. Console key writes into the command line as on the desk, Execute command runs a complete command. |
| Quickey from pool | Fires a Quickey from the pool |
| Linked macro | Read-only: a macro the plugin did not create, for example from the web interface. See Saving. |
Plus, for every type:
| Field | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Label | Macro name on the FrenschPress and Stream Deck key text. Empty: the type name or the object name. |
| Appearance | Colour and image from the console's Appearance pool, see Colours and images |
| Icon | Stream Deck keys only: a symbol from a list with previews. Feature groups and console keys get their icon automatically (Automatic: …); None turns it off. The plugin also places the icons in the show's Images pool. |
Data pool
Sequences, macros and Quickeys are chosen from a list whose title bar shows the data pool. Tap it to switch, so a key can use content from any data pool of the show. The default is DATA POOL: SELECTED ON CONSOLE. The choice is kept on reload, in presets and when syncing.
Attribute Encoder
With the Attribute Encoder type, a FrenschPress encoder works like a wheel of the console's encoder bar, on the current fixture selection.
| Action | Effect |
|---|---|
| Select attribute | Selects an attribute (for example Pan, Tilt, Zoom) and brings it onto the encoder bar without changing its value. Default for buttons. |
| Select encoder | Selects encoder 1–5 of the visible encoder page. The key shows the encoder's name by itself. |
| Turn | Turns the selected attribute by the step, in the attribute's unit (degrees for Pan, percent for Dimmer) |
| Enter value | Opens the console's value dialog for the selected encoder |
Choosing the type for one encoder gesture sets up the whole encoder: PUSH = Enter value, LEFT/RIGHT = −1/+1, PUSH + LEFT/RIGHT = −0.1/+0.1 for fine adjustment. Without a fixture selection nothing happens; the plugin only writes a line to the history.
XKeys
The executor field takes a number or an XKey. Tap it for the list X1 – X16, or type X5 directly. grandMA3 treats XKeys as page executors (X1–X8 = 291–298, X9–X16 = 191–198). The editor shows them as 295 (X5).
Learn from console
LEARN FROM CONSOLE waits 15 seconds for something to happen on the console. Tap it again to cancel.
| On the console | Result |
|---|---|
| Press an executor key or XKey | Executor Key |
| Move a fader | Executor Fader at the new level |
Move a fader or encoder, on a turn control (< LEFT, RIGHT >, PUSH + …, Stream Deck + encoder) | Executor Encoder turning the same way |
Learn watches the currently selected executor page. When a sequence sits on several executors, the plugin takes the lowest number and says so in the status line.
Sequence from pool
The Sequence from pool type lists the sequences of the data pool, then the key function: Go+, Go-, Pause, Toggle, Flash, Temp, Swap, On, Off, Top or Select.
The plugin places the sequence on an executor of the FrenschPress bank. This is an executor page of its own (default 999, named "FrenschPress"), and the plugin sets the key function there. The FrenschPress button then behaves exactly like the console key, including Flash and Temp on release, and lights while the executor runs.
The plugin creates the page on first use. If the show already uses that page number for something else, the plugin refuses. Pick another number under SETTINGS → Bank page.
CLEAR and CLEAR ALL
| Button | Effect |
|---|---|
| CLEAR | Resets the selected control to Empty |
| CLEAR ALL | After a confirmation, resets every control of the shown set or deck page to Empty |
Both take effect on the FrenschPress with the next save.
Colours and images
The Appearance controls the colours on the FrenschPress and the Stream Deck. Tap it for the console's appearance list. New appearance… creates one, Edit … opens the chosen one in grandMA3's appearance editor.
| Target | Effect |
|---|---|
| STOP / GO / PAUSE | The LED takes the appearance's rest colour for the saved set and lights at full brightness in the same hue on feedback. |
| Stream Deck key | Appearance back colour = active, appearance colour = rest. With the colour left at grandMA3 white, the key shows the back colour at 40 % at rest. |
| Appearance with an image | The image (grandMA3 symbol or show image) goes on the Stream Deck key without text, tinted the way grandMA3 draws it: full brightness on feedback, 55 % at rest. |
The plugin renders images on the console when saving, about 1–3 seconds per image, and shows the progress. Unchanged images are not sent again. Keys you gave an image in the web interface are left alone.
Saving
SAVE TO FRENSCHPRESS (bottom right) writes the mapping to the FrenschPress:
- always the FrenschPress buttons and encoder,
- with a Stream Deck attached, also the deck page selected in the editor.
If no password is stored, the plugin asks for it. The button is green only while a FrenschPress is reachable.
The plugin only replaces macros it created itself. Other macros on the FrenschPress, for example from the web interface, show in the editor as linked, read-only controls with their name and survive a save. If you clear or replace one, the plugin asks first.
The save goes to the page the deck currently shows. If you page the deck during the save, the plugin reports it. Leave the deck on the page you edited and save again.
Syncing
When the editor opens, and whenever you press SYNC FROM FP, it reads the mapping from the FrenschPress:
- grandMA3 macros (all types above except Linked macro) become editable controls again, appearance included. If the show lacks the appearance, the plugin recreates it.
- Other macros show as linked controls.
- If you have unsaved edits in the editor, it asks first.
SYNC FROM FP reads all three button sets and every deck page without switching the active set or page on the device.
The editor follows the FrenschPress: when you change the button set or page on the device or the deck, the editor follows within a few seconds.
Presets & layouts
| Entry | Function |
|---|---|
| Recall preset | Load a FrenschPress preset, into all sets or only Set A, B or C |
| Save current controls as preset | Save all three sets of the editor as a new preset on the FrenschPress |
| Recall Stream Deck layout | Load a saved layout for the connected deck |
| Save current Stream Deck layout | Save the current deck mapping as a layout under a new name |
Feedback
FrenschPress Feedback reports the console's state to the FrenschPress:
-
Executor keys light while their executor runs.
-
Fader mappings light while the fader is above 0.
-
Speedmaster keys blink in the speedmaster's tempo.
-
Encoder and feature-group keys show a thin frame in their active colour while their encoder or feature group is selected.
This applies to the FrenschPress buttons and the Stream Deck. Feedback starts by itself as soon as FrenschPress Setup is open. Use FEEDBACK in the title bar to stop and start it by hand.
The Feedback plugin sends to FrenschPress IP on the Feedback port from SETTINGS. If that port differs from the OSC port, it creates its own OSC line FrenschPress Feedback. The command line stays untouched.
Several FrenschPress units can share one console. Each gets its own feedback.
Macros you created in the web interface with the FrenschPress plugin grandMA3 get feedback too. After that plugin is updated on the FrenschPress, open and save such macros once more.
TOOLS key opens the editor
With a Stream Deck attached, a short press on the TOOLS key opens the editor on the console. Holding it still opens the on-deck menu.
Switch this on and off under SETTINGS → TOOLS opens Setup. The console's OSC line needs Receive Command switched on. The setup assistant takes care of that.
SETTINGS
| Field | Meaning | Default |
|---|---|---|
| Stream Deck | Model for the deck view: 15 keys - 5 x 3 or Plus - 8 keys + 4 encoders. When saving, the plugin checks that the connected deck matches. | – |
| FrenschPress IP | Address of the FrenschPress | – |
| Username / Password | FrenschPress login. With a stored password, saving and set changes no longer ask. | – |
| grandMA3 IP | Console address for the FrenschPress's commands | – |
| OSC port | Port on which the console receives commands | 8012 |
| Feedback port | FrenschPress OSC input port. Tap to read it from the FrenschPress. | 53001 |
| Bank page | Executor page of the FrenschPress bank | 999 |
| Art-Net TC slot / Art-Net TC setup | See Art-Net timecode | – |
| TOOLS opens Setup | A short press on the TOOLS key opens the editor, see above | – |
| Setup assistant | START opens the setup assistant again | – |
The password is stored in plain text in the show's user variables. Leave the field empty in shows you pass on.
Art-Net timecode
Art-Net TC setup → CONFIGURE sets up both sides after one confirmation, so that grandMA3 receives the FrenschPress Art-Net timecode:
- On the FrenschPress, Art-Net timecode is switched on.
- On the console, the Art-Net input, the interface and an input for Stream ID 0 are set up and assigned to the chosen Art-Net TC slot. The slot is then named
FrenschPress.
Finally, grandMA3's Art-Net interface list opens. Select the interface there once. grandMA3 onPC only binds Art-Net reception after that.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
Title bar red / NO DEVICE | Check IP and network. The FrenschPress must be reachable on port 80. Tap to check now. |
| Buttons do nothing on the console | Check the console's OSC line: UDP, Input, Output, Receive, Send, Receive Command and Send Command on, port as OSC port in SETTINGS. Without Send Command, grandMA3 2.5 reports Illegal Property. The quickest fix is to run the setup assistant again. |
| Buttons don't light | FEEDBACK must be green. Tap Feedback port so it is read from the FrenschPress. |
| "Bank page" is refused | The page is already used in the show. Pick a free number in SETTINGS. |
| Deck mapping lands on the wrong page | Don't page the deck while saving, then save again. |