Please Recommend DMX Lighting Software

[FredBear]

What MIDI messages are you outputting on the hardware faders?

 

Matt

I actually send "control change" messages. But I can set-up almost all MIDI types of messages.

 

After looking at the official ChamSys website, I've learned that ChamSys offer training curses. How much does it cost? And I live in Switzerland. Should I come to England?

[tvi675]

The easiest way would be if you set the fader up to output a note at different velocities, between 0 and 100, to match the fader percentage. Then in the MIDI mapping table, use the following:

 

144,36,0"1U"
144,36,1"1A"
144,36"1,%02L"

 

With this, when it receives note 36 at 0 velocity, it will release playback 1 to 0% (1U). When it receives not 36 at 1 velocity, it will activate the playback but with no level. The last line tells is to raise the level of playback 1 to whatever velocity note 36 is at. The %02 is a shortcut to map the velocity directly into the remote command. So if you raise the fader to 50%, then playback 1 will activate as you've sent a velocity of 1 as part of the fade, and the level will rise to 50 because you've given the command 1,50L to the software.. if that makes sense! In my head, this seems to work out although it is late and I've never tried it!

 

We offer the training courses for free however these are in the UK. We do sometimes go out to support our distributors with their training courses, or sometimes our distributors run them by themselves. We don't have control over the cost of courses that we don't organise. Get in contact with Audio Tech who are our Swiss distributor and let them know you're after some training!

 

Regards,

 

Matt

 

Edit: SPaG

[gareth]

Yes, MagicQ seems to be a good choice but... I think that they support only their proprietary wings. I don't want to buy a dedicated wing.

But Fred - you're getting Chamsys software (which is bloody good) for nothing - do you expect them to enable it to support a competitor's hardware on top of this?! That's simply not good business. The software is free, it supports some very cheap (non-Chamsys) DMX output options ; if the use you're going to put the software to is sufficiently serious for you to require hardware control surfaces, then I think it's reasonable of Chamsys to expect you to shell out a few quid for their own hardware to go with the software which they very generously allowed you to download for no cost, depsite the many, many hours of development and testing that have gone into it!

[smalljoshua]

Agreed. MagicQ is a very powerful piece of software and the interfaces aren't that expensive.

 

Josh

[FredBear]

But Fred - you're getting Chamsys software (which is bloody good) for nothing - do you expect them to enable it to support a competitor's hardware on top of this?! That's simply not good business. The software is free, it supports some very cheap (non-Chamsys) DMX output options ; if the use you're going to put the software to is sufficiently serious for you to require hardware control surfaces, then I think it's reasonable of Chamsys to expect you to shell out a few quid for their own hardware to go with the software which they very generously allowed you to download for no cost, depsite the many, many hours of development and testing that have gone into it!

 

Agreed. MagicQ is a very powerful piece of software and the interfaces aren't that expensive.

 

Josh

I agree with you guys but... I really need more faders for theater applications. I've always worked with a 48-channel DMX board connected to the controller (BlueLite has a DMX-IN) and in the latest months with a 48-fader MIDI controller which is more reactive. It's so useful to have direct control of faders when I've many many of generics to manage.

 

So yes probably, if the software meets my requirements, I'll buy a Wing.

[dbuckley]

I'm curious now FredBear - what control surface do you use?

[HobitLight]

I think that the OP is looking for faders to control individual lights, like a preset board, as opposed to playbacks, which is why he'd like 48 MIDI faders as opposed to the ten offered by the wings. For controlling generics on MagicQ you can simply use the command line. E.g. 1/6@65 ENTER.

 

Could the OP confirm if this is correct?

[FredBear]

I use two MIDI controllers:

• M-Audio Trigger Finger
  
• modified GLP Light Operator 48
  

I removed all electronic from GLP Light Operator 48 (appart faders and buttons) and replace it by MIDIBOX hardware and I've programmed the firmware. Now it's very reactive: true real-time. These chinese DMX boards have a great price but poor performances. This is why I modified it.

 

I've also 2x 17" LCD, keyboard, trackball, 2x lamp and a dedicated PC. All things are fixed in custom made flight case I ordered in France.

[norty303]

One thing you may like to consider for greater tactile use of MagicQ is a touch screen or 2. IMO this transforms the way you use the product, alongside a PC wing it removes the 'computer' element from the interaction.

 

I've been running MagicQ (normally the most recent beta) on my laptop (old P4, 1GB ram) since I started using it a couple of years ago and its been very stable (bar the obvious bugs that crop up in the beta) The laptop also sometimes has to work overtime and run Pangolin laser control software as well. Again, never had any problems. I think my PC wing is my most loved single item of kit, and I picked it up for around £800 2nd hand from someone on this board. A bargain when I think what it would cost to get similar functionality in a desk.

[FredBear]

My current set-up:

http://www.imagefreehost.com/files/04012009/jx27146938736.jpeg

This is before the modification of the GLP Light Operator 48 into a MIDI controller.

 

A picture of the modification:

http://www.imagefreehost.com/files/04012009/ks35001868345.jpeg

I've added all the blue wires and the small boards in the upper part.

 

The DIY-made dedicated PC box:

http://www.imagefreehost.com/files/04012009/ro61500612246.jpeg

 

And inside the PC box:

http://www.imagefreehost.com/files/04012009/uu15415347060.jpeg

 

Front features of the PC box:

• 230V main power supply switch (key)
  
• "security" switch which enable/inhibit other switches
  
• HDD selection switch (between main and redundant drive), can be hot switched without effect
  
• power on/reset switch
  
• DMX IN source and polarity selection (internal DMX board or DMX IN rear socket)
  
• DMX OUT polarity selection (can be reversed if needed)
  
• audio trigger source selection (PC sound card or rear socket)
  
• Plextor DVD slot-in drive
  

Rear features of the PC box:

• 230V power supply
  
• DMX IN (5-pin)
  
• DMX OUT (5-pin)
  
• audio trigger IN (Jack)
  
• SMPTE IN (cinch)
  
• SMPTE OUT (cinch)
  

Internal features of the PC box:

• ASUS P4P800 deluxe mainboard with P4 2.8GHz processor
  
• 2Gb RAM
  
• main and redundant HDD (only one is powered depending front selection switch) with same data (clone)
  
• low profile power supply (for PC and accessories like lamps and MIDI controllers)
  
• BlueLite X1 mini (DMX 512 1 universe/audio trigger/SMPTE IN/OUT)
  

Please feel to ask for more details.

 

This is why I don't want to change all what I did/bought. <_<

[dbuckley]

All very lovely and I do like the idea of retrofitting the GLP desk as a controller

 

This is why I don't want to change all what I did/bought. <_<

 

Now I dont understand why you want to change from BlueLite. Ok, so its not been updated for a while, but what do you feel you are missing, and what would you benefit from for changing?

[FredBear]

Some reasons:

• there is still not a real cue stack for theater. I've to enter fake times for each cue (these times must be longer than fade times). A real cue stack should be introduced in the new version.
  
• I can't introduce chases into a cue list (i.e. I want to make a cue with an alternate effect on color of each moving heads). I don't want to make a step in cue list for each color for each time, I want a loop which I can quit when I press the Go button like going next with a simple cue. I don't know if I'm clear, please ask if you don't understand. They have an effect generator which can be applied on a cue but only for position, not for other parameters.
  
• I've only 24 submasters (so I only use the half of the MIDI controller). The new version should have more.
  

I really love this software bus was thinking that I could use another software in the meantime before the new version is released (if it's released...?!)

[FredBear]

What would you do in my place? Should I continue looking at MagicQ? Are the BlueLite missing functions available with MagicQ?

 

HobitLight, isn't it simpler to adjust in live with a real fader rather than typing a command?

[Keeper of the Keys]

[offtopic]

Very nice Case/hardware mod...

How do you have total hotswapability of harddrives? As far as I can tell from your picture they use PATA, which afaik does not support hot-swapping....?

Also what do you use as SMTPE interface (ie. card/connector etc)?

[/offtopic]

[FredBear]

[offtopic]

Very nice Case/hardware mod...

How do you have total hotswapability of harddrives? As far as I can tell from your picture they use PATA, which afaik does not support hot-swapping....?

Also what do you use as SMTPE interface (ie. card/connector etc)?

[/offtopic]

 

Thanks! :biggrin:

 

You've right: it's PATA. I only switch power supply of HDD. There are some relays, a capacitor for memory (when it's powered, even if I switch, the relays stand in the same position until power off). So the PC has to reboot. In this way it's a cheap redundant set-up and I'm sure that spare HDD is completely disconnected from the power supply. The PATA data/cmd cable is connected to both HDD which are both configured as Master.

 

The BlueLite X1 mini has SMTPE IN and OUT.

 

EDIT: HDD are fixed (they are floating) by the mean of rubber cables in order to protect them from vibrations and from shocks during the transport.