Dmx Control

[scrooge 0]

Hello, out of interest do any of you guys use a computer/laptop to control your lightshow through dmx? I'm toying with the idea, Have had a look round a few programs that allow you to create scenes and sequences etc and then run them from the touch of a button. On the flip side not really used a dedicated controller before, will it be just the same as the programs on the computer? Thus does it make any sense to run it from the computer if a normal controller can do as good a job?

 

Thoughts and ideas gratefully received...

[D.X 0]

I use the Acme DMX controller and it's pretty sweet. Buying a laptop just to run DMX software would be a waste IMO. If you're already laptop based then you'll need an interface and some software. Chamsys do some free software but I don't know how good it is.

 

If I'm honest, when I upgrade I'll probably quit DMX, get some Martins and use the built in programs but the choice is yours.

[sandysounds 0]

This comes down very much to personal preference.

 

I use freestyler on a laptop....and love it. I've got scenes prepared, but i can also switch imediately to manual. I can't imagine letting my lights go wild and do their own thing again....I much prefer being able to control them. As i do mainly weddings, i find more and more clients don't want lights flashing in their guests eyes. I run an fx500 mania....uncontrolled its mad, whereas dmxed i can get it to only light the parts of the room i want it to on the gobo/colour i want at the speed i want. Its amazing what you can do with dmxed pars too........instead of just doing a fade in fade out colour wash effect, they can also become part of an exciting lighting show.

 

I also know people who use a controller and swear by it. You've got to find something that you are comfortable with and works for you.

[dh140770 0]

I use a Trancension JC-1 DMX Controller and it does pretty much everything I want it to do.

I am running 6 different types effects off it (i don't take them all out, but I like to vary my show).

 

What it gives me is control of the lights different parts of the night.

I have 4 chases set up, some which trigger the programmes in my martins, some which are fast, some are just triggering sound to light on the effects.

I also have 4 scene buttons to hand. 1 to set the lights up for slow dances, 1 to put all the lights on white and static for if you need to light the dancefloor for speeches, quicker than getting the house lights up sometimes, 1 just flashes the impossibled fast, and 1 strobes my megabars.

 

So all in all, 8 easy buttons. I can use it, my roadie can and so can the missus if she helps. Easy peasy.

 

A better controller would give me more scenes and chases, but i don't really need it to be honest.

[superstardeejay 0]

I have both. However, I really wouldn't want to use a laptop for lighting actually 'in use' at a venue (though lots of people successfully do!). I'd rather have a foolproof panel with buttons on that doesn't crash or require one's full attention to use..where I can hit a button at a particular time to get a particular effect and I know it will do it without using a mouse or pointer.

 

I use a PC based system simply for programming lightshows that I can upload to a hardware controller for use later or in an install. Using a PC for the actual design is much easier when compared to a 'DJ grade' controller since they normally come ready-programmed with macros or patterns so that for example you can get a moving head to describe a circle. Try doing that with a Scanmaster...you could do a hexagon, or a jerky octagon..but a circle? PCs think quickly and calulate vectors much more easily.

 

An example of this would be Martin Lightjockey (PC based) used in conjunction with a 2512 replay panel.

 

 

[YourBigEvent 0]

I have a Stairville DMX Master 1, and a Constella Commando 2 for the Chameleons.

 

Must try and see if the Chameleons work with the Starville

[Danno13 0]

I've used daslight on a couple of occasions and I own the dongle for it, but like Superstar Dj says, PC DMX control is often not really hands-on enough, though reliability doesn't concern me - daslight is bombproof!

 

I'm waiting until I buy a touch screen monitor to use it with, before I start using it reglarly. This will make it much easier to control. You can also input a basic DMX desk into the dongle so you can map the faders and buttons on that to control the software too!

[daryll 0]

Laptop with American DJ MYDMX.

The software is very close to daslight ( if not the same)

 

 

Daryll

[dh140770 0]

I'm waiting until I buy a touch screen monitor to use it with, before I start using it reglarly. This will make it much easier to control. You can also input a basic DMX desk into the dongle so you can map the faders and buttons on that to control the software too!

 

Touch Screen EEE pc ? Should be powerful enough to run DMX and be a good playback backup if another source fails ?

 

http://i.gizmodo.com/5124948/asus-t91-your...vertible-eee-pc

Edited January 16, 2009 by dh140770

[superstardeejay 0]

Must try and see if the Chameleons work with the Starville

 

Yes they will.

 

[D.X 0]

I run an fx500 mania....uncontrolled its mad, whereas dmxed i can get it to only light the parts of the room i want it to on the gobo/colour i want at the speed i want.

 

 

Do you have to program them for every different room or can you just write one program then limit how much the lights move for smaller venues ?

 

I have 2 programs. One which cycles through all the colours and gobos while scanning about the place and another which uses the same scanning points but with just the one gobo and in red for the slow dances.

 

Once the programs are writ I don;t think I can change any settings while they're running. Unless I'm missing something ?

[sandysounds 0]

Do you have to program them for every different room or can you just write one program then limit how much the lights move for smaller venues ?

 

I have 2 programs. One which cycles through all the colours and gobos while scanning about the place and another which uses the same scanning points but with just the one gobo and in red for the slow dances.

 

Once the programs are writ I don;t think I can change any settings while they're running. Unless I'm missing something ?

If you've got it running on a program.....thats what it does. But i've written programs for small and large rooms to avoid flashing in peoples eyes. Alternatively i just manually tell each light what to do.....only takes a couple of minutes between tracks.

 

Although I'm perfectly happy and on top of freestyler, other people have said that daslight it a more versatile program. I'd like to be able to compare them at some point and would be interesting to hear from someone who has tried both.

[superstardeejay 0]

@DX

 

I dont think you'll have time to reprogram sequences when you're actually DJing..not to any degree. Besides, one wrong click or press in the heat of the moment when being pestered by a drunken customer or when trying to cue up a dodgy track and you may cobble it up until you can retire with it to a quiet room!

 

The beauty of any controller..pc or hardware..is that, providing you can forsee your uses for the lights, you can program at your leisure a whole range of different sequences..for example slow dances, house, party, 60's, trance etc and tailor the effects within the lights just for those particular genres of tune. Recalling them is then easy on the night..if you have a hardware desk then put stickers over the buttons or attach a small piece of card reminding you of the effects under each program.

 

When I'm programming lights..by whichever method, I end up sitting on the floor with all the DMX personality tables of each light in front of me on A4 paper and a notepad to record what I've done under each sequence, button, file etc. This approach is particularly useful with the cheaper DJ controllers which dont have much of a display. With PC based DMX, you're generally free to annotate each icon or sequence with real text so you don't get lost in a sea of buttons and files.