Lighting iPad App

Chris Rigby

Member
My high school recently purchased an iPad as part of the sound set-up for an upcoming show. However, as the iPad will be usable by the entire technical department, we were looking for someway to make it useful for lighting as well. We have had heard about an app that could be used to control the lights over a wirless internet connection, but are unsure how to go about doing that or even what app to use. Does anybody have experience with that, any other use for an iPad in lighting? Any suggestions or help is welcome.

Our high school runs a Marquee Horizion Light Board.
 
My high school recently purchased an iPad as part of the sound set-up for an upcoming show. However, as the iPad will be usable by the entire technical department, we were looking for someway to make it useful for lighting as well. We have had heard about an app that could be used to control the lights over a wirless internet connection, but are unsure how to go about doing that or even what app to use. Does anybody have experience with that, any other use for an iPad in lighting? Any suggestions or help is welcome.

Our high school runs a Marquee Horizion Light Board.



ETC's iRFR application - supported by Eos®-family and Cobalt®-family consoles, Eos and Ion® Remote Processor Units and the Cobalt Light Server - can be downloaded from the iTunes store to provide touchscreen-based remote control from wherever you are in your venue. We use it on iPad and cell phones, rarely a problem and each device works independently unless you grab the same channel or GoTo zero. $50.00

Select channels and set parameter data
• Playback and edit cues
Park channels
• Conduct dimmer and channel checks
• Patch conventional fixtures
• Manipulate Color, Pan/Tilt and other parameters using dedicated graphical controllers
• View a Cue List Display (monitor only), with current cue, several previous and pending cues displayed
• View and interact with a Playback display; controls include Go, Stop/Back and Go to Cue
With the aRFR on Congo/Cobalt Family products, you can:
• Select channels and set parameter data
• Playback and edit presets
• Conduct dimmer and channel checks
• Patch conventional fixtures
• Manipulate Color, Pan/Tilt and other parameters using dedicated graphical controllers
• Calibrate Scroller Rolls
 
DON'T BUY THE iRFR APP. Seriously, it won't work with your light board, it would be a total waste of $50.

Now that that is out of the way, I'm going to apologize for any poor spelling or grammar. It's been a crazy long week full of dance recitals and other events, my brain isn't quite fully functional and I'm struggling to remember what my bed looks like.

It looks like your board supports artnet and sACN, that's a big positive for this to work. First check with Horizon and see if they have an iOS remote app. I can't find anything with a quick search in the app store or on horizons site, but ask them to make sure. If they have an app then that's what you want to use, it will let you control parts of your light board and work with it. Apps like that are usually capable of bringing up dimmers, channels, maybe moving light focus, etc. Then all you should have to do is plug a wireless router into the console maybe do a little configuration and go.

If they don't offer an app, what you will need to do is get a wireless router, a switch, and an artnet/sACN to dmx converter. The converter might not be a bad idea anyway since it will allow you to control extra universes with your console. DMXking, Enttec, and others make them. They start at $140 for a one universe model, and can go into the thousand dollar and up range for lots of universes. Make sure it does DMX merging, that's a critical feature for you.

Once you have all of that stuff the converter will need to be configured for the proper input and output, and have an IP address that works with the console and router. Here's what do. I use a one universe box from DMXking and it's been solid for 2+ years I'm happy with it. So you output artnet or sACN from your light board, the manual should tell you how to set that up. That cable goes into the switch. The wifi router goes into the switch. And then the dmx converter gets plugged into the switch. Then DMX out from the switch to wherever you need it to go. Getting all of this configured and working can be a pain in the butt, but for me it was worth it in the end. Now this last method won't talk to your light board at all, it will be like having 2 separate light boards, and the converter will merge them into one signal that goes to your lights.

Finally software, I use 2 apps on a regular basis and one occasionally. The primary app I use is called focus remote, as the name implies you get a basic keypad that will bring dimmers up to the level you specify. It also has a memory feature that will let you save a "look" and bring it up later, there is no fade time so it will just come up to whatever level the lights are supposed to be at instantly. It also has a highlight feature that will let you go in order from dimmer to dimmer by pressing one button. I use this all the time for focusing rigs. It's nice not having to shout out to the guy at FOH to bring up the next light instead it happens right on stage, usually by the guy calling the focus, or the genie pusher. It's really simple to use and I can show anyone how to use it in under a minute. Which is nice for those time when you don't have someone extra handy that knows how to run your console. I also use it to focus light by myself from my FOH positions and side booms.

The next app I use a lot is called Luminair, it's kind of expensive but can be worth it depending on your needs. It's basically a full on light board, you can make cues, submaster buttons, kind of control moving lights, the whole deal. I use this on lights up lights down kind of shows in the theater when I don't need to have someone sitting at the lighting console. I also use it for events in spaces other than the theater. With the wireless capability it's easy to tuck it away somewhere out of the way and control lights in ballrooms for weddings, and such. I've even used it with guided access mode (setup on the phone, not part of the app) to leave with someone else at the event so I didn't have to stick around. Be it the DJ, someone in the wedding party, or someone else running the event. With guided access mode it won't let them exit the app, and controls which areas of the screen they can and can't press buttons on. So I can lock everything out except for the faders or scene buttons they are going to actually want to press. Makes everything all but fool proof. Some people go crazy with the app and control all kinds of LEDs and moving lights and have tons of scenes that use. I think it's a little clunky for that, but if that's your only option it could work. I just prefer to have a physical console if I'm going to get that far into things.

The last app that I only occasionally use is Alcorn Mcbrides lighting pad. It's kind of a little bit of both of the apps above. If you hold the phone horizontal you get 512 faders that you have to manually move up and down, you can't just type in dimmer numbers like on focus remote, or touch the numbers like on luminair. So it can be slow going if you have a lot of dimmers in each look. You can jump around some on the bottom of the screen, so at least you don't have to manually scroll through all of those faders. What it does have going for it is that when the devices is held in portrait mode it has a real cue stack so you can record a cue and set fade times. So if you only need really basic cues with a few lights it could be a good alternative to Luminair since it's only $10 instead of $130 for Luminair.

There are a couple of other apps out there like the one from Osram, but I've never been able to get it to work for me, and don't really like the UI even if I could get it to. There are lots of apps geared towards DJ's and basic control of LED lights, I haven't like any of the 3 or 4 I've tried out. The three apps above have all worked great for me and never given me any issues that weren't user error. Ultimately you'll just have to decide what works for you and what's in your budget. If you have any questions or something doesn't make sense let me know and I'll do my best to help you get it figured out.
 
DON'T BUY THE iRFR APP. Seriously, it won't work with your light board, it would be a total waste of $50.

Can confirm, I recently bought the aRFR app. Big mistake, it doesn't work, even though the ME's iRFR works fine. I'm really pissed.
 
You run an ETC Eos family console and your aRFR won't work on it? I run an iPad mini with iRFR and my phone aRFR, along with designers who use their phones/iPads when they are here. Sounds like a setup issue.

ETC ION, yeah. I've been playing with the setup for weeks. I guess I'll have to call ETC. It's nice to know that you are able to run iRFR and aRFR together though.
 
Question since running multiple rfr's was mentioned here....

If I can connect one device and then try and put the exact same settings in a different device and it won't connect am I just totally screwing it up? I've had this issue in 2 different theatres now where only one device will connect.
 
Question since running multiple rfr's was mentioned here....

If I can connect one device and then try and put the exact same settings in a different device and it won't connect am I just totally screwing it up? I've had this issue in 2 different theatres now where only one device will connect.

It depends what you mean by exact same...

You should have the exact same settings in the iRFR app, but if you have the exact same ip address in the ipod settings you'll run into basic networking issues...
 
Petercav17 its likely a router issue. We have a mix of iRFR and aRFR and the RFR from etc and they all play nicely at the same time.

That's what I thought, but the ME who bought the router supposedly bought it from a theater supply company that "guaranteed" it to work with the RFR. However it doesn't play nice with my Galaxy phone. My phone doesn't even pick up the WiFi signal. Any other router that I try and can successfully connect to with my phone, seems to not work with the board. He's coming in for the first time for the season tomorrow, so I'll ask him to reconfigure the whole thing, hopefully.
 
DON'T BUY THE iRFR APP. Seriously, it won't work with your light board, it would be a total waste of $50.

Now that that is out of the way, I'm going to apologize for any poor spelling or grammar. It's been a crazy long week full of dance recitals and other events, my brain isn't quite fully functional and I'm struggling to remember what my bed looks like.

It looks like your board supports artnet and sACN, that's a big positive for this to work. First check with Horizon and see if they have an iOS remote app. I can't find anything with a quick search in the app store or on horizons site, but ask them to make sure. If they have an app then that's what you want to use, it will let you control parts of your light board and work with it. Apps like that are usually capable of bringing up dimmers, channels, maybe moving light focus, etc. Then all you should have to do is plug a wireless router into the console maybe do a little configuration and go.

If they don't offer an app, what you will need to do is get a wireless router, a switch, and an artnet/sACN to dmx converter. The converter might not be a bad idea anyway since it will allow you to control extra universes with your console. DMXking, Enttec, and others make them. They start at $140 for a one universe model, and can go into the thousand dollar and up range for lots of universes. Make sure it does DMX merging, that's a critical feature for you.

Once you have all of that stuff the converter will need to be configured for the proper input and output, and have an IP address that works with the console and router. Here's what do. I use a one universe box from DMXking and it's been solid for 2+ years I'm happy with it. So you output artnet or sACN from your light board, the manual should tell you how to set that up. That cable goes into the switch. The wifi router goes into the switch. And then the dmx converter gets plugged into the switch. Then DMX out from the switch to wherever you need it to go. Getting all of this configured and working can be a pain in the butt, but for me it was worth it in the end. Now this last method won't talk to your light board at all, it will be like having 2 separate light boards, and the converter will merge them into one signal that goes to your lights.

Finally software, I use 2 apps on a regular basis and one occasionally. The primary app I use is called focus remote, as the name implies you get a basic keypad that will bring dimmers up to the level you specify. It also has a memory feature that will let you save a "look" and bring it up later, there is no fade time so it will just come up to whatever level the lights are supposed to be at instantly. It also has a highlight feature that will let you go in order from dimmer to dimmer by pressing one button. I use this all the time for focusing rigs. It's nice not having to shout out to the guy at FOH to bring up the next light instead it happens right on stage, usually by the guy calling the focus, or the genie pusher. It's really simple to use and I can show anyone how to use it in under a minute. Which is nice for those time when you don't have someone extra handy that knows how to run your console. I also use it to focus light by myself from my FOH positions and side booms.

The next app I use a lot is called Luminair, it's kind of expensive but can be worth it depending on your needs. It's basically a full on light board, you can make cues, submaster buttons, kind of control moving lights, the whole deal. I use this on lights up lights down kind of shows in the theater when I don't need to have someone sitting at the lighting console. I also use it for events in spaces other than the theater. With the wireless capability it's easy to tuck it away somewhere out of the way and control lights in ballrooms for weddings, and such. I've even used it with guided access mode (setup on the phone, not part of the app) to leave with someone else at the event so I didn't have to stick around. Be it the DJ, someone in the wedding party, or someone else running the event. With guided access mode it won't let them exit the app, and controls which areas of the screen they can and can't press buttons on. So I can lock everything out except for the faders or scene buttons they are going to actually want to press. Makes everything all but fool proof. Some people go crazy with the app and control all kinds of LEDs and moving lights and have tons of scenes that use. I think it's a little clunky for that, but if that's your only option it could work. I just prefer to have a physical console if I'm going to get that far into things.

The last app that I only occasionally use is Alcorn Mcbrides lighting pad. It's kind of a little bit of both of the apps above. If you hold the phone horizontal you get 512 faders that you have to manually move up and down, you can't just type in dimmer numbers like on focus remote, or touch the numbers like on luminair. So it can be slow going if you have a lot of dimmers in each look. You can jump around some on the bottom of the screen, so at least you don't have to manually scroll through all of those faders. What it does have going for it is that when the devices is held in portrait mode it has a real cue stack so you can record a cue and set fade times. So if you only need really basic cues with a few lights it could be a good alternative to Luminair since it's only $10 instead of $130 for Luminair.

There are a couple of other apps out there like the one from Osram, but I've never been able to get it to work for me, and don't really like the UI even if I could get it to. There are lots of apps geared towards DJ's and basic control of LED lights, I haven't like any of the 3 or 4 I've tried out. The three apps above have all worked great for me and never given me any issues that weren't user error. Ultimately you'll just have to decide what works for you and what's in your budget. If you have any questions or something doesn't make sense let me know and I'll do my best to help you get it figured out.
 
I am interested in setting up a system for wireless remote focus. I would like to use an ipad or other tablet with the remote focus that you mentioned first in your post. I want to have it go to a wireless router, and the output of the router to a converter that outputs DMX. Then the DMX to a merger with two inputs. The one would be the console used for programming and the other the wireless remote focus system.
We already have 5 ipads that we use for running our Behringer x32 console. The is a dedicated wireless router used in that same operation. These items are not used when we are focusing and could be used for focusing. We also have the two input merger, and normally use it for focusing with an ETC Insight 2X on one input and a American DJ Dr DMX on the other. ( yes I know that the American dj unit rols eyes when mentioned, but it has been great as it has a keyboard. It of course is not wireless and they are no longer manufactured. ) We have already destroyed two of the Dr DMX units by people tripping over the cord and pulling to a hard hit on the stage.
What I am trying to accomplish is to replace our current system in the simplest and most reliable method, only adding wireless to the equation.
I am not the best hen it comes to wireless routers and the such, but have several folks at the theater who are pretty good.
So what I would really like is the names and model numbers where available of the the components I would need to make this work. I would also appreciate possible vendors where I can obtain these products. I tried a google search for the software, but was not very successful. Any help would be appreciated.

Tom Johnson (dramatech)
 
Thanks for all the replies and suggestions! I decided to first contact Marquee and see what they reccomended. Unfortunetly, they were not very helpful, saying they did not have an iPad app, and instead giving me the link to set up a remote via pc. In that light, I guess I will have to look somewhere else for an iPad interface. Thanks for all the suggestions.
 
There are other useful apps for Lighting, other than show control ones. For example LX Handbook and Swatch. These are useful resources for show prep, also possibly useful for to get on your own phone.
 
I am interested in setting up a system for wireless remote focus. I would like to use an ipad or other tablet with the remote focus that you mentioned first in your post. I want to have it go to a wireless router, and the output of the router to a converter that outputs DMX. Then the DMX to a merger with two inputs. The one would be the console used for programming and the other the wireless remote focus system.
We already have 5 ipads that we use for running our Behringer x32 console. The is a dedicated wireless router used in that same operation. These items are not used when we are focusing and could be used for focusing. We also have the two input merger, and normally use it for focusing with an ETC Insight 2X on one input and a American DJ Dr DMX on the other. ( yes I know that the American dj unit rols eyes when mentioned, but it has been great as it has a keyboard. It of course is not wireless and they are no longer manufactured. ) We have already destroyed two of the Dr DMX units by people tripping over the cord and pulling to a hard hit on the stage.
What I am trying to accomplish is to replace our current system in the simplest and most reliable method, only adding wireless to the equation.
I am not the best hen it comes to wireless routers and the such, but have several folks at the theater who are pretty good.
So what I would really like is the names and model numbers where available of the the components I would need to make this work. I would also appreciate possible vendors where I can obtain these products. I tried a google search for the software, but was not very successful. Any help would be appreciated.

Tom Johnson (dramatech)
We are trying to accomplish the same thing at our small Community College venue...a focus remote for testing/ servicing units from catwalks or stage. We bought the Chamsys MagicQ dongle, recommended by someone here as well as other techs. But now they (Chamsys) says, no it does not have remote focus option on DMX Full.
Did you get any solutions? We're still stuck & a bit frustrated that product is touted as a Technician Test system.
 

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