DAW to DMX/LIGHTING Gear....HELP PLEASE!?!?!?!?!

[TheRealMagoo]

Hello All!

My name is Joshua and I'm an electronics lover and engineer. I'm a professional keyboardist with years of session work and touring under my belt, though I'm only 28 years old. Music is my first love and I'm always trying to evolve my abilities.

What has led me here is a parallel love of electronics and, as of late, lighting!

I currently tour with a Husband/Wife duo, RUSTY+JESSICA. Rusty + Jessica | HOMEPAGE

I the "tech guru" and band leader, and I'm currently trying to build a SIMPLE custom light show for them.

Below I've listed my ideas and really could use some help:


I am running our LIVE LOOPS (backing tracks/click track) on a Macbook Pro i7 2.0GHz Quad in REAPER (Music DAW like Pro-Tools)
I would like to output either MIDI or DMX from my laptop to a 4-Channel Dimmer Pack to control two Audience Blinders. I have built a giant arc that goes over the drummer which has multiple lights around it (single bulb high output cans).
I am thinking that there should be a way to use MARKERS or MIDI notes in my Loop/DAW session to trigger a prebuilt sequence, where when we reach a certain point in a song, the cursor cross a "marker" or "MIDI note" and triggers a lighting sequence, but I'm just not sure how to set it up.
I'm not opposed to DMX or MIDI, nor am I sure which one would be best to use, but imagine that even if I use MIDI outputs, at some point it'll have to convert to DMX format in order to be able to control a dimmer pack right? I'm guessing I need some sort of usb interface or something of that nature. And I'm also assuming that I'll need to use some sort of software to pre-program the sequences I'm trying to trigger. PLEASE HELP!!!!

So here's the summary of what I'm trying to do:

Output cue/trigger data from my session that will cue/trigger a dimming sequence on the dimmer pack. (hits/swells/fades etc - Nothing elaborate)
Since we play to click track, it would be nice to be able to make the lights blind at moments with BIG hits.


Any help...ANY! would be awesome! Thanks! Was thinking about getting DMXKING MICRO USB interface, and a cheap 600w/channel, 4 channel dimmer pack. I need info on every aspect...ESPECIALLY on WHAT GEAR to buy. Thanks!!!

 

[gafftaper]

You sound like the exact person that Enttec designed their DMXIS dongle and software for. I've seen a demo of it and it's very powerful but also very easy to use. You can have preprogrammed lighting cues that are triggered by a foot pedal.

Or, if you use audio software such as Logic, Ableton Live, Cubase or Mixmeister in your live show, you can use the DMXIS plug-in (VST or Audio Unit) to run your lights directly from your audio software!

With a street price around $240, it's also pretty reasonable. Here's the link.

As for what dimmer pack to buy, the lowest budget one I can recommend is the Elation Cyber Pak. They have a street price a little over $200.
Yes there are cheaper options out there but this is the cheapest thing I can in good conscience call somewhat reliable. I installed a set of cyber paks about two years ago in a church. They get about 5 hours of use per week and have never had a problem. If you plan to use your dimmers something more like 15-20 hours per week I would step up to at least a Leprecon ULD dimmer pack which runs around $600-$700 depending on the variation you get. They are much better built. If you want something that you can really bank on as truly reliable you need to buy something like an ETC SmartBar or ETC Smart Module. Wow! Just found a 2 dimmer/4 channel Smartmodule for only $650 here. That's a great price on a basic product from the top of the line manufacturer. If there's anything ever wrong with it you can trust ETC to make things right.

 

[TheRealMagoo]

Thanks so much for that info!!!! I was wondering if it's possible to use another interface with the DMXIS software? I see that DMXKING has an interface that's comparable for alot less. I'm on a tight budget, so every penny saved is great. Do you have any experience with their products?

 

[doctrjohn]

You do need to use their hardware interface as it serves as the "key" to enable DMX output from the software.

Best,
John

 

[TheRealMagoo]

Thanks doctrjohn. Saved me some heartache lol Any idea if there are other decent "VST" type plugins or softwares that would be comparable to DMXIS? I'm just thinking that I need to know all my options. Is the DMXIS system the best way to go? How about interface? DMXIS the best interface to be using? Software/Hardware suggestions? PROS/CONS? DMXIS seems pretty intuitive, so I'm not complaining. Just would like to know if there are any other options.

 

[soundlight]

If you're looking for an audio program plugin, DMXIS is the only way to go, really. It's the only lighting software, to my knowledge, that offers a VST plugin for actual integration in to audio playback. It's won & been nominated for awards for a reason: it's great stuff. I've heard nothing but great reviews from guys who use it for their band setups.

 

[SanTai]

You could take a look at LightFactory. With that one you are not locked to a specific usb-dmx interface but the software cost 500USD if you want all the midi and timecode support. So it is not really a cheaper option. It probably isn't as intuitive.

 

[AhClem]

Check out our Chief Engineer's White Paper "MIDI Control of Stage Lighting". It may offer some insight.

Although MIDI isn't the primary control technique, our DMX controller software can accept MIDI inputs (direct control in "Live Panel", using the "http://www.lightinmotionshowcontrol.com/Downloads.html" for Submaster control). Feel free to contact us and I'll be happy to help with anything I can.

EDIT TO POST:
I'd meant to ask... our chief engineer says creating a VST would not be difficult, but he can't figure out what the user interface for the VST should look like or what capabilites are expected of it. Can anyone suggest a product to use as a comparison model?