Control/Dimming Midi programming

[RobinJacobsson]

Hi!

I'm a kind of newbie in this area but I've searched the Internet for some answers about midi-programming the lights and i think i've found most of them, but there is some things i still wonder.

We have 4 eurolite's scanners, and 4 x 2 PAR-64 front-lights connected to a lightboard. This recieves a MIDI-signal from our computer with backtracks and i want to program this so the light is in sync with the music.

I've read that i call the function with Note on/off and i can change the parameters (as intensity and colours) with Velocity.

#1 Do i have to put the board in some kind of MIDI-mode to recieve the MIDI-signal? I made a quick test last live-gig to set up a MIDI-track to control the lights but nothing happened. I just discovered that there's a button on the board called midi/rec, so do i have to set it in some kind of MIDI-mode?

#2 What key on the sequencer is connected to DMX channel 1 on the board? Is it C1? Our scanners is 6 channel's i think so i've set the first one to DMX channel 1-6, 2:nd to 9-14, 3:rd to 17-22 and so on to get a better view on the board when controlling the lights. Is this the best way to address the scanners, or should it be 1-6, 7-12 and so on..?

#3 Which note in the sequencer do i use to set the speed of the scanners, i mean the main-parameters on the board called 'Speed' and 'Time' ?

Thanks alot! /Robin

 

[icewolf08]

Unfortunately, the answer to your question at the moment is that we need more info. Starting off with what lightboard you are using.

The way the system you want works is that you send MIDI information from your computer to the console, and the console takes that information and translates those commands into actions and then outputs DMX to your dimmers. The MIDI commands and channels may not directly correspond to channels on the console and thus not directly to where you address your fixtures.

What you really need to do is read the manual for your console and find out what MIDI commands it understands and how it needs to receive them. Not every console is capable of individual channel control via MIDI. YOu may only be able to trigger cues, macros, and step chases. So you need to look it up, or at least tell us what board you have.

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Hm... I'm sorry, the console is in the bus right now and I can't reach it. But I think it must be an Eurolite-console, but I can't find that model when I google "eurolite dmx" - pictures... i think it's made in german... it looks like this but the buttons are black and some other minor differences:


Anyone know something about those consoles?
Thanks for your help!

 

[soundlight]

Most of the chinese-made DMX controllers like that respond to simple MIDI note commands to recall scenes stored in them. So you have to record scenes in to the scene buttons, then use MIDI to recall them.

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Ok, thanks for your answer! I wanted to run the lightshow this friday but as it seems now i wont be able do this unless i get a new console?

So you dont think I'll be able to control separate functions through MIDI-notes on/off in the sequencer? How does it work in that case when i control the scenes I've made, is it also through Notes on/off or Program change or something like that?

I want to be able to control the lights through the sequencer without creating scenes, what light-console is a cheap solution for that? Or is it better to call the scenes rather than calling each event through Note on/off?

Thanks! /Robin

 

[icewolf08]

It is probably much less complicated and easier to program if you write scenes into the console rather than trying to control every light and attribute via MIDI. Program sets of looks that you use and then send the MIDI commands to change the looks at the appropriate time.

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Ok, but as i asked earlier, how do i call the scenes through midi? Is it also with Note on/off or is it another command?



/Robin

 

[zac850]

Ok, but as i asked earlier, how do i call the scenes through midi? Is it also with Note on/off or is it another command?



/Robin

That depends on what kind of lighting console you have, but if you dig up the manual it should tell you what MIDI notes will correspond to what function. (We need more specifics about your console to help you much beyond that, for instance the make and model of it.)

 

[JD]

Here is the PDF for the Chauvet manual :
http://www.chauvetlighting.com/products/manuals/obey40_ug-97.pdf

On page 17, they explain MIDI. It will at least give you some idea as to what these things want to see.

It wouldn't surprise me if these actual commands were exactly the same on your unit. (China Co. is like ONE big company! They... err.. share a lot.)


I also agree to go with scenes. Simply too many commands to try to do live.

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Yeah, thanks that helped me!

But i dont understand this with with the MIDI Note's values... as in the table at page 17 in the link you posted it says MIDI Note 00-07 controls the scenes 1-8 in Bank 1. What do they mean with 00-07, is it the first to 7:th note at the keyboard from the lowest tone or is it controlled by Velocity so they mean Note On and then assign the note with a Velocity between 00-07 to activate a scene?

Thanks!!! /Robin

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Now it seems like i can only control chases through MIDI, not even scenes...

Which console's is cheap and have the function to be able to control the scenes and separate functions through midi?

 

[RobinJacobsson]

Hi again! The console is a scanmaster!

/Robin