PC Control with moving lights.

[kadams17]

hey all-

quick question. for the next show I am doing I have 4 High End Color Spot 250s units to use. The director wants them used.

The house has an ETC express 48/96. Not exactly a great unit for moving lights as we all know.

Is there a simple PC or Mac solution (mac preferred) to control the units ? It would only be those 4.

Thanks.

 

[Footer]

Search for Chamsys.

 

[kadams17]

Search for Chamsys.

I have, and doesn't that require some sort of usb-dmx converter?

 

[erosing]

Any PC based control will require a converter.

 

[kadams17]

okay. But, I searched for that and I am finding several different software solutions etc.

Is there a bit more detail I could get?

 

[erosing]

All lighting desks run on firmware and software, a PC based control solution is essentially a bring your own computer to the event, as lighting desks are computers themselves anyways. Because you supply the computer already they either sell or give away the software interface, and depending on the software/manufacturer you need to buy or supply their converter or a different one, the most common being USB to DMX. This way your PC based control system can control the lighting, without some form of connection to the dimmer rack you won't be controlling anything.

 

[len]

My knowledge MAY be outdated, since I really haven't shopped for pc/dmx control in a long time, but IIRC most of the dmx software isn't cross compatible with both Mac and PC. So if it must be a Mac platform, ask carefully.

MOST of the dmx software will run windows.

If you're renting the lights, ask the vendor if they have a desk you can use. Perhaps you can get one desk for existing and the rental, say a Hog 500 or II or something that can be had cheaply.

 

[Footer]

My knowledge MAY be outdated, since I really haven't shopped for pc/dmx control in a long time, but IIRC most of the dmx software isn't cross compatible with both Mac and PC. So if it must be a Mac platform, ask carefully.

MOST of the dmx software will run windows.

If you're renting the lights, ask the vendor if they have a desk you can use. Perhaps you can get one desk for existing and the rental, say a Hog 500 or II or something that can be had cheaply.

Chamsys will run on Mac, PC, and Linux. It is by far the cheapest way to get into a professional console. Your not going to get any cheaper then 141 bucks. From the sounds of it, this is not a rental package.

 

[kadams17]

Yeah not a rental at all.

I'm willing to spend the money, is there a link to where I can make the purchase?

 

[Footer]

Enttec will work. Keep in mind that Chamsys is a completly different way of working with lights vs. an express console. If you have never worked with a programmer based console, allow at least a week to learn the console before you start working on the actual show. Read the manual cover to cover as well.

 

[JChenault]

The most general way these things work is that you will have to buy a USB to DMX converter. Each software program you consider will support a different set of devices, although most support the Enttec USB-Pro at around $150.

I'm not aware of any first rate program that runs on native MAC mode - on the other hand, you can always run bootcamp.

Note also that if you go the software route, there are some things you need to be careful about such as not running any other program but the control program, not connecting to the internet, no virus protection, etc.

Chamsys has the advantage that it is cheap. ( IE they give the software away to encourage and introduce their console). Another option is a program called mLight. Welcome to OSF Solutions inGenius mLight mLight is designed by and used by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival and is designed for theatre, not rock and roll use, and is very easy to learn. Both Chamsys and mLight support the enttec dongle, you might want to get the dongle and try a demo version of both products.

On the other hand, as I remember the studio spot does not have that many controls. You might just want to assign them to spare sliders on the console and run them by hand. ( I prefer to run movers on an express this way as opposed to trying to use their moving light module if I don't have too many movers). Dark moves are a problem, but you can write macros to make it relatively easy to clean them up.

 

[len]

Since you're buying and not renting, it would behoove you to test drive them, which is done very easily. Most of the pc based have their software available for free at their website. I know that Martin offers both LightJockey AND Maxxyz ftp://ftp.martin.dk/Controller/ and likely HES/Barco has the HogPC available. I'm sure most of the others do, too. Download, then fiddle. You won't be able to run any actual lights until you get the hardware, but at least you can see if the interface works for you.

Some require you to buy their proprietary hardware (which is how they make their money). Others don't.

 

[Pajewno]

ENTTEC pro on ebay