Control/Dimming USB Dongles?

[DuckJordan]

USB DMX dongles, do you like them, hate them, or just don't care?

Basically i am trying to get some opinions about DMX dongles and trying to come up with a very cheap way to get into the concert lighting industry in the south east South Dakota area. My plan is to get 8 Par 56's and in the next year or so get either some LED pars, or 2 moving heads.

So basically i want to know what devices you like and which i should stay away from.

 

[CSCTech]

Peronally I have limited experience with USB DMX control, but it is basicly, a computer run DMX console which no hardware interface, most of them can be programmed to do anything a normal console can do however having no interface is a somewhat down side. And as for manual control, forget it. Pretty much everything we need to be cued and recorded as you are using a mouse.
And you need to make sure you have a fairly nice computer running it and devote it souly to running the software and don't run anything else while running it. So to get into the business I think it is a good way to go if you can't get your hands on a cheap used console.

 

[bishopthomas]

For "very cheap" I chose American DJ's myDMX. It works, not the best, but for $300 it does the job.

 

[Pie4Weebl]

They are a great substitute for a proper console when you are just playing around. If you are looking to learn a proper desk and use this as a stepping stone I would highly suggest the Entec DMX pro which can be had for around $150, paired with Chamsys MagicQ PC which is free for the first universe.

 

[bishopthomas]

Peronally I have limited experience with USB DMX control, but it is basicly, a computer run DMX console which no hardware interface, most of them can be programmed to do anything a normal console can do however having no interface is a somewhat down side. And as for manual control, forget it. Pretty much everything we need to be cued and recorded as you are using a mouse.

Some allow for playback wings, giving you the touch of real faders and buttons, but they are not cheap.

And you need to make sure you have a fairly nice computer running it and devote it souly to running the software and don't run anything else while running it.

I run myDMX on the same 3+ year old laptop that I am typing on now. I disable wireless and any other unnecessary hardware and I have never had a problem.

 

[CSCTech]

Some allow for playback wings, giving you the touch of real faders and buttons, but they are not cheap.



I run myDMX on the same 3+ year old laptop that I am typing on now. I disable wireless and any other unnecessary hardware and I have never had a problem.

Well like I said I have not personally used one often, but just it would always be a good idea to not have anything else running while running a show as you never know. don't want it going dark!

 

[itie]

i just bought the enttec ode for like 200 bucks one ebay last month. i like it works great it just took me some time to get it to work with magicq but magicq is nice once u learn it. nice thing about the ode is instead of dmx to usb its dmx to ethernet. i keep reading that you can plug it into a router and make it wireless but i have no luck on my first try two days ago. oh and its built really good. makes me feel like a can drop it and it wont brake but im not gong to try .

thank you
giovanni

 

[DuckJordan]

An add on question to it, if there is a piece of software you like better than another please post about it and describe functions. I tested out the MyDMX software shortly last night, and while it ran fairly smooth it took a lot to go from programming from a board to getting solely on the computer. (BTW computer issues not a problem i have a very high power laptop so reach for the sky's with running reqs.)