adonex Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Hi everyone! I have been experimenting with MA on PC for the past few weeks and I have been looking at the DMX config tabs. I was wondering if there is any way to get any sort of output from MA without buying their 2 Port Node. Obviously I would like to support the company by buying their products but their equipment is well out of my price range. Currently what I am seeing is DMX out via ethernet, DMX out via ETCNet2, output via Strand Shownet and output via sACN. Is there any way to get these to work? Obviously I may have to buy third party hardware but that is not really a problem. I do have other software such as MagicQ but GrandMA is by far my favourite out there. Cheers, Euan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chelgrian Posted November 21, 2014 Share Posted November 21, 2014 I have been experimenting with MA on PC for the past few weeks and I have been looking at the DMX config tabs. I was wondering if there is any way to get any sort of output from MA without buying their 2 Port Node. Obviously I would like to support the company by buying their products but their equipment is well out of my price range. Currently what I am seeing is DMX out via ethernet, DMX out via ETCNet2, output via Strand Shownet and output via sACN. Is there any way to get these to work? Obviously I may have to buy third party hardware but that is not really a problem. I do have other software such as MagicQ but GrandMA is by far my favourite out there. The software itself only speaks MAnet2 via USB or Ethernet. In order to process this and turn it in to any kind of Ethernet output or DMX output you need an MA onPC node of some sort or Command Wing. I'm afraid if you want GrandMA you have to pay for the time and effort they have put in to the software and the mechanism they have implemented to enforce that is to tie it to their hardware nodes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandMA_the_2nd Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted November 22, 2014 Share Posted November 22, 2014 If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... I think the bigger question is to the OP... why do you feel that you should be able to use what is probably the most advanced lighting control system in the world without having to pay a single penny to the manufacturer? This isn't an attack on the OP I've just really noticed in recent times a huge increase in people really believing they should have access to the latest technology in movers, LED, control, projection etc but not have to pay the prices that those things incur. What's brought this on? Why are people uninterested in supporting the developers, and unable to accept that there are many levels of show and they cannot all look like a Muse concert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fliggygeek Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... I think the bigger question is to the OP... why do you feel that you should be able to use what is probably the most advanced lighting control system in the world without having to pay a single penny to the manufacturer? This isn't an attack on the OP I've just really noticed in recent times a huge increase in people really believing they should have access to the latest technology in movers, LED, control, projection etc but not have to pay the prices that those things incur. What's brought this on? Why are people uninterested in supporting the developers, and unable to accept that there are many levels of show and they cannot all look like a Muse concert. Its the common attitude these days, just look at piracy everywhere. Wasn't it just the other day that someone (Deadmau5 if I remember correctly) publicly called out a fellow music producer, Martin Garrix, for using a cracked and pirated version of the music production software he has in his studio? Its the same attitude that makes people so upset when you hand them a quote for the real cost of gear and services for a show:"But I NEED to have 50 moving heads in the school musical" "Here's the cost" "I can't possibly afford that. you'll have to halve that cost""That's how much it costs me to provide the service""Can't you see we need this show to look exactly like <insert pro show here>? We need that gear to make it the same..." "If you are making the same show quality as <Insert pro show here> , you'll need to pay the full cost...""Can't we just borrow the gear?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Big Jay Posted November 24, 2014 Share Posted November 24, 2014 At the end of the day, its down to respect for the product and the brand. Most of the older/experienced have seen products develop from small to something quite big and appreciate how it helps serve our industry and thus, we are happy to pay and support our manufactures. To help deliver new and innovative and crucially, help us achieve our creative or technical goals! Im all for hire companies and manufactures loan kit to people who actually have a need and learn from it! Im aiming mostly at educational establishments. I know when I was at UNI, we often had equipment on loan but, it was to help achieve the design and It wasn't a case of ringing the hire company and say, lend me this, we had a bid list, we had to show what we needed it for and how it actually helped us learn! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonex Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... I think the bigger question is to the OP... why do you feel that you should be able to use what is probably the most advanced lighting control system in the world without having to pay a single penny to the manufacturer? This isn't an attack on the OP I've just really noticed in recent times a huge increase in people really believing they should have access to the latest technology in movers, LED, control, projection etc but not have to pay the prices that those things incur. What's brought this on? Why are people uninterested in supporting the developers, and unable to accept that there are many levels of show and they cannot all look like a Muse concert. I can understand where you are coming from but I also understand that company's such as Chamsys operate a slightly different way allowing basic DMX output. I was simply wondering if MA offered that functionality as well. And other's are saying that I have the mindset that I deserve to get things for free or a discounted price. I did not imply that in my original question, I simply asked if MA offers output as other company's do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Philip N Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Dear Adonex, Your original question was indeed clear and was not asking for "a free lighting desk" but it did spark an interesting debate. As others have said, We at MA Lighting unlock output by using hardware designed to do that. Once connected this allows for any/all of your needs with no restrictions other than parameter count. MA Lighting does indeed have a different model to some other manufacturers but is in no way unique in looking for users to pay for the very significant costs of conceiving and continuingly developing such a multi featured product. I am delighted that you see it as a favourite and I hope you can consider buying equipment to do exactly that. But in any case thank you for being the catalyst to the debate about lunches never being free! Best Philip Norfolk Ambersphere - Home of MA Lighting in the UK Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adonex Posted November 25, 2014 Author Share Posted November 25, 2014 Dear Adonex, Your original question was indeed clear and was not asking for "a free lighting desk" but it did spark an interesting debate. As others have said, We at MA Lighting unlock output by using hardware designed to do that. Once connected this allows for any/all of your needs with no restrictions other than parameter count. MA Lighting does indeed have a different model to some other manufacturers but is in no way unique in looking for users to pay for the very significant costs of conceiving and continuingly developing such a multi featured product. I am delighted that you see it as a favourite and I hope you can consider buying equipment to do exactly that. But in any case thank you for being the catalyst to the debate about lunches never being free! Best Philip Norfolk Ambersphere - Home of MA Lighting in the UK I do intend to purchase one of your control wings as soon as I have the budget for it! I do however in some senses agree with what others are saying. There are a lot of people who pirate lighting software and unfortunately, a lot more who buy fake copies of hardware. I am completely against this and believe that the company who produced the product should always be accredited for it and paid in full. Cheers, Euan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbuckley Posted November 25, 2014 Share Posted November 25, 2014 Software is different to many other "products" The man states, absolutely correctly: ...but is in no way unique in looking for users to pay for the very significant costs of conceiving and continuingly developing such a multi featured product.It is also true that the marginal cost of another copy of a piece of software is zero, or so close to zero to be insignificant. It makes no difference whether a piece of software that cost $x to develop has just one production copy in use, or 1 billion copies. There is a valid argument to be made about the $y costs for support. The only real question is how does x+y+profit get financed. The method of recovery of x+y+profit is as much a product differentiator for a company as any other feature of their product. Companies can do a version of their software with reduced capabilities, features, scope, blemishes, annoyances or duration to try and increase market share, as just another sort or marketing. Even with "free", and really free software there is still x+y costs, just that they - by choice - may never be recovered. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
top-cat Posted November 26, 2014 Share Posted November 26, 2014 If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... If you love it, pay for it - why on earth would they develop the complex software and let you use it for free. R&D , marketing and training costs a lot of money and they are company not a charity... I think the bigger question is to the OP... why do you feel that you should be able to use what is probably the most advanced lighting control system in the world without having to pay a single penny to the manufacturer? This isn't an attack on the OP I've just really noticed in recent times a huge increase in people really believing they should have access to the latest technology in movers, LED, control, projection etc but not have to pay the prices that those things incur. What's brought this on? Why are people uninterested in supporting the developers, and unable to accept that there are many levels of show and they cannot all look like a Muse concert. I can understand where you are coming from but I also understand that company's such as Chamsys operate a slightly different way allowing basic DMX output. I was simply wondering if MA offered that functionality as well. And other's are saying that I have the mindset that I deserve to get things for free or a discounted price. I did not imply that in my original question, I simply asked if MA offers output as other company's do. It wasn't an attack on you at all. It was just meant as a debate starter with other members. Simply because my observation is that in recent times, people are coming towards a state of almost entitlement, to be able to have huge international show values regardless of their budget. The whole "you get what you pay for" concept seems to have completely gone out of the window. I don't know if it's because - A lot of lighting technology IS now cheaper and more accessible to lower budgets - ie the rise of brands like Chauvet, Elation, etc - and people feel that all lighting technology should be affordable to all- Competition in the live event hire marketplace has changed and a lot of smaller, cheaper companies are opening up and driving prices down on more basic items, leaving customers to the belief that the big companies providing the big show kit should do the same.- People feel that there is a class system developing within the industry where different budgets buy different looks and this should not be the case- The accessibility to lower-level creatives to big lighting designs is better now what with at least weekly TV programmes with huge lighting designs going out en masse (IE X Factor)- The accessibility to the joe public to big lighting designs - as above - leading the audiences to expect bigger and more glitzy lighting designs than before- We as a society are becoming more reliant on technology in our day to day lives and are therefore expecting higher grades of technology in our recreational time too The list goes on... if it interests people I will start a thread 3rd year students pay attention... I think this could make a much better thesis subject than "what are the best barn doors for 1.2k fresnels" or whatever, there have been some very dodgy and unsubstantiated essay subjects published on here complete with the obligatory survey! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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