Computer DMX and beyond

[channelk]

Greetings all. Happy to be here.

 

I have a dream and it is almost a reality. Missing a few important things to get finished, and I am hoping this forum can answer a some of the questions I have. In order to get there, I am going to give you an edited equipment list, then describe what I am hoping to achieve.

 

Enttek DMXUSB Pro

Motu midi express XT

Numerous forms of lighting, all LED, moving heads, PARs, washes, floods, pin spots, truss, etc.

FCB 1010 midi footswitch

 

There are two similar but separate goals to accomplish. First one:

I play in a band, and want an excellent light show. I would like to be able to setup scenes which equate to songs, each scene unique to the song, triggering of events done via midi by the band members with timing information coming from triggers on acoustic drums.

 

I am seeking software that will let me use my existing hardware to accomplish my goals. I have tried numerous sofwares and have not found anything that I can get working well. I understand DMX and addressing, but I am not a lighting person per say, audio and video are my specialties. So far I have tired Freestyler DMX, Lightrooms, and that's about it. I have had limited success with Freestyler, but have not been able to get further due to lack of training material, and no feedback from the forum. I would LOVE to use Lightjams, but I cannot get a simple colour wash working......

 

The second part of this is a solo project I am using the lighting for plus incorporating my video rig. My video rig includes a Blackmagic Quad 2, up to 8 separate outputs via a high-end graphics card, and I own 4 broadcast quality cameras fed into the backmagic via HD-SDI.

 

I want to be able to trigger graphics, video and camera inputs, PLUS control lighting in one package. At this moment I am looking at either Arkos Grand VJ XT or Resolume. I would really love feedback from anybody who may have used or use this software.

 

So, the two main questions are, what lighting control software would you recommend that supports the Enttek unit? And Arkos VS Resolume?

 

I am brand new here so hope this post iis appropriate and in the right place.

 

Thanks in advance for any feedback, advice or recommendations.

[AndyJones]

Lots of people are going to recommend software like Chamsys, but for some one who isn’t a lighting guy, I think that the Jands Vista software would be good for this. It’s free to download and will accept midi triggers, and output Artnet into Resolume for free (with random blackouts) so that you can get a good feel of the software.

[OddSocks]

I would recommend QLC+ to have a look at.

 

It's free and copes with almost all inputs and outputs. QLC+ will run on windows, Mac and linux, and there is even a version to run on the Pi.

 

I've used it to create lighting shows with audio and video triggers.

 

It's very flexible which does mean that it can take a while to get everything the way you want it, but the forum is very active and people will always try to help.