How to Sync Lighting to Your Live Show

[@AndrewKamenMusic]

Me: My set is going to be absolutely crazy. Me at the show: 2:49

[@Lock93]

lol

[@scrobaby]

lmaooooo same

[@SymphonieDuVide]

Accurate 😂

[@tomaszhadun]

🤣🤣🤣

[@EscapeRouteMedia]

😂😂😂😂

[@chrisg-ll-gher]

hey mitch gallagher im chris gallagher

[@AnimalOnMars]

hey mitch gallagher and chris gallagher im michael gallagher

[@MW2proinfo]

Where’s Frank Gallagher?

[@JoeBoomerMusic]

Gallagher 2

[@chrisg-ll-gher]

hey @@AnimalOnMars im chris gallagher thank you in saying hello to myself and mitch gallagher

[@fitzeflinger]

another cool feature for advanced use: in your daw you can put automation on each individual dmx output channel of the DMXis if you like to. especially useful for fade in's and out's, custom transitions or synchronized strobe effects.

[@nickseckler]

Mitch Gallagher is my hero

[@cvbn111]

oh thank you. i've been looking for this for soooo long ... this made my day :)

[@rockergandalf]

2:00 Red 5 standing by....

[@timowenuk]

Hey! I'm wondering, once you've created the MIDI file, can you play the MIDI file from a MIDI player thats not a laptop...such as the Cymatic Audio LP-16...or does DMXIS require the laptop to run the plug-in to work during playback (or is the plug-in only used while creating the MIDI file?) If anyone can answer this, that'd be awesome!! :) Many thanks!! Tim

[@NEWFSTAH]

question: can I program a light sequence for each individual song I use in karaoke to automatically play when each song starts?

[@freund333]

Ok so does it mean that you can only sync your lights with your music if the music isn't live? Let's say you have a event with dj's. How do they sync the light show with the music if they are mixing live?

[@B3Band]

You can still perform live at the same time, but the light show is pre-programmed. DJs still know what songs they plan to play, even if they are not physically playing an instrument. You can plan to play Songs X Y and Z and program a light show that goes through all three songs, and it's just up to you to perform the songs correctly and stay in time with your metronome.

[@marcoforconi]

Do you plan to review Livetraker software?

[@yan5362]

Where can i download a free dmx light controler software to control my dj lights through my pc??

[@SilverlingVirtualStudio]

Could you theoretically use this as a click track during a recording session instead of an audio click?

[@sweetwater]

Hey there! Yes, you can certainly link your lighting up to the click track. The process would be just as is for linking up with any other audio in your DAW. Thanks! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3230, [e-mail]

[@purpleheartsofficial]

do you need specific types of lights for this to work?

[@melissahirst3078]

Thank you!!!🤗

[@HenryRyeder]

can you use both the 3 pin and 5 pin out at the same time and send them to different lights?

[@moOnB0w]

Sooo wait... if you can control the lighting with midi notes by syncing them in a DAW, can you also control DMX lighting manually with a midi controller??

[@MJ-is1zy]

I think so

[@dleblanc]

Yes, you can

[@paraus]

so if i were to play at a venue that had multiple light bars would there be a way to connect it all together or would i need multiple instances running alongside multple dmxis interfaces

[@thegreenguy8837]

It is all interconnectable.

[@harmony2368]

is there a way to use the same reactive control but with Dawless setup, like an octatrack or any sampler?

[@sweetwater]

Hi, thanks for your interest! The DMXIS interface only works over USB with the included software, so you wouldn't be able to use it specifically with your Octatrack or other hardware sampler. However, you might be able to program a synced light show by using a hardware DMX controller that has MIDI onboard. Feel free to contact me directly - I'd be glad to discuss your specific setup and see if I can help find something that will work for you. Thanks again! Caleb Lowrey, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1620, [e-mail]

[@boristubeti6776]

What do we do in 2022 without dmxis? Thanks

[@AdvaitThakur]

I got the answer which I was looking for. Thanks

[@mrtmcmorton]

Can this plug in be used with Vegas Pro video editing software?

[@chrisogrady28]

I don't think you should use XLR cables for DMX by the way

[@moOnB0w]

Good catch! He called it an XLR bc it was a 3pin DMX, I bet. A lof of people can't tell the difference.

[@BillyF2LJeffs]

I used to run a stage which had around 40 fixtures all using cheap XLR cable for DMX. Luckily it just seemed to work! lol

[@jamesiranzi3446]

Hello. I had a curiosity of knowing if you could do it with Instruments playing live with musicians, instead of having an audio

[@BillyF2LJeffs]

If they play to a click track, then yes it's possible!

[@ovalwingnut]

Well done

[@VK3ACU]

So what daw has a play list so we can pick what song we are going to play on the fly? We don't use set lists

[@ethanhansbury2238]

I could be mistaking because I am very new to this, but I think when you export the mixdown from your DAW, it will save the midi notes for the DMX. So when you have your full set up running and you play your next track, the light show will be programmed into the song. As I said, I could be wrong but this is just my guess.

[@arturodominguez7217]

How much does this cost?

[@pshimmons]

Of course it'd be awesome if there was a way to do the same from an iPad.

[@SceneOfAction]

mydmx has an app.

[@monarchthedj8357]

is there any way to do this with mydmx3.0 hardware / software?

[@chrisbenato8841]

I thought dmx cables had a different impedance to xlr?

[@thecraneproject816]

yes they have if you use a dmx cable as an XLR don't worry if you use a XLR cable as DMX you can break your hardware

[@jamesbeta8614]

​@@thecraneproject816 You won't break anything. Your light show and control might not be reliable or trustworthy though. People use mic cable all the time, and it maybe works fine for them. HOWEVER.. it's up to you if you want to break the spec and risk it.

[@moOnB0w]

You are correct. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It is really best to use a 3pin DMX, not an XLR cable.

[@porchdream4683]

If I were to create a light show with this VST automations and all, could I print the track and use it with the Cymatic Audio LP-16? I really want the LP-16 but I’m not sure I’ll be able to run lights with it in a simple way like this.

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Porch Dream. Thank you so much for checking us out on KZbin. To answer your question, you are not able to bounce and use the VST automation via the Cymatic after programing the VST in your DAW. You have to be able to run the dmxis interface and send out DMX control for it to work, and there is just not a way that I am aware of on the Cymatic product. If you could get the two units to talk, then It in theory it could work. In the current state of things it is not designed, or possible, that I am aware. If there is anything else I can do, please let me know. Thanks, Grant Embury, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1647, [e-mail]

[@erwangaillard1637]

Music at the end please ? Thanks !

[@MeyerzumMischen]

A few months ago I produced two live session music videos in which we programmed the lights in the musicians Ableton sessions via this interface. All in all it went fine but we realized afterwards that the lights and music went more and more out of sync in the course of shooting. Not drastically, but noticeably. So how does this interface sync? Does it have its own internal clock or does it get its clock from the used audio interface? Besides, if you're interesting in watching the end results, they're in my "Regie"-playlist on my channel.

[@zoltankovacs4399]

Did you change the the bpm in your Dae to the songs bpm?

[@MeyerzumMischen]

@@zoltankovacs4399 Yes, the lights were programmed on a track within the songs' sessions which had the songs' bpm. A few months after the mentioned live session videos, I programmed lights for a music video shoot with one of my own bands (Blackening - Awakening (Official Music Video)) and we had a few sync problems again. This time I used Reaper. The delay from the midi notes triggering the lights differed from take to take. So it was not a matter of a fixed delay that you could fix moving all the midi notes that trigger a particular light by a few milliseconds.

[@travishanson166]

I would have to guess it is a buffer issue. It times from the end of the last command and not from the trigger. It holds the step in memory until it is done, then loads the next step. Vs loading the current step and preloading the next step to ensure it runs in time. Each string of data to the controller will have a start and end bit. You won't notice much lag in simple flashes, but with fades and blends you will. It's also possible the strings of bits are not all the same length.

[@TryptychUK]

@@MeyerzumMischen MIDI data is slow. You should never trigger lights directly from it. Use lighting software that cues to MTC.

[@dominiclattanzi8144]

How could you use this and DAW software in a mobile DJ setup?

[@Nawsteezy]

how could you not

[@justaname1862]

Can you do this using any sequencer? My sequencer is on board in my Fantom X wich controls everything... even the drummers click..can this be done? If so , ive been looking for this for years!!!

[@mikecanull2107]

Can I program a show without putting music behind it? Essentially, can i prerecord a light show and just hit play and leave it? in other words, I don't have a sound guy or light guy, so i'd like to program a light show, hit play on it and begin my performance. If so, can it run for 4 hours or so? alot of work, i know, but worth it if possible.

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Mike! Yes, you can certainly control a light show without having any music behind it. Although, Studio One or any other DAW may not be your best option for that. Those will be best to use when using music to control the lights. If you were just hoping to create a light show without any music involved, you should look into some sort of lighting controller software, like Chroma-Q for example. I’ve linked that below. We have plenty of other options to choose from, but this is certainly a popular option over here. www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/VistaApp128--chroma-q-vista-app-software-lighting-controller-and-128-ch-dongle Feel free to reach out with any further questions! Nick Pasquino, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 3230, [e-mail]

[@Epikcs]

Does this setup work for GarageBand?

[@sweetwater]

Hey, Brandon! Yes, it will work in Garage Band. It will load as an AudioUnit plug-in. From there you can assign each light channel to a MIDI track. Thanks for the question! Mike Godlove, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1355

[@Epikcs]

@@sweetwater Thank you!

[@TryptychUK]

Way too messy, and using a DAW is overkill. I run four universes of DMX from audio with synchronised MIDI time code. Millisecond accurate.

[@cjfluharty]

Will you please elaborate? What tools are you using to accomplish this? What is your process? I appreciate your time. Thank you!

[@himynameismarkf]

But what if you're not running any backing tracks?

[@ISMSKL]

Get a dedicated lighting guy to control the lights

[@renegadesofficial3008]

Or you just program a click track and sync it to the click

[@dakotasacket1092]

Anyone else here from the Halloween Video?

[@Chris1981CC]

YES!!!! :-)

[@brandonphilipllapitan5931]

May I know the lights you are using? whats the brasnd and model?

[@sweetwater]

Certainly. You can check out the full details here: www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/4BarTriUSB Thanks for reaching out! Mike Godlove, Sweetwater Sales Engineer, [phone] ext. 1355, [e-mail]

[@AlexHardbread]

Can I use it with the phillips hue system?

[@mwagoner]

DO NOT USE XLR CABLES EVER. ONLY USE DMX CABLES. They have the same plugs, but not the same materials and xlr can cause glitches. Just needed to get that out.

[@captainawesomedude1]

wrong, its the use of dmx in an audio system that can cause issues, its all due to the lack of proper shielding on dmx cable

[@mwagoner]

@@captainawesomedude1 Got it. Sorry.

[@Ferdybroom]

I have used audio XLR cables on a smallish DMX lighting rig (16 luminaires, 4 to a group) for many years now and have very seldom or never had any problems caused by cabling. The entire cable run would amount to about 100 ft. But it's wise to use a 120 ohm terminator plug at the end of the cable run, because you want the DMX signal to run to earth rather than being reflected back down the cable to interfere with legitimate incoming DMX commands. However I am sure that a large scale and complex lighting system, such as in a theatre, would always choose dedicated DMX cables. A few glitches don't really matter in the context of small scale musical events, but if the lighting goes badly wrong in the professional production of a play the audience will notice at once and it's a disaster

[@MoritzVieli]

Have you checked rocketshow.net? It's a similar device but does not require a laptop on stage.

[@219tochi3]

Why are we complicating things so much???

[@joshuamathermusic]

This is a great way to get a light show for a small band. Spend a few hundred dollars on software and DMXIS, rather than paying a lighting engineer 200 bucks per gig. That isn't sustainable for a small band who might not even be guaranteed that much money from a gig. I agree with you, I wish it could be simpler, but simpler is too expensive.

[@Ferdybroom]

I'm sorry to say that IMO this tutorial falls down like so many others about all kinds of stuff on KZbin, because there are gaps in the instructions at crucial points. For example: you appeared to create musical notes in the midi software to trigger lighting changes. How did you create these notes? Why do they relate to the music being played? You seemed to pluck them out of nowhere. I realisie that I've got a huge chunk of my own ignorance on display here, but I thought the whole point of any tutorial is to have an expert explain to a beginner the very basics, even though they seem must obvious to the tutor. If you can't understand the first steps, you can't get any further

[@DingDongDaddyFromDumas]

I think is meant to advertise the capabilities of this equipment and is more of a sales thing than a genuine tutorial

[@elTMorales]

Yeah, what a "Live" show ... the name of this video is a bit misleading

[@bopyloo]

If you're running backing tracks and a click from your DAW then yes, it is a part of a live show...

[@arando4359]

el T Morales or just using the plugin to control the lights....

[@omnimediagroup5761]

el T Morales it’s not misleading at all.

[@AntonioRockGP]

Yah but then you have to own the lights also...

[@sarahlivingston1921]

im ten and on my moms computer

[@gabrielharrison2794]

…..Or you can just hire a Light Designer

[@mainman9061]

FAST SPOKEN NONSENSE!!!

[@saucyjackattak]

Idiot

[@mxms4701]

why in the name of all thats professional would you give an example of this using presonus studio one? There is no one in the world who uses that program. totally insane