MaestroDMX - Can This AI Controller Actually Put on a Good Show?

[@sorenrasmussen4794]

I’m in a band and have moved from DMXIS to MaestroDMX. It’s saved me a lot of programming. We have about 120 songs on our setlist, where I’ve programmed 1274 scenes in DMXIS (average 10 Per song: start, intro, verse 1, bridge, chorus, etc.). Last year I bought three 5W RGB lasers to add to our rig (25 movers plus a few others), and was really not looking forward to adding them to the 1274 scenes. ☹️ I’m never going back to manual programming.

[@LearnStageLighting]

Hi Soren!

[@sorenrasmussen4794]

Another thing: in the beginning you could only select shows via MIDI commands, but now you can control it much more accurately. I embed MIDI commands in Onsong at song start and when changing sections. When we make a new setlist in Onsong my lights automatically follow. I don’t miss the many hours of programming. 🙂

[@a_degree_of_protection]

I was an early adopter, back in the winter of '23/24. MDMX was VERY basic...doing nothing like they promised. Then I took three months off for some cancer treatment, getting back in the groove about a month ago. I basically started from scratch, upgrading to 1.3. In the meantime, I'd also upgraded my fixtures to Elation Seven battens and PAR's. MDMX had already installed the Elation profiles and, much to my surprise, they had ALL profiles updated and ready to install. The early profiles ONLY allowed RGB or RGB+ for my Elation fixtures. The current version allows FULL 14 channel/16 bit dimming and produces a substantially superior experience from the early version. We're taking it out this weekend for a test run at a local blues club. I am finally kinda hopeful that I haven't thrown away $900.

[@DjTakiriOkc]

"I was thinking about buying this product, but I've seen that it has the same problems if you don't have an internet connection. Now I'm even more inclined to buy the Adj Airstream, since it doesn't require the internet to operate."

[@LearnStageLighting]

I have not seen this, nor have I ever connected mine to a network that has internet. So, I think you may be confused/misled.

[@terrycline8689]

I'm getting my MDMX in a couple of days. I will use it to make a far better sound activated production. For me/us, we want cool lighting now, but we are NOT - at this moment- ready to commit to backing tracks and in-ear monitoring. Side note: I can already program DMX and create click tracks via DAW/MIDI. But, I need the whole band to come around and get comfortable with the paradigm shift to backing tracks. In this way, MDMX seems an ideal - perhaps temporary - solution: better lighting, no requirement to change the way we perform currently. I do hope the MIDI implementation allows me to quickly call up MDMX sequences as needed via another MIDI interface.

[@marcosantos9773]

Interesting review, as always. Can you do the same with Force 1.0?

[@showingpig01]

I’ve been curious if something like this existed. Seems like a great tool for the right application. I’ll stick with Sound Switch though.

[@confusedtx5]

I work in an education space theatre where I could imagine using this where we don't have much time to program dance pieces. Or even external hires that I run lights for with zero rehearsal.

[@brianmartinez6411]

Can you make a video of how to control resolume with onyx?

[@christopherpoche]

I run Karaoke with lights. The issue people like me run into is that you may have a slow country song, then a rock/pop song, then R&B one after the other. No one pattern or preset works for all the potential songs. I also play like 10 to 90 seconds of 'bumper music' between singers to not have dead air in between them. I've looked into the MaestroDMX and was wondering if this could be a relatively decent solution to provide better than fixed patterns or preset progressions.

[@LearnStageLighting]

I think so, as the software continues to improve, I think it'll be a really good fit. (but I ALWAYS tell people, assume that the software as it is today is all you will get - with any software process, you never know when certain features will get cut, etc). I think they're doing a really good job, though, but it's not all the way there yet!

[@christopherpoche]

@@LearnStageLighting I'm kind of waiting to make a purchase until the software is at least, as you say, there. I am glad to hear that it is improving though!

[@stanleygergle4580]

Just buy it! I have one and a Wolfmix (WMX1) both great units and if you want manual control for certain fixtures I use the wolfmix… if I want lights that move via Ai I use the maestro. When I first bought the maestro it was around $500. It just started and was very basic. They’ve done a good job adding to the unit since the purchase. No complaints

[@leifpearson5205]

Awesome and honest review. I’m on the fence about this for my band. It seems like the next easiest option is to use photon two and midi timestamps w my tracks. I’m aware that sounds switch can be had for about $50 with extra money for a subscription however I don’t know how to get digital audio from my iPad to sound switch and not have to use a laptop or trigger that via midi. What would you recommend ?

[@LearnStageLighting]

It's really good as long as you don't want to be super-specific on what you get, and of course it's always going to be just a hair behind the band if you're very dynamic. But it is VERY easy, so it can be a good choice if you would otherwise use sound active mode or don't want to spend the time to program a bunch of songs.

[@techiebliss]

Thank you, David. I totally understand what you mean about the live shows, but it seems that for DJ shows the software should be able to apply machine learning for songs it has analyzed once before if the songs are still in the memory?

[@LearnStageLighting]

That's not the approach with this software. For that, try Soundswitch

[@BrianMDPhD]

Any pro grade console like Onyx could have easily built something like this into their software. It’s not really AI, just a regular software that outputs parameters based on audio levels. It would be great to have but it sucks to have to buy a whole other box just to run this software.

[@limbicmedia7012]

Your activity gain is incorrectly set to 50%. It should be 0% for canned music. Thats why the lights were too active on the Dance Pattern.

[@leifpearson5205]

Is dmxis still a viable option in 2024?

[@LearnStageLighting]

If you have it, yes, it's a great solution. Sadly, they aren't updating it anymore.