Lighting & Effects

[wesearcy]

Running with an Obey 70 DMX Lighting controller. I am not able to have any of the 6 chases cycle unto themselves. Seems that I start with one of the 6 and once the sequence within that chase completes, the controller switches over to another chase rather than repeating the chase sequence again. Is there a way to program a chase to repeat until the user selects another chase number? Thanks for any help you can lend.

[StratGuy22]

I have an obey70 and I just couldn't really get anywhere with it. I added a FCB1010 footswitch and literally got NOWHERE. I switched to DMXIS and have been WAY happier as a result.

[wesearcy]

Thanks Strat. 

I get the feeling the Obey 70 might be problematic.  Once I get into chase mode, it will not exit or switch back over to Manual Scene mode until re-booting the unit.  I went ahead and placed 240 scenes into each chase so it will take longer to cycle through while we are playing. 

Not that I'll ever do it, but the MIDI sequencing option on the controller looks like it might be worth some investigation.  I have one act where we play to MP3's created out of MIDI files found online and edit with a Kurzy.  The MIDI config table in the Obey 70 manual makes sense to me.  If I can get Cakewalk to talk to the Obey 70, it looks like we'll be able to invoke about 1/2 the scenes or any of the chases from within a MIDI sequence.

I'll google DMXIS to see what you are talking about.

Cheers and thanks for the reply.

Wes

[wesearcy]

Man, the DMXIS system looks awesome and easy to use.  How long have you been running with it?  Do you pre program your show(s) from a computer and simply take the hardware box to a gig and run it with their footswitch from there?  It sounded like the hardware box had a buffer on it to store a fair amout of data locally.  What does the $290 US get you?  Box and software?  So after everything is set up, do you simply hit the footswitch and the next program runs?  It looks like it can sequence the moving heads and everything pretty nicely.  Great reference!!!  Thanks!!!

[StratGuy22]

Check my threads with videos. I'm 100% NOT a light guy. Here's a quick video of 10 of my newer scenes.

http://youtu.be/aNOURpTqTMo

I think I paid $260 on eBay. You get the software and the hardware interface. The interface is simple. 512 faders basically. You set your DMX addresses, then it works. There's a list of fixtures to choose from, which puts labels on each slider etc.

Take my Blizzard 3NX's. I addressed them in pairs, and loaded the fixture for each. If I want one pair to be green, I move the green fader and that pair turns green. If I want them all green, I double click the green fader, and all the lights act in unison.

If you had multiple scanners, you could move them in pairs, set gobos etc individually or together as a group.

You see the purple 3NX's fading in and out? That's due to an oscillator controlling the dimmer. If I left them in a group they would all dim, and all light up at once. Then i turned on chase, and they take turns getting brighter & dim.

Same with the moving scanners. I didn't choose the paths. I chose the vertical and horizontal faders in a group. Turned on the oscillator, made a few adjustments to where I liked it and went with it.

Real lampies might find it a little on the basic side but it does what I need. People run it with Ambleton live for sequencing. I hook it up to a behringer FCB1010 controller, and just change scenes manually.

Compared to the Obey70, DMXIS is a walk in the park. I definitely recommend it!!

[StratGuy22]

You make your different scenes. Each one goes into a list. Then the Foot controller just runs down the list. The FCB1010 is around $150. There's 10 pedals, a bank up, a bank down, and 2 volume pedals.

Plug it in to a USB to Midi interface and you're good to go. You don't have to change any settings. Select the midi interface in the DMXIS preference, and you're good to go.

The first ten scenes on the list correspond with buttons 1 - 10, bank 00. Hit bank 01, and you have the next 10 scenes. Etc etc.

DMXIS can also learn midi. I select the dimmer slider on the lights I have on the band. I right click and select learn. Then I move the first volume pedal...done. The first volume pedal controls the dimmer for the lights on the band in every scene.

I set the second volume pedal to control the smoke machine via DMXIS as well.

Like I said, I really like it! I organized the list so button 10 on any bank is blackout with lights on the band. Then I can randomly pick scenes via foot pedal and hit blackout at the end of the song. It's pretty sweet!!!

[StratGuy22]

You can even download the software. It won't work without the hardware and unlock key, but you can check it out.

[Mutha Goose]

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wesearcy wrote:

Man, the DMXIS system looks awesome and easy to use.  How long have you been running with it?  Do you pre program your show(s) from a computer and simply take the hardware box to a gig and run it with their footswitch from there?  It sounded like the hardware box had a buffer on it to store a fair amout of data locally.  What does the $290 US get you?  Box and software?  So after everything is set up, do you simply hit the footswitch and the next program runs?  It looks like it can sequence the moving heads and everything pretty nicely.  Great reference!!!  Thanks!!!

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DMXis is very simple to use. I've been using it for a little more than 3 years now. You will need a computer (or Mac) to use it. The interface doesn't store your scenes. But it is not a resource heavy SW, so as long as you have a USB port, you can really use any computer (find a used one onlilne for $100). As Strat mentioned, you can use a midi controller, or even a dual momentary contact footswitch with up to 3 functions per switch (one click, double click, click and hold).

At the basic level, you can be up and running in minutes. I would guess this is probably one of the easiest controller SW to learn. But it is a basic controller. You will run into limitations and frustrations with the feature set. Personally, I have started to find interesting ways around some of these limitations through the use of Python scripts and creative manual manipulations of the oscillator's attributes. I was ready to drop this SW before I learned to do this because I kept running up against it's limitations as my show increased in size and complexity. But for now I am sticking with this (even though I have purchased another SW controller) now that I have my library of scripts in place. 

[wesearcy]

Great input Mutha. 

I looked at just about all of their installation and set up videos.  It is still looking rather promising even with the need to bring a computer to the places we play.  (Hey lady, nice tooth!!!)  Right now we're tackling the "in-ear/go-direct" thang with the PA.  I'm springing a little more stress on my guys than I ought to for now.  Once we get those items settled to where folks are happy, the income should be able to justify another move and this looks like where we should go.  I looked at their fixture library too and they gotz my stuff.  No reinventing the wheel.

Mutha, Strat and all, thanks a mega buttload.  (Now that's a thank you fer ya, tizn-tit?)

[wesearcy]

Strat, this is nothing like your demo, but this is where I am right now:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJkBO3ThKrY

[Mutha Goose]

You're using in-ears?... Are you using click tracks?... If so, you could automate everything ahead of time. That is very easy to do with DMXis and it allows for direct placement and perfect timing for a highly synchonized show.

[wesearcy]

Familiar with MIDI.  Use Cakewalk to create backing tracks for a duo application.  Don't take the sound module, controller or puter out of the house.  Just working through the in-ears with the guys now.  All have taken to it but the guitarist.  He's a tone dawg who recently had some ear surgery to help restore some hearing.  He can't stick buds in his ear yet.  Instead of 3 amps, he brought 2 last Saturday.  We're working with him to help him over the hump of what we're trying to accomplish.  The new lights and in-ears were sprung on the guys just this last Saturday.  For the other 2 guys, were looking at just tweaks on the in-ears.  For the guitarist, this will be a tougher sale to get him in the water and swimming with the concept.

I did see the application of MIDI to DMXIS, but that will not be used here.

[StratGuy22]

Looks good! DMXIS would give you more control over everything, and the oscillators ad movement, whether its fading in and out, changing colors or moving the heads, all without jumping from scene to scene.

[wesearcy]

Strat,

You are too kind brutha.  Your lights look excellent and you got me seriously looking at your control system.  When I find a great deal on a lapper to run it, I think this will be the next move.  Enttec has all of my fixtures in their library and I downloaded the software. It looks pretty straight forward.  The addition of just the DMX control channels for each light when the control board learns your fixture looks pretty cool.  none of the superflourous extra channels just because each fixture could have up to 32 DMX channels.  The labelling at the top line is really hip too.  Thanks for jumping in with the suggestion. 

You've been your system for about 3 years with that Behringer pedal?  Was that a pretty intuitive addition to the system.  If I recall correct, you said you USB's that to your lapper as well at the DMXIS box and they pretty much started off talking to each other.  Did the Behringer automatically assign button parameters like you described or did you have to assign them?  I'm asking about the banks and the 1-10 for each bank thang.

Really appreciate the help Strat.  Are you in the Midwest too.  I'm in St. Lou.

[StratGuy22]

Hi. I think you have the two of us confused.

I started using DMXIS in Dec, and was more than comfortable enough to use it for an NYE gig.

I use the FCB1010, I bought a USB to MIDI interface, a Roland one. I connected it to the foot pedal. Then in the preferences it let me choose the MIDI controller. After that I didn't have to program or edit anything on the FCB1010

It worked exactly as I described. First 10 scens = 10 pedals bank 00. The next 10, bank 01.

It was a really nice surprise. I'm no MIDI or light guy. So trying to make heads or tails between the Obey70 and the FCB1010 had me at my wits end. I was ready to sell the FCB1010 and buy the $400 Roland footpedal. I thought I'd give it a try with DMXIS on the off chance that it worked, and it did.

With the obey70, each fixture is 32 numbers apart, to work with the buttons.

With DMXIS you can have fixtures right beside each other if you want and have the room.

My intimidators are 4 channel so I have 4 of them in a row.

Intimidator #1
17-20

Intimidator #2
21-24

Intimidator #3
25-28

Intimidator #4
29-32

It's nice havig them in a row like that.

Ill take some video tonight illustrating how I have everything setup. It won't be until later though.


Yeah, plug in the behringer foot pedal and it just works.

[StratGuy22]

Too assign the foot pedals, I right click channel 16, which my smoke machine is set to. I click learn, move the pedal, and it's done. You don't have to assign the 10 foot switches. They just work right out of the box.

[mstreck]

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StratGuy22 wrote:

Ill take some video tonight illustrating how I have everything setup. It won't be until later though.

Waiting patiently.... *ahem!*

[Mutha Goose]

I'm the one that's been using the FCB1010 for about 3 years with DMXis. I use a PreSonus Audio Box USB to interface the midi to the computer. This also allows me to use a mic with DMXis' audio triggers (though I don't use that feature at all anymore).

I use wireless midi as well when I'm controlling the lights from the stage (because my computer stays with my sound system). I have mine set up so that:

• one button returns me to my "home" scene (the look I use between songs)
• one for Bank up
• one for Bank Down
• one for Preset Up
• One for Preset Down
• One Pedal for master light level
• (used to use a pedal for tempo adjustments, but this didn't work too well)

This gives me total control within a single bank. I arrange my system so that each bank is a song, and the presets in each bank are my cues (intro, verse1, chorus1, etc...)

In addition, I use an iPad on the stage (mounted to my mic stand). I use SplashTop Remote as the remote interface, this allows me to see DMXis from the stage.

When I do lights for others, my setup is very different. I use DMXis as a plug-in to Ableton Live with an APC20 controller in addition to the basic DMXis footswitch (for blinder use). This gives me Tap Tempo, and lets me arrange my control in a more layered manor.

[StratGuy22]

I teach guitar for a couple hours, so it will be after that.

[mstreck]

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StratGuy22 wrote:
I teach guitar for a couple hours, so it will be after that.

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Haha! No rush - but I will be taking copius notes once you finally do!!!!!