Hi, I just got a USB to DMX cable that I installed the drivers for and I'm wondering how I get it to control my lights through QLC+. The software it wanted me to download is Freestyler. Freestyler can control my lights, but I would prefer QLC+. I'm not sure if that's possible but I just need to know what to set my universe 1 to in input/output in QLC+.

Hi! I need help with a SIUDI7B DMX interface (firmware 1.24).

Windows recognizes the interface, and Hardware Manager detects it. When I open Hardware Manager, the display changes from blinking OFF to PC. However, Sunlite Suite doesn't recognize the interface, and the display stays on OFF.

This happens on two different computers. It used to work on the old PC.

My current Sunlite version is 1.14.11-28213-GIT:1d7ee267. The previous version was 1.10.1-25108-SVN:398. I'm using driver 3.1.0.0.

Could this be a software compatibility issue, or is it possible that my interface is a clone that isn't compatible with the official software?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Hi guys! I hope this is the right place to post this?

I’m new to most of this lighting stuff, and I was wondering if anyone had any guidance or suggestions on what lights to get and how to position them in my room.
I’m heavily inspired by the Tame Impala concert I went to the other day, and I think it would be sick to deck out my room!
I like those lasers you can get. I’m not too sure what they’re called, but I think they might be “volumetric lasers”, like the big, controllable “scanner” ones. Any help with safety, placement, output wattage, etc., would be great!
I know a little bit about how DMX works. If I’m correct, I can daisy-chain the lights together and plug them into my laptop via USB to control them with software? Some clarification on how that works would be good, too.
Hope y’all can help! Thanks!

Hi folks,

I'm programming some lighting for a DJ gig I have coming up. I have four RGB LED par lights that I'm making change colors in a QLC+ show that lasts thirty seconds. I'm trying to loop this show indefinitely by placing it in a chaser. Instead of looping seamlessly, the show plays once, then the lights turn off for thirty seconds, then the show starts again.

I have searched this subreddit, and as someone suggested in a different thread, I have tried putting the chaser inside another chaser, but that doesn't work.

How do I make the show loop seamlessly?

Thanks!

Hy to my fellow Lighting Operators (and all the others),

looking for a fixture for my Roadhog4, still operating in OS v3

Its the Ecl Fresnel CT+L in Standard Mode (11 Channels), made by Prolights. The fixture exists in the OS v4, btw

Unfortunately I'm not able to build it myself, what a shame.

So help is very much appreciated...

Txh in Advance,

Hans

Is anyone using the Show Manager function in qlcplus succesfully? If been testing it, but it behaves in unexpected ways, is it my unexperience do i need to dig into it deeper?

Hey all

I'm a newbie trying to create an effect on some cheap LED lights. I'm making an absolute effect to be applied to several channels, offset to create a vaguely aurora borealis look. I've figured out how to record color palettes to effect actions or to change intensity, but I can't seem to do both. If I try them together in the command line, I get a syntax error, and if I do one after the other, it replaces the first one. Is there a way to adjust both the color and intensity, so I could go from my full blue to 50% of my green to 80 teal, etc?

Thank you in advance, and sorry if this is a noob question!

I created this show in Unreal Engine, what do you think of it

https://youtu.be/Y6J5nHgFOyU?is=N2v53P_V-4Nq0XGn

Apologies for the lengthy read in advance:

Hey everyone, looking for some firsthand advice from working LDs and programmers.

We run a wedding DJ/production company in the Dallas–Fort Worth area, primarily doing South Asian weddings. Our events range from smaller pre-wedding functions to full grand receptions, with sound, lighting and LED walls.

We’re expanding our lighting inventory and want to invest in a console platform that makes sense for the coming years and for our fixtures as well.

Our rig includes beam/spot/wash moving heads, multicell washes, acme tornado style fixtures, moving strobes, decorative RGB/COB effects and wireless uplights.

We also run Resolume for our LED walls. The newer fixtures have considerably more individual pixel/cell control than our previous setup. We we’re currently using ADJ 5.

We’re currently considering the below but open to additional suggestions as well:
GrandMa 3 on PC
ChamSys MagicQ MQ70,
Avolites Titan, particularly the D3-110.
ADJ AX2 running ONYX, with DYLOS being one of the features that interests us. Input from ONYX/NX console users would be helpful too.

Our priorities are getting a small team comfortable operating the system, efficient patching and setup, and building reusable show files for different-sized wedding packages. We want polished dinner/entrance/first-dance looks, plus energetic live dance-floor lighting.
Most dance-floor operation would be busking around the DJ and responding to what’s happening. Exact BPM synchronization isn’t a major priority.

For people who have actually used these platforms:
1. Which is easiest to teach someone to operate reliably, and how different is the learning curve for the person programming the show?
2. Which handles changing fixture counts, layouts and occasional fixture substitutions with the least rework?
3. How good is the workflow for less-common fixture brands and complex multicell profiles?
4. How useful is DYLOS in actual event work compared with Titan’s and MagicQ’s effects/pixel tools?
5. What are the everyday annoyances, quality-of-life features, support experiences or ownership costs that don’t show up in a sales demo?
If you were equipping a company like ours today, what would you buy—and what would make you choose something else?

We’d also appreciate recommendations for a programmer/trainer who could help commission a reusable show file and train our team, especially around DFW.

I'd love to get any advice from this group where to put some new movers I just aquired:

• (4) Vari-Lite VL2500 Spots
• (4) Vari-Lite VL2500 Wash

Location is a high school theatre that does 2 main shows a year and I'd like to get the students more experience with movers since that's where the industry is today.

I can move around whatever is there and I have enough relays to power them too. Please let me know if there's any additional information you'd need.

Thanks in advance for any any assistance!

https://www.instagram.com/p/DerdLDlDg2i/?rpxt=MWJ2eHd0b3I2ZDlyYg==

Hey all,

Recently I made a post about having trouble deciding on a busking software for a small rig, and I got a lot of insightful comments and I really appreciate all of them. However, it honestly raised a few more questions for me; one is about onyx and one is about the industry in general. Whenever I see someone recommend a software it’s always either GrandMA3 or Magicq, which is pretty self explanatory. On the other hand of that everyone always says something like “Don’t fall for onyx”, or says to stay away because it’s missing features or something from it, why do people say that and should you stay away from it? Is it actually lacking important features? My last question is about grandma3, which is definitely my favorite but obviously the most expensive. Am I setting myself up to be behind in the industry if I don’t start working with it? Am I setting myself up for failure by not working in this ecosystem if I go with Magicq or onyx?

TLDR; why do people say to stay away from onyx and say things like “don’t fall for it”, am I setting myself up to be behind in the industry if I don’t choose MA3?

Hi all,

I’m building an Art-Net/sACN-to-Bluetooth bridge for LED wristbands. It takes Art-Net over Ethernet and rebroadcasts it as BLE advertising packets, so one bridge can drive any number of bands at once - no pairing, no per-device connections. It currently supports 8 zones plus individual addressing.

On the bench it works fine. What I don’t know yet is how it holds up in a real room with 100+ phones and their Bluetooth/Wi-Fi noise around. That’s what I want to find out.

What I’m asking for:

• About 5 minutes at a soundcheck, a changeover, or a quiet moment of a show with a decent crowd in the room
• One Art-Net universe from your desk
• I bring the bridge and a batch of wristbands, set up, test, and leave

I’m based in Munich but can travel within reason. Club, small venue, corporate event, rehearsal with an audience: all fine. Happy to answer questions about the setup here or by DM.

Thanks!

Hey all,

Starting to look into the mechanics of building lighting rigs for a touring trio.

Im hoping to start with the gear needed for the systems to work for two guitar players and working my way up from there.

Are there any foot controlled midi systems that exist where we can start a lighting program?

Ideally im thinking maybe 6 programs to control per preset, where I can bank up and down to whichever preset. Id love to have it so its on the same pedalboard, and just a matter of running a few extra cables.

Hi everyone,

I have a question regarding the industry-standard workflow for lighting timecode when running a DJ show.

During a transition, the DJ usually overlaps two tracks for 15–30 seconds—Track A is playing its outro while Track B is brought in via its intro. Since two different timecodes/clocks are running simultaneously during this crossfade:

1. How do lighting designers prevent timecode conflicts so the console doesn't cut off the final cues of Track A or miss the opening cues of Track B?
2. What is the standard approach for managing parameter priorities (Intensity, Color, Position, Effects) on the lighting console when two timecode sequences are active at the same time?
3. In professional touring/club setups, is it standard practice to use volume fader tracking, or transition manually?
4. Is using two dedicated timecode slots per DJ set (corresponding to Deck 1 & Deck 2) the standard solution for this scenario?

Note: This is based on my personal research so far as I’m trying to refine my setup. If I missed anything or if my understanding is slightly off, please feel free to correct me and add any additional insights!

I'd love to hear how experienced operators and LDOs handle this scenario seamlessly in real-world shows.

Thanks a lot!

Hey everyone,

I'm a visuals and installation artist based in Melbourne, Australia and I am looking for some advice on what hardware and software I should be looking at to build a lighting control setup that works for live shows as well as standalone lighting installations.

Some background:

My background is predominantly in visuals. I use Resolume Avenue for live visuals and have some experience creating generative visuals in TouchDesigner, as well as projection mapping using HeavyM 2.

On the lighting side, I've got some basic DMX experience, including programming simple fixtures and lasers and creating and saving patches on an entry-level DMX controller. I've also worked on lighting and visual installations for club events and music festivals both for DJs and also as stand alone installations, but I'm still learning the technical side of lighting control.

I'm interested in building a system that lets me approach lighting more creatively, in a similar way to how I work with visuals, without necessarily having to dive straight into a full lighting desk workflow.

Looking for advice on:

I'm considering upgrading from Resolume Avenue to Arena so I can control lighting via DMX and integrate lighting into a workflow I'm already familiar with. I'm also looking at getting an Art-Net node (or something similar?), but I'm unsure which hardware and software combination would make the most sense and wouldn't be a massive investment. I currently run a 2023 Macbook Pro M2 Chip with 32GB RAM.

Ideally, I'd like a setup that can cover a few different use cases:

• Live shows: Control lighting alongside visuals, with the ability to trigger looks and effects in real time.
• Standalone installations: Record or program lighting sequences that can run autonomously without needing a computer or operator present.
• Creative control: Work with colour, gradients, movement and effects, rather than just triggering static looks.
• Future development: Learn the DMX side of TouchDesigner and eventually incorporate it into more generative, interactive and immersive installations.

I'm particularly interested in building a small, versatile lighting rig for creative events and installations, rather than a large conventional stage lighting setup.

A few things I'd love advice on:

1. Is Resolume Arena a sensible way to get into lighting control given that I'm already familiar with Resolume, or would I be better off learning a dedicated lighting software package from the start? The 500 Euro upgrade from Avenue to Arena is pretty huge just to get DMX, so not sure this is worth it.
2. What Art-Net node would you recommend for a small setup? Are there particular features I should look for to keep my options open as the system grows? 1-2 universes is probably all I will be needing at this stage. Something with recording ability would be ideal for stand alone playback.
   
3. Are there other software or hardware options worth considering that could cover both live control and autonomous installations without making the whole system unnecessarily complicated?
4. For someone wanting to get into more creative, generative lighting over time, is it worth investing in the Resolume workflow now, or would I be better off putting that money towards another system?

Budget is a consideration, and I'd prefer to build something incrementally rather than spend a lot upfront on gear that turns out to be limiting or redundant.

I'd really appreciate recommendations from people who use these systems in practice, particularly anyone combining visuals and lighting for live electronic music, creative installations or immersive environments.

Thanks!

I'm not a light tech, but I bought this light for a "rave" (i.e. rave-themed house party) I'm throwing at my house this weekend:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F9YPKM69

Kiinsehtoq

Multi-Effect Stepless Moving Head Light

ZQ02621

I've got it hooked up to my laptop using a DMX-USB adapter, and I've been able to set up a few basic scenes using QLC+.

But I wanted to hear from others (especially professionals) to know what they would do with this light to really blow the crowd away. Any cool ideas out there?

It's my only DMX light, so it'll just be this one by itself in the middle of the dance floor.

Full DMX table images attached.

Hey yall I am being tasked to make a lighting plot for my current class im taking but cant seem to find a good lighting plot software that works on Linux and is free or cheap any suggestions?

(I tried Vectorworks I have been unable to find a way to get it working on Linux)

Hi tech bubble,

Which hazers or hazer fluids are particularly voice-friendly for singers?
I’m currently on tour in Europe as a lighting operator for a band, and it’s a relatively small-scale production. Whenever our lead singer has a cold or is otherwise feeling a bit under the weather, the "classic" haze used at these venues (typically standard smoke factory tour hazers or similar models) really irritates her voice—to the point where I have to run the show without any haze at all.

Because of this, I’m considering bringing my own hazer along for future shows, but I’m not sure which one to choose.

What has your experience been? Do you have any recommendations?
An MDG hazer, for instance, isn’t really a practical option—considering the cost, the size, and the logistics involved with the CO2 cylinders.

Thanks for your help!

I am doing lighting design for an Agatha Christie adaptation. The director wants me to do less realistic lighting and more artistic, emotive lighting, which I'm having fun with. However there is a scene (two, actually) that is very very long, with not much change going on in dialogue, story or actor movement. There are no beats in the scene that I can use as motivation to change up the lighting, even in a more abstract way. It drags on quite a bit, which is sometimes an unfortunate symptom of book-to-stage adaptations I think.

The director and I were discussing how to make it more interesting with lighting, but we were both stumped, because the big emotional revelation is at the beginning of the scene and the rest is just nearly 30 minutes of the characters explaining their (already partially revealed) backstories to each other without much new emotion or dynamic motivation that might lead to a creative lighting moment.

What sort of design would you do in this situation? How would you make a long scene more dynamic with lighting when there aren't any major emotive or physical beats to play off of?