DMX Questions

Shannon - How do you control Freestyler with sound; I mean the physical hook up? I have zone out on my mixer....

When I say program; I meant try programming each and every step of the VUe 3's pattern in sound active; that would be an onerous task to say the least.

You have got me thinking again though....

Does freestyler allow for multiple chases to run simultaneously?

MSCHEL said:

Ben, Could you send me the dmx primer also? Another question, I have 20 slim par 56 lights, do I need a dmx terminator at the end? Was told by someone that with the newer lights terminators are no longer necessary. I also want to purchase you lighting dvd.

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Who told you that?? (rhetorical) New or not, the DMX standard operates pretty much the same way it has for 20 years (on EIA-485) and requires termination. In fact, most of the lights sold to DJs today still use DMX-1990 (more commonly called DMX-512). I'm guessing it was a misunderstanding or someone who was misinformed.

Shannon D said:

Then I bought a Enttec Pro dongle ($140 on ebay new) and downloaded Freestyler DMX (free). DMX is sooo easy now. I highly recommend this route. There is a Freestyler forum and lots of help there to get you fixed up if you have questions.

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We also have the Velleman Freestyler dongle for $79. I agree with Shannon... software (whatever your flavor) is the way to go!

Ben

The joystick is a waste of time. I have one on my DMX-55. The joystick is pretty much useless. Yep, I still have my DMX-55, but haven't turned it on in 2 years. I kept it as a backup in case the dongle would fail. Never has that happened.

In the software, if you want to shine the light on something specific, you have more than one way of doing it. One way is using the up, down, left & right keys. Another way is to move it using the pan/tilt window.

Software allows you to make the MH's do figure 8 patterns, flower patterns, circles, squares etc. This would take forever on a board and you would probably run out of scenes trying to program this. Software is unlimited to number of scenes or sequences. There are limits on the boards.

I'm by no means a pro at this, nor do I even claim to be a great DJ. I've only been DJing and messing around with DMX for the last 4 years. I've been playing in bands a lot longer. I do band gigs more than I do DJ gigs. Funny thing is I actually make more per gig DJing than a band gig.

Steve LeBlanc said:

Shannon - How do you control Freestyler with sound; I mean the physical hook up? I have zone out on my mixer....

When I say program; I meant try programming each and every step of the VUe 3's pattern in sound active; that would be an onerous task to say the least.

You have got me thinking again though....

Does freestyler allow for multiple chases to run simultaneously?

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Freestyler has a add-in called sound to light. It uses the pc sound card as the source if your using the same pc for both lights and music. If not, then you would use your zone out of the mixer to a line in / mic on your pc.
I mainly use the built in "Music mode" of the lights instead of this function, but to each is own. There's more than one way to get the same out come. Usually.

Yes & Yes,

Each and every step of the Vue3's sound active pattern can be duplicated in the software, but you don't need to. It's already there for you to use. Spend your time creating new ones instead.

Multiple chases and/or scenes can be run that the same time by using the Cue Window or the Submasters. I use the Submasters because it allows way more flexibility for running the show on the fly.

Ok, question...I now own 8 scanners and 2 moving heads with the plan of purchasing 2 more moving heads (all Chauvet Q-Spot 260's).

I purchased Chauvet Show Xpress 512 (or something similar), but it is on back order or some other excuse......

Should I cancel my order and go with Freestyler? Is Freestyer easy to learn? The Software based control is completely new to me, but I want to start programming and using these lights ASAP. Suggestions???

NLFX Pro said:

Who told you that?? (rhetorical) New or not, the DMX standard operates pretty much the same way it has for 20 years (on EIA-485) and requires termination. In fact, most of the lights sold to DJs today still use DMX-1990 (more commonly called DMX-512). I'm guessing it was a misunderstanding or someone who was misinformed.



We also have the Velleman Freestyler dongle for $79. I agree with Shannon... software (whatever your flavor) is the way to go!

Ben

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I have two terminators that I made myself (a resistor and XLR connector). The terminator is supposed to end the daisy chain so that info does not get messed up. It is recommended on long runs. If your lights are on the truss right above your console, it is not necessary. If your gonna put uplighting all the way around a gym or big hall, I recommend it. This is from personal experience and many others in the DMX forums.

Edit: Oh, some lights do have built in terminators that can be activated thru the menu screen or dip switch. Maybe this is where the confusion came from? Don't know....

The Velleman dongle has been known to give many folks grief over in the Freestyler forum. Not to take any business away from Ben, but the dongle of choice is the Enttec Pro. Save yourself some headache and go with the Enttec Pro. It's solid as a rock!

Edit (added this): This comes from another forum, but the Velleman relies on the pc CPU for processing where as the Enttec Pro has its own lil processor built inside. Because the Velleman relies on the pc CPU, if you have other programs open and working, the lights tend to flicker when the CPU is busy working on other processes. Disclaimer, haha, I'm not a salesmen or in any way affiliated with Enttec. I'm just an end user, speaking from experience and passing on comments from others that were made in the Freestyler forum. I hope this helps someone. Cheers~!

musicboy71 said:

Ok, question...I now own 8 scanners and 2 moving heads with the plan of purchasing 2 more moving heads (all Chauvet Q-Spot 260's).

I purchased Chauvet Show Xpress 512 (or something similar), but it is on back order or some other excuse......

Should I cancel my order and go with Freestyler? Is Freestyer easy to learn? The Software based control is completely new to me, but I want to start programming and using these lights ASAP. Suggestions???

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I looked into the Show Xpress software back when I first got into it. The dongle was more than I wanted to spend. I took the gut feeling and went with Freestyler and the Enttec Pro (only because it was cheaper) to get my feet wet first before spending more money. I don't regret my decision one bit. I have no reason to change what I have. There's good support in the Freestyler forum to help you out along the way. The software is being regularly updated with improvements, most improvements are from the suggestions of forum members. That is a great thing!

Just like anything else, there is a learning curve when learning something new. You can expect to put some time into it learning how to create fixture files and learning the way the software works. You want to be comfortable that you understand what is actually going on behind the scenes when you click the mouse button. Once you have that, the sky is the limit when it comes to building your scenes and your show. Well, depending on what lights you own and how big your wallet is too! haha! Having a good imagination to think of new scenes is a powerful thing. Or just look on youtube at other dmx light shows and create your own using some ideas from their videos.

I suggest looking around on youtube at the different videos to help make your decision.