Wireless DMX?

SandroCosta1
Posts: 14
Joined: Wed Oct 03, 2018 7:05 pm

Wireless DMX?

Post by SandroCosta1 »

Hi everyone,
In this day in age everything is wireless and was hoping to see if there was a way to make my DMXIS wireless? I dont mind using my laptop (Macbook Air 13") for this as my DMXIS program is loaded on here. I've seen those Wireless DMX transmitters and receivers on Amazon and eBay but I also know they require a small power source..

I would love the freedom to walk about the venue and control my lighting as I do with my audio for my digital mixers via Ipad.

Any help or ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
RichG
Posts: 255
Joined: Mon Nov 24, 2014 8:19 am
Has thanked: 1 time

Re: Wireless DMX?

Post by RichG »

Sounds like you're talking about two different wireless systems so I'll address both.

1. Wireless DMX
Wireless DMX consists of a transmitter that will connect to the DMXIS box and one or more receivers that plug into various fixtures in your lighting rig. These are great for reducing the amount of DMX cables you need to run. I typically run one receiver per tripod of lighting gear. For example, if I have four fixtures on a T-Bar, I'll use one wireless receiver then run dmx cables to the other three off the one fixture. You can get battery powered receivers so all you have to is plug them in and turn them on.

2. Wireless control of DMXIS
To do this you need something to talk to your Macbook over a network. To do this you'll need a router and an iPad. There's no specific app that does DMXIS control, but there is a highly customizable app called TouchOSC that does OSC commands over a network. Check out THIS video on how to use OSC commands with DMXIS.
Sound-guy Steve
Posts: 22
Joined: Tue Dec 18, 2018 11:07 pm

Re: Wireless DMX?

Post by Sound-guy Steve »

I do exactly what you are describing, but you would need to use a different program. I use an iPad to mix, and I aslo have an iPad mini that I use for lights. The program I use is called Luminair3, and it runs solely on an iPad. I have a router on stage, plugged in to an eDMX1 Pro dongle. I use the Donner wireless transmitter & receivers, 1 receiver for each tree of lights as Rich suggested. My Donner wireless receivers are the rechargeable battery type. The Donner system works flawlessly BTW, and I recommend it to everyone regardless of devices being used. They also can act as a dmx splitter, if needed. The transmitter must be plugged in.

The negatives are the Luminair software has many shortcomings, and is very poorly documented. I had to use a lot of trial & error to learn the program. Another downside is that you will need 2 iPads to make this happen. I first tried mounting my iPad mini to a wrist strap, but that was awkward. I finally just made a simple clipboard with both iPads velcro'd to it, and it works perfectly. Another negative is you can't quickly "punch" the buttons on the iPad screen and expect it to register. You have to "touch" the button, which is awkward when trying to make fast scene changes. I'm still using it for now, but ultimately I want to pre-program my lights to run along with a click track and have all of the band lighting automated (a band I mix regularly). This is why I purchased ShowBuddy Active (still learning it). But if I get a PA rental and they want a full light system, then the Luminair-Donner gets the job done.
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