DMXIS and MIDI?

andyp13
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DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

Seems DMXIS is very limited as far as MIDI is concerned 😟. I just bought DMXIS as it was advertised as ideal for musicians/bands. But there seems to be no MIDI capabilities other than switch from one chase to the next, which uses a two switch footswitch?
I was hoping to connect up a MIDI controller (in my case a RMJ16 and dedicate switches to certain lighting - for example when the sax player does a solo I want to press a switch thigh would put all the lights to blue except one white light on the sax player, then do a similar setting on another switch accept the white light will be on the keyboard player etc etc... 😟
vwodwo22
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by vwodwo22 »

Are you using in the dmxis as stand alone or with a pc/Mac? If you do the latter, it does have midi capabilities. This is actually I assume most people are using it. Each preset is mapped to a midi note
RichG
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by RichG »

I'm using DMXIS and a DMC Ground Control (original) to control lighting exactly as you described.

The Ground Control sends PC messages that load different presets. You can use masking in DMXIS to only change the lights you want to adjust and leave all others as they currently are.

I also send CC messages to DMXIS to control faders.

One thing that does bug me about DMXIS and MIDI is the fact that DMXIS currently responds to PC messages via OMNI (any channel) mode. Luckily, I have DMXIS isolated from my other MIDI gear... but if I had a few processors in the MIDI path and wanted to send different PC's to all of them, then DMXIS would respond to ALL of the PC's. A work around is to run something like Bome's midi translator, or use a Midi Solutions Event Processor to filter the messages going to DMXIS.
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

vwodwo22 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 6:00 pm Are you using in the dmxis as stand alone or with a pc/Mac? If you do the latter, it does have midi capabilities. This is actually I assume most people are using it. Each preset is mapped to a midi note
I didn’t know DMXIS could be used as a stand alone?
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

RichG wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:24 pm I'm using DMXIS and a DMC Ground Control (original) to control lighting exactly as you described.

The Ground Control sends PC messages that load different presets. You can use masking in DMXIS to only change the lights you want to adjust and leave all others as they currently are.

I also send CC messages to DMXIS to control faders.

One thing that does bug me about DMXIS and MIDI is the fact that DMXIS currently responds to PC messages via OMNI (any channel) mode. Luckily, I have DMXIS isolated from my other MIDI gear... but if I had a few processors in the MIDI path and wanted to send different PC's to all of them, then DMXIS would respond to ALL of the PC's. A work around is to run something like Bome's midi translator, or use a Midi Solutions Event Processor to filter the messages going to DMXIS.
I haven’t tried it with my RMJ yet, but I did set up a Morningstar to control it... tbh I’m finding it a little ‘amateure’ I managed to control the banks via ch15, (I’m not bothering with changing presets). The biggest problem is that the ‘bars’ option is global? And that really screws things up. And the most annoying of all which really renders it useless is the blackout (or should I say lack of it). I set up a bank with 1 Preset in it (all lights off) when I press it, it takes up to a few seconds to ‘fade’ to black, depending on the chase previous. So when I hit blackout at the end of a song it fades out?????? 😟
RichG
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by RichG »

andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:51 pm The biggest problem is that the ‘bars’ option is global? And that really screws things up.
Which 'bars' option? The Bars setting in the fader window can be set per fader/per preset. It's MIDI CC value is global- so once it's assigned it will always respond to that CC. Personally, I don't have the Bars assigned to anything CC. I set it statically, but then use the Tap Tempo if I want faster or slower overall movement.
And the most annoying of all which really renders it useless is the blackout (or should I say lack of it). I set up a bank with 1 Preset in it (all lights off) when I press it, it takes up to a few seconds to ‘fade’ to black, depending on the chase previous. So when I hit blackout at the end of a song it fades out?????? 😟
Yes, that's kind of a pain. I wish we could set both Fade In and Fade Out times. I haven't tried it, but a possible workaround for this is to assign a CC to the Master knob. Instead of jumping to a new preset (which is subject to fading), send a value of 0 to the CC controlling the Master.
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

RichG wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:28 pm
andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 7:51 pm The biggest problem is that the ‘bars’ option is global? And that really screws things up.
Which 'bars' option? The Bars setting in the fader window can be set per fader/per preset. It's MIDI CC value is global- so once it's assigned it will always respond to that CC. Personally, I don't have the Bars assigned to anything CC. I set it statically, but then use the Tap Tempo if I want faster or slower overall movement.
And the most annoying of all which really renders it useless is the blackout (or should I say lack of it). I set up a bank with 1 Preset in it (all lights off) when I press it, it takes up to a few seconds to ‘fade’ to black, depending on the chase previous. So when I hit blackout at the end of a song it fades out?????? 😟
Yes, that's kind of a pain. I wish we could set both Fade In and Fade Out times. I haven't tried it, but a possible workaround for this is to assign a CC to the Master knob. Instead of jumping to a new preset (which is subject to fading), send a value of 0 to the CC controlling the Master.
That’s not a bad idea, I can set up an expression pedal on the Rjm to set to the master fade (I think)..
So far I’m very disappointed with the DMXIS advertising it at musicians is a little far of the mark, it should have had MIDI in on it and a Blackout switch (the biggest fundamental mistake of them all) nearly every lighting desk has a blackout switch facility, and this doesn’t? Beggars belief 😟. I’ll have another go with it tomorrow but so far it’s not a keeper.
RichG
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by RichG »

andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:44 pm That’s not a bad idea, I can set up an expression pedal on the Rjm to set to the master fade (I think)..
So far I’m very disappointed with the DMXIS advertising it at musicians is a little far of the mark, it should have had MIDI in on it and a Blackout switch (the biggest fundamental mistake of them all) nearly every lighting desk has a blackout switch facility, and this doesn’t? Beggars belief 😟. I’ll have another go with it tomorrow but so far it’s not a keeper.
True there is no 'Blackout' button anywhere to be found... and yes, every console I've worked on has a dedicated 'Blackout' button.
DMXIS considers setting the Master to 0 to be Blackout. So, the functionality is there, but the button isn't.

When defining fixtures, you can define a 'Blackout' value. When you set the Master to 0, the Blackout value is sent. Info on creating fixture definition files can be found HERE. There is a DMXIS fixture editor that can be used to create the files, but I prefer to use an editor like Notepad++.

When I first started using DMXIS I was frustrated with the lack of capability... but after spending a lot of time with it I came to find out it's very flexible. Like most DAW software, it takes a little time to get into the developers' heads to figure out why they did things the way they did.

If not happy with DMXIS, maybe give Show Buddy Active a try. It's like an upgrade to DMXIS.
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

RichG wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:17 pm
andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 8:44 pm That’s not a bad idea, I can set up an expression pedal on the Rjm to set to the master fade (I think)..
So far I’m very disappointed with the DMXIS advertising it at musicians is a little far of the mark, it should have had MIDI in on it and a Blackout switch (the biggest fundamental mistake of them all) nearly every lighting desk has a blackout switch facility, and this doesn’t? Beggars belief 😟. I’ll have another go with it tomorrow but so far it’s not a keeper.
True there is no 'Blackout' button anywhere to be found... and yes, every console I've worked on has a dedicated 'Blackout' button.
DMXIS considers setting the Master to 0 to be Blackout. So, the functionality is there, but the button isn't.

When defining fixtures, you can define a 'Blackout' value. When you set the Master to 0, the Blackout value is sent. Info on creating fixture definition files can be found HERE. There is a DMXIS fixture editor that can be used to create the files, but I prefer to use an editor like Notepad++.

When I first started using DMXIS I was frustrated with the lack of capability... but after spending a lot of time with it I came to find out it's very flexible. Like most DAW software, it takes a little time to get into the developers' heads to figure out why they did things the way they did.

If not happy with DMXIS, maybe give Show Buddy Active a try. It's like an upgrade to DMXIS.
I don’t use clicks/backing tracks so would Show Buddy be any more beneficial?
RichG
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by RichG »

andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 9:55 pm I don’t use clicks/backing tracks so would Show Buddy be any more beneficial?
Show Buddy lets you design a light show along with backing tracks and such.

SBA has a similar interface compared to DMXIS, but can do a lot more. The first thing you'll notice is... resizeable windows!! It can also do ArtNet and multiple universes.

I have SBA, but I'm still using DMXIS. I've been waiting for an update to SBA before I use it live... and waiting... and waiting.
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

I have SBA, but I'm still using DMXIS. I've been waiting for an update to SBA before I use it live... and waiting... and waiting.



I’ll give that a miss then 😟
RichG
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by RichG »

andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:18 pm I’ll give that a miss then 😟
By your mention of RJM and Morningstar MC6, I'll assume you're a Fractal guy (as am I). This aint no FAS operation. No bi-weekly firmware updates. :D
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

RichG wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:34 pm
andyp13 wrote: Fri Aug 30, 2019 10:18 pm I’ll give that a miss then 😟
By your mention of RJM and Morningstar MC6, I'll assume you're a Fractal guy (as am I). This aint no FAS operation. No bi-weekly firmware updates. :D
I certainly am a Fractal guy, Axe III with RJM GT16. It’s a shame other companies don’t take a leaf out of Fractals book and add support like they do 🎸
Steve E
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by Steve E »

The fact that Program Changes are received on all channels is a huge failing in my opinion (no disrespect to Dave). While midi notes are limited to channels 15 & 16 and the midi learn feature will effectively learn Control Changes by channel, having PCs received in omni mode is, frankly, piss-poor.

However, DMXIS has midi clock and that is one thing that not all software controllers offer. DMXIS is also a deceptively powerful tool underneath its overtly simplified interface. Direct control of most interface features via midi learn, changing of banks and presets via midi note (and the afore mentioned omni program change messages), plus a dedicated, assignable two-channel foot-switch input makes for quite a powerful little box (ShowXpress, for example, cannot compete).

Being able to edit your own fixtures whether through the website or manually using a text editor is also a big plus in my book - try editing fixtures in Capture for example...

And the box states "Proudly designed & made in Australia" - I am Australian and that does make me proud to purchase an Australian product (the hardware that is, not the software from what I can gather) :)

The DMXIS software certainly has its limitations for a 'freebie' - no inbuilt copy and paste is a huge limitation (thankfully there is a user developed macro to resolve that as well as going into the file structure to manually duplicate banks and presets). However I appreciate the business model - create something that is simple to operate and works effectively while providing upgrade paths to more feature-rich software environments.
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

The lack of a Blackout is a major bummer, I programmed in a bank with all off (for a blackout) after hitting the switch it takes 14 seconds before it starts to eventually fade to a black out (yes fade)... it has to finish the previous chase first 😕. The inability to alter the ‘bar’ in each bank is a real pain as some banks I want quick chases and in others I want very slow chases - can’t have both, it’s one or the other 😕 - I bought this as it was advertised as ideal for live bands - I’m quickly finding out that it is not the case... a 14 second fade to black is pathetic 😕.
Dave Brown [admin]
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by Dave Brown [admin] »

andyp13 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:49 amI bought this as it was advertised as ideal for live bands - I’m quickly finding out that it is not the case... a 14 second fade to black is pathetic 😕.
Thousands of bands and performers use DMXIS every week without issues like this. Clearly something is amiss.

I wonder if you are trying to use DMXIS like a traditional console, where a "chase" is a sequential list of static snapshots. The workflow in DMXIS is very different - chases are typically built using the oscillator feature, then saved into a preset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV6fpvPrO9E
Dave Brown - db audioware
Author of Show Buddy Setlist | Show Buddy Active | ArtNetMon
cgrafx
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by cgrafx »

andyp13 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:49 am The lack of a Blackout is a major bummer, I programmed in a bank with all off (for a blackout) after hitting the switch it takes 14 seconds before it starts to eventually fade to a black out (yes fade)... it has to finish the previous chase first 😕. The inability to alter the ‘bar’ in each bank is a real pain as some banks I want quick chases and in others I want very slow chases - can’t have both, it’s one or the other 😕 - I bought this as it was advertised as ideal for live bands - I’m quickly finding out that it is not the case... a 14 second fade to black is pathetic 😕.
There is no fade from a chase. If its fading you have set a fade time on the preset your moving from.

I use a couple of blackout presets for different functions and they all work instantly.
1. Master blackout that turns everything off
2. Sub blackouts that just turn off the front or back lights (etc)
andyp13
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Re: DMXIS and MIDI?

Post by andyp13 »

Dave Brown [admin] wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 1:41 pm
andyp13 wrote: Sun Sep 01, 2019 10:49 amI bought this as it was advertised as ideal for live bands - I’m quickly finding out that it is not the case... a 14 second fade to black is pathetic 😕.
Thousands of bands and performers use DMXIS every week without issues like this. Clearly something is amiss.

I wonder if you are trying to use DMXIS like a traditional console, where a "chase" is a sequential list of static snapshots. The workflow in DMXIS is very different - chases are typically built using the oscillator feature, then saved into a preset.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PV6fpvPrO9E
I am use to using the static snapshots fading from one wash to the next. But the oscillators will not do what the statics can. I want lights to fade from one colour to the next BUT I want to choose the colour - where the oscillators randomise the colours... no good at all. If I want a slow fade from Red to Blue (without the lights fading to off between the colours) this it seems can’t be done without using statics
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