sACN protocol support?

Chat about Show Buddy Active lighting & video control software
garynewt70
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:37 pm

sACN protocol support?

Post by garynewt70 »

Hi Dave,
I know SBA currently supports Art-Net protocol, but are there any plans to also support the newer sACN protocol as well?
Dave Brown [admin]
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Re: sACN protocol support?

Post by Dave Brown [admin] »

No plans at the moment. But if you have a specific need for sACN, let me know.
Dave Brown - db audioware
Author of Show Buddy Setlist | Show Buddy Active | ArtNetMon
garynewt70
Posts: 29
Joined: Sun Sep 30, 2012 2:37 pm

Re: sACN protocol support?

Post by garynewt70 »

Hi Dave,
I do have a specific need, unless there is something I am missing that will allow Art-Net to work seemlessly in an sACN system (I'm still learning about DMX over ethernet. I've been a USB to DMX user for years). Would adding sACN be a major change, or would it be relatively simple to implement?

Here's my scenario - The auditorium where we do our dance shows recently went through a total renovation, and they updated the lighting system which included the addition of 65 LED fixtures to their existing 129 single channel dimmers. The new lighting system now runs on sACN protocol over ethernet on multiple universes (3 or 4 I believe - still need to confirm), instead of a single universe on DMX cables like in the past.

For our shows, I normally set up the auditorium rig in Show Buddy Active, set my scenes, and then use Show Buddy Setlist to set my presets to my audio tracks so everything is fully automated and repeatable. Works real slick. To be able to patch into the new auditorium system with my laptop, the cleanest way would be to connect directly via ethernet to their network using the sACN protocol. I may need to upgrade to Show Buddy Active Max to open up more universes, but this will depend on how they have the new fixtures mapped. Once I get the details, I will know if I need to go beyond 2 universes.

Regarding the topic of Universes and licenses- any possibility of having a license tier that has just additional universes (without Projection), say for example 4 universes, or maybe 8 universes at a lower additional cost than the current $300 additional cost to jump to 16 universes with Projection? I don't need projection, and don't need 16 universes, but I could definitely use 4 universes.

I really want to stay with Show Buddy Active and Setlist if at all possible. I have not found anything comparable for fully automated and synchronized shows to music that is as easy to use as Show Buddy. I have years invested in your software, and honestly learning new software would be disruptive to my workflow, and frankly, a pain in the ass.

Thoughts?
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