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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 288
Apprentice
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OP
Apprentice
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 288 |
I recently acquired a set of LCD Parcams to use during performances. I know that there are midi to DMX adapters.
There must be a way to embed midi commands at the start and end of songs to control DMX lights.
I should be able to on/off dim and change color of both lights independently.
If anyone already doing this? Anyone with experience with Midi to DMX adapters?
G
Intel i5, 8 GIG, M-Audio NRV10, M-Audio BX8's, Cubase, BIAB, Win 7
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
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I did this many years ago when i ran a Pro Sound & Light Co. You just have to map the midi commands to DMX commands. It was pretty easy. I used a JL Cooper Fader Master to record MIDI commands to the sequencer. The Fader Master has 8 sliders and buttons that can be setup to send any midi command there is. Sorry that's all I can offer. Look on EBay for one.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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Yeah, never used LCD, but we did use CC and even note on/off for certain fixtures to control lights at shows.
Ran the whole show from a sequencer..
You'll have to read the manual, as different controllers can use different commands and channels.
A little study and you'll be having fun with it in no time.
I never thought about using the light mixer to 'record' the changes, but that may be a pretty cool approach. We set ours up with much trial and error. But once done, it was the same all the time. Powerful effect when you can make the changes sync'd with the music. (and not just that lousy pulse sensing they had a few years back)
We found that it often meant using a click track live, even on songs we otherwise didn't need it on. So when we hit measure 'X' and the lights were changing we were all on the same page..
Yes, you should be able to do it with a little study.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2003
Posts: 8,021
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A lot of the lower end light boards have MIDI in/out for recording and playing back as well as DMX to control the lights. With parcams or Roboscans each light will eat up a MIDI channel.Not a problem if your not using MIDI for other things. My hardware sequencer had two separate MIDI outs. 16 Channels on each. Very handy. When you assigned traks to MIDI channels you specified A or B output.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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Yeah, we assigned different channels like that too, it was nice to have the channels.
Lighting does eat up some midi channels, but with a little forethought...
Towards the end we would use a computer equipped with a couple different midi ports, which, with PT, added channels everytime you added a port!
PT with an SBLive and M-Audio for midi, and a Roland workstation keyboard sync'd to PT (utilizing the 'thru')..
gave us quite a few routing options.
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
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You can also use Sysex commands to control different MIDI devices on the same port, too.
IF the device has its own MIDI Manufacturer's Association Sysex ID, it is easy enough to implement, and Powertracks or RB supports Sysex.
--Mac
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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A lot of the DMX control surfaces allow you to put midi in or sound in. I've set up those new LED par cans, and at one place I took down 12 old par cans, and put in 3 DMX based LED cans, and there are 2 huge advantages. First the lack of heat, and that's a big deal on the stage. Second you put a gel on a par can and you are stuck. With sliders for scenes you can run through and change the scene for each song. The LED's gave better coverage, more colours, strobe if you want it. I put in one place with a stage and a dance floor and they wanted when the stage was purple to have the dance floor purple, the all goes red. They thought that was going to be tough, and I was trying to buy time so it took 2 hours so I could get a few bucks, they get cheap when you stroll in, plug in an xlr cable and 15 minutes later it's running and they think they could have done that themselves. Ha. The forget I read the manual written in Chinglesh, translated it, and understand the terminology and terminators.
I saw a new one for small gigs at the store, they called me to push it, because I end up helping people buy and set up the stuff, and it had a stand like a speaker stand, and 3 big fat LED's on the thing, I have to go pick up the Foot Controller Mac forced me to buy LOL. And I'll get the specs on that and post a link, looked like a good solution for small gigs.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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John,
In some of the clubs I played up in Northern Maine in the winter the only source of heat WAS the lights.
I played at one place though that had very modern heat, one of those stand alone "salamander" heaters" ran on kero. I swear this one was an engine off of a 727. When it came on it totally drowned out the band.
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: May 2000
Posts: 22,457
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I was going to mention the sysex options that Mac mentioned, but figured the guy had enough to learn all at once already <grin>
SYSEX frees up channels very nicely. We used channels 12-14 for sysex based messages to multiple devices.. we ended up with a list of 'rules' for channels and devices by the time we were done..
Silvertones - I have one of those monster torpedo heaters, a couple hundred thousand BTU's ..
warms the garage up quick in the winter, nice for working on the cars. Not so nice for conversations .. Couldn't imagine that being the source of heat for a gig! Loud AND sucks the oxygen right out of the room
I do not work here, but the benefits are still awesome
Make your sound your own!
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Band-in-a-Box for Windows
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Joined: Sep 2003
Posts: 8,333
Veteran
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I once was working a week as city and county fire investigator, had been up for about 48 hours and they called me to a venue where they were selling cars. The building was an abandoned paper warehouse, and a car dealership rented it in winter to shove 200 cars into it for a sale. It had no heat, and I'd been in there making the owner secure the place the previous week. The red faced salespeople being sick in the snowbank was the first clue, then the 5 of those monster propane heaters were visible from the door. I waited for a fire truck, we put on masks, evacuated the place, and I confiscated the propane tanks which were just free standing beside the heaters.
The dealer phone the mayor. It's a wonder no one died. The chief reamed me an hour later, I was to 'short' with the dealership owner. I looked at him and asked me if I he was going to give me a ride home. I looked at him and said 52 hours up and counting and there is another fire to go to 50 miles away and I'm unable to drive.
When the 'gas' inspector showed up just as we were leaving he reamed the chief and said I did the right thing.
I have enough trouble with venues with crazy setups, one retirement home has a fireplace that is set to auto 76 degrees. You sit in front of it. I couldn't change it, and the fans whistle a bflat when it runs. I was transposing tunes to bflat for a bagpipe effect. I used to play at the cities public nursing home, it's 80 inside in the summer and the residents have blankets wrapped around them. Some moron decided the staff needed air conditioning, the residents almost all died from frostbite.
If it's a busy venue I often ask them to turn off the heat when I start, that way the forced air system does not come on and toast you and the people in the room may provide even more heat than required.
John Conley
Musica est vita
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