Augustine Bannatyne - Leudar

Normally I work with audio - specifically multichannel audio , surround sound etc. For this I use a multichannel audio card such as a motu ultralite. However I want to match lights to the different sounds using jitter/max so the lights next to the speakers change colour with the sound coming out of that particular speaker. I know DMX is the usual protocol for lighting but is there some sort of equivelant of a multichannel sound card for lights (preferably usb) which would have say ten channels in which the colours/images could be individually controlled by jitter and maxmsp ?

Hi,
Normally I work with audio - specifically multichannel audio , surround sound etc. For this I use a multichannel audio card such as a motu ultralite. However I want to match lights to the different sounds using jitter/max so the lights next to the speakers change colour with the sound coming out of that particular speaker. I know DMX is the usual protocol for lighting but is there some sort of equivelant of a multichannel sound card for lights (preferably usb) which would have say ten channels in which the colours/images could be individually controlled by jitter and maxmsp ?


mulichannel-light-card

lighting isn't really the same as audio, it's more like MIDI, so like MIDI all you need is one cable that transmits all channels, and daisy chain the cables between lighting fixtures, in the same way you might use MIDI in and thru sockets. Having said that, you can get boxes that will distribute the DMX on more than one cable, for a 'star' network formation. But I don't have experience with those. I believe you can get usb interfaces for dmx. There are also ethernet interfaces as well. but the cheapest option would definitely be daisy chaining devices, if practical.

lighting isn't really the same as audio, it's more like MIDI, so like MIDI all you need is one cable that transmits   all channels, and daisy chain the cables between lighting fixtures, in the same way you might use MIDI in and thru sockets. Having said that, you can get boxes that will distribute the DMX on more than one cable, for a 'star' network formation. But I don't have experience with those. I believe you can get usb interfaces for dmx. There are also ethernet interfaces as well. but the cheapest option would definitely be daisy chaining devices, if practical.


Yes, with DMX you get 512 control channels on a single output, like from an Enttec DMXUSBPRO box. That's one way to do it if you use conventional theater lighting gear.

DMX is digital control but depending on the type of lights used one could build their own analog dimming control, perhaps using Arduino or similar for interfacing with the circuit. Many examples of that on the net. This can be a cheaper option but it's not an electronics beginner project (unless using just small leds). Especially if you're on a deadline.

Mulichannel "light" card ?