Receiving DMX Input

Spectralite receives DMX over Art-Net or sACN and binds incoming channel values to actions such as layer opacity, BPM, fixture parameter values, and color hue. A conventional lighting console, a video app that sends sACN, or a hardware DMX-over-IP controller can drive Spectralite this way.

For every field in the dialog, see DMX Input Dialog.

Add a DMX input sourceCopy Anchor Link

1. Open Edit > Inputs > DMX (Art-Net / sACN).
2. In the Sources pane on the left, click +.
3. Name the source.
4. Pick Art-Net or sACN.
5. Set the universe number.
6. Choose the network interface that receives the traffic.
7. Click Submit. The source row shows its live status (receiving or idle).

Create a mappingCopy Anchor Link

A mapping is a named set of DMX-channel-to-action bindings. One source can use one mapping at a time.

1. In the Mappings sidebar of the right pane, click + Add mapping.
2. Give the mapping a name.
3. Click Add assignment in the toolbar.
4. Enter the DMX channel (1-512) within the source's universe.
5. Pick the action type (layer opacity, BPM, parameter value, and so on) and the target.
6. If needed, set the value range (min/max) or the threshold.
7. Click Submit.

Back in the Sources pane, pick the new mapping from the dropdown next to the source. Incoming DMX values then drive the assigned actions.

Assignment typesCopy Anchor Link

DMX input uses the same actions and targets as MIDI input. Incoming values run 0-255 instead of MIDI's 0-127. The targets include:

• Layer opacity, by position or by specific layers
• BPM set or adjust
• Tap Tempo
• Primary/secondary/tertiary color hue
• Parameter value
• Parameter toggle
• Cue align

See MIDI Input Dialog for the full list.

TroubleshootingCopy Anchor Link

Source shows no activity. Check that the universe number matches what the sender transmits. On a computer with more than one network interface, the usual cause is the wrong interface in the source settings. For sACN, confirm that the network permits multicast. For Art-Net, confirm that no firewall blocks UDP port 6454.

Actions fire on the wrong channel. Check the channel number in the assignment against what the sender transmits. Look for overlapping assignments on the same channel.

Two senders on the same universe. Spectralite follows the higher-priority source and drops frames from the others. When priorities match, the sender with the lowest CID wins, so control stays with one sender. To hand control to a specific desk, raise its priority. If a source stops transmitting, Spectralite drops it after a timeout and the next source takes over.

RelatedCopy Anchor Link

• DMX Input Dialog: full reference for the dialog.
• Art-Net Setup: the output side of Art-Net, which uses the same networking concepts.
• MIDI Input Dialog: shared action catalog.