DMX Input

Open the dialog from Edit > Inputs > DMX (Art-Net / sACN). The dialog is non-modal, so it stays open while you keep working. The left pane lists your DMX input sources, which are Art-Net or sACN receivers. The right pane is the mapping editor, where you assign incoming DMX values to Spectralite actions.

Sources paneCopy Anchor Link

Each row in the left pane is one receiver. It shows the source name, protocol, universe, the network interface it listens on, live status, and a dropdown for assigning a mapping.

Adding a sourceCopy Anchor Link

1. Click the + button in the Sources header.
2. Enter a name, pick ArtNet or sACN, set the universe, and choose the network interface.
3. Click Add Source.

Editing or deleting a sourceCopy Anchor Link

• Click a source row to edit it. The same dialog opens with the source's settings filled in.
• Use the delete action on the row to remove a source. Spectralite asks you to confirm.

Assigning a mappingCopy Anchor Link

Each source row has a mapping dropdown. Pick one of the mappings defined in the Mapping pane. To stop routing incoming DMX to any action, choose no mapping.

StatusCopy Anchor Link

The row shows whether the source receives data. If a source that you expect to be active shows no activity, check the universe number and the network interface. Also check whether another process on the machine already holds the port.

Multiple senders on one universeCopy Anchor Link

When more than one sender transmits the same universe, Spectralite follows one source at a time. For sACN, the source with the highest priority wins. If two sources share the highest priority, the one with the lower CID wins. Spectralite keeps following the chosen source until it stops sending. After about 2.5 seconds of silence, Spectralite drops it and a still-active lower-priority source takes over.

Art-Net carries no priority field, so Spectralite treats each Art-Net sender on a universe as a source with one fixed priority. It identifies each sender by its IP address and port. Spectralite tracks Art-Net and sACN on the same universe number separately, and neither overrides the other.

Network interface filteringCopy Anchor Link

The network interface you pick on a source filters incoming data by the interface it arrives on. With a specific interface selected, Spectralite keeps only the frames received on that interface for that source. The same universe can then arrive from different senders on different interfaces without crosstalk. If Spectralite cannot tell which interface received a frame, it keeps the frame, so the source still works.

Mapping paneCopy Anchor Link

The right pane holds the editor for network input mappings. Its sidebar lists your mappings, and the main area shows the assignments for the selected one.

Mappings sidebarCopy Anchor Link

Select a mapping in the sidebar to edit its assignments. Use the toolbar to add a new named mapping or import one from a file.

Assignment tableCopy Anchor Link

Each assignment binds incoming DMX data to a Spectralite action. The table has three columns:

• Action: the action type, such as layer opacity, BPM, or parameter value.
• Target: what the action controls, such as a specific layer, parameter, or group.
• DMX: the channel within the mapping's source universe, and the binding behavior, such as value range or threshold.

To edit an assignment, click it or press Enter on it. The pencil and trash actions at the end of the row edit and delete it.

Adding an assignmentCopy Anchor Link

1. Select a mapping in the sidebar.
2. Click Add action in the toolbar.
3. Enter the DMX channel.
4. Choose the action type and target.
5. Set the value range or threshold.
6. Click Submit.

Assignment typesCopy Anchor Link

DMX input assignments share the action catalog with MIDI input. Layer opacity, layer solo, BPM controls, color hue, parameter value, and parameter toggles all take an incoming DMX value (0-255) and drive their Spectralite action with it. DMX input only receives, so it has no LED feedback or output assignments. For the full list of input assignment types, see the MIDI Input Dialog.

The position actions (Recall Position, No Position and Next Position) fire each time the channel changes to a value above half. Every change above half fires again, so drive them with a jump from 0 to full rather than a fader. Set Group Fade follows the channel, so a fader sweeps the group's fade across its range.

By-position targets pick items by index within the action's own panel. Timeline actions (layer opacity, solo, opacity override, toggle opacity, exclusive on) count the items in the Timeline panel. Bump actions (bump trigger, bump solo) count the items in the Bumps panel. Index N picks the Nth item in that panel's order. As a result, index 0 of a timeline action and index 0 of a bump action point at different layers. A layer group takes one index, and the layers inside it take none.

Specific-layer targets pick a particular layer or group, again from the action's own panel. A timeline action (opacity, solo, opacity override, toggle opacity, exclusive on) offers only layers from the Timeline panel. A bump action (bump trigger, bump solo) offers only layers from the Bumps panel. Bump layers have no opacity, so the specific bump actions cover trigger and solo only.

Mapping ModeCopy Anchor Link

Cmd+M opens Mapping Mode. In this overlay, you click the control that you want to map and create a DMX binding without opening this dialog. To bind a control in Mapping Mode:

1. Switch the docked source selector to DMX.
2. Pick the active mapping.
3. Click a control to arm it.
4. Send DMX on the selected universe to commit a binding.

For details, see Mapping Mode on the MIDI input page.

Saving and loadingCopy Anchor Link

The project file stores your DMX input sources and mappings, so Project > Save project saves them and Project > Load project restores them. Use the mapping toolbar to export a mapping to a file or import one from the Library Manager.

TroubleshootingCopy Anchor Link

Source shows no activity

• Check that the universe number matches what the upstream sender transmits.
• Check the network interface selection. A wrong interface is the most common cause.
• For sACN, confirm the network allows multicast.
• For Art-Net, confirm that no firewall blocks UDP port 6454.

Incoming value triggers the wrong action

• Compare the channel number on the assignment with the sender's.
• Look for overlapping assignments on the same channel.

RelatedCopy Anchor Link

• MIDI Input Dialog: MIDI devices and mapping.
• Parameters: parameter targets for DMX input.
• Address Space: an overview of DMX output universes.