Outputs Dialog
Every control in the Outputs dialog, where you add and configure DMX outputs.
Open the dialog from Edit > Outputs to add, enable, and configure the Art-Net and sACN outputs a project transmits on. The left pane lists every configured output, and the right pane edits the one you select. Each project stores its outputs inside its .slp file.
For a walkthrough that wires a network and gets an output to transmit, see Set Up Art-Net and sACN Output.
Output explains what an output does, the two protocols, and the universe model behind this dialog.
Outputs list
The left pane lists your outputs. Each row shows an enable switch, the output's name, its protocol, and edit and delete actions. Select a row to open that output in the editor on the right. With no output configured, the list reads No outputs and the editor prompts you to add one.
Adding an output
The list toolbar has two add buttons, Art-Net and sACN. Click one to create an output of that protocol with default settings. Spectralite selects the new output for editing. Add as many as you need. Every enabled output transmits at once, so a rig can run on two protocols in parallel or feed a primary and a backup path.
Enabled
The Enabled switch on each row turns transmission for that output on or off without deleting it. Disable an output to stop a path without losing its settings. To switch a rig between Art-Net and sACN, turn one output off and another on.
Name and protocol columns
Name is the label you give the output. The Protocol column shows Art-Net or sACN. When the network interface bound to the output is not present, the column adds an offline marker.
Editing and deleting
To edit an output, click its row or use the pencil action on the row. The trash action removes the output.
Output settings
When you select an output, its settings fill the editor on the right. The top fields apply to both protocols. Protocol-specific settings follow underneath.
Name
A free-text label for the output. It appears in the list and tells several outputs apart.
Protocol
Switches the output between Art-Net and sACN (E1.31). A protocol change replaces the protocol-specific settings below with that protocol's defaults. Switch the protocol before you fine-tune the lower fields.
Network Interface
The network card the output sends from. Default (System) lets the operating system choose. That is fine on a machine with one interface. On a machine with several, pick the exact interface so output leaves the right card and Art-Net broadcast uses that card's subnet. If the selected interface is offline, the editor says so and the output starts sending once it reconnects.
Universe Offset
A signed number that shifts every universe the output sends before it reaches the wire. A new output already carries the correct default for its protocol, so most shows leave it alone. The editor shows a live preview that reads Patch universe N to (protocol) universe M. It also flags a mapping that the protocol cannot carry, such as an sACN universe below 1, and gives the value to use instead.
Change the offset only to align with a receiver that expects different universe numbers. Spectralite converts between numbering bases automatically, so the offset plays no part in that. The full model is in Output.
Universe range filter
The filter is off by default, so the output sends every patched universe. To restrict output to a span, turn on Universe range filter and enter the start and end as 1-based patch universes. The filter applies to the patch universe before the offset.
Art-Net settings
These fields appear when the output's protocol is Art-Net.
Network Mode
How the output reaches the network:
- Unicast (default) sends directly to specific device IPs, set per fixture.
- Broadcast sends to every device on the subnet in one burst per frame.
In unicast, destinations come from each fixture's Target IP in the Fixtures panel. The output has no receiver-IP field, and a fixture with no target set receives nothing.
ArtSync Frames
On by default. It sends an ArtSync packet after each frame so receivers commit multi-universe updates at the same instant. Leave it on unless a receiver misbehaves with sync.
Limited-broadcast ArtSync
A sub-option that appears when ArtSync Frames is on. It sends the ArtSync packet to 255.255.255.255 for fixtures that ignore the standard sync broadcast. The DMX data does not change. Only the sync packet goes to that address.
sACN settings
These fields appear when the output's protocol is sACN.
Source Name
The name shown in sACN receivers, up to 64 characters.
Priority
A value from 0 to 200, default 100. When several sources target the same universe, the higher priority wins. The field caps at 200 because E1.31 does not allow a higher value.
Preview mode
Sets the E1.31 preview-data flag so receivers know the feed is a dry run and should not drive live output. Use it to program a look without lighting the rig.
Synchronisation universe
Off by default. When it is on, the output emits a sync packet on the chosen universe each frame, so receivers commit multi-universe updates together. It is the sACN counterpart to ArtSync.
Component ID (CID)
A read-only, auto-generated identifier that persists across restarts. Receivers use it to recognize the source as the same one over time, so you can read it but not edit it.
Related
- Output: the universe model and protocol concepts
- Set Up Art-Net and sACN Output: the step-by-step setup
- Understanding DMX: channels, universes, and addresses
- Inputs: control surfaces and signal sources on the receiving side