Enttec DMXIS - Advanced Plug-in Usage; Synchronizing Lights with Sequencers

Page 32
This has simply huge possibilities if you are interested in creating a tightly synchronised,
automated light show. It is no longer necessary to mess about with MTC (MIDI time
code), SMPTE, or other arcane techniques for syncing light shows to audio. You can now
run your whole light show directly inside your favourite sequencer!
Operation of the VST/AU plug-in is pretty much identical to the standalone DMXIS
program, with the exception that the main menus are missing. You can access all of your
banks & presets – so you can use the standalone to create the lighting looks you need,
and then quickly stitch together the final show in your audio sequencer.
In the plug-in, the oscillators automatically track your host tempo and song position.
Thus, any moving chases or scanner movements will automatically track your music, with
sample accuracy, and no additional work on your part. If you change the tempo of the
song, the lighting automatically changes to match. This is incredibly powerful if you are
performing live mixes using a program like Ableton Live or Logic Audio.
The easiest way to create a fully automated light show with the plug-in is as follows:
 Create a number of banks & presets for all the looks you want in the show.
 Adjust Fade To Next for those presets where you need smooth cross fades.
 Create an empty MIDI track in your host (to contain all your lighting cues)
 Add MIDI Notes to the MIDI track to trigger bank changes (on MIDI Ch 15) and
preset changes (on MIDI Ch 16) exactly where you need them. You can create
these events manually in your host, or record them manually from a MIDI
keyboard.
The plug-in also gives you very fine-grained control over your light show if you need it.
Every single control and fader in DMXIS can be automated using standard VST & audio
Unit plug-in automation. For example, in Cubase you could draw automation curves to
control the Pan & Tilt of your scanners. This approach is arguably a lot more work than
the simple technique outlined above, but it gives you full control over the whole lighting
rig, and you are not limited by the shapes that the DMXIS oscillator can produce.
As before, we recommend you watch the training videos for more information. Have fun
using DMXIS, and please let us know if you have any comments of requests for new
features!