Hi all,

I'm a lighting/sound tech from the Netherlands, and I've been building a hardware controller for grandMA3 over the past months. It's called Gilume. It's a prototype and not for sale. I'm trying to find out if there's real demand before going any further.

Important: the images and the video in this post are AI-assisted 3D renders I made to give an impression of the product. They are not photos of a finished unit. Colors, materials and lighting are illustrative, and the final hardware may differ.

What it is

• A command board (~120 backlit keys) plus a fader board with 10 faders and 5 encoders, in a solid oak case.
• ESP32-S3 with Ethernet. It talks to grandMA3 over OSC: no driver, no PC in between, just a network cable and DHCP.
• 3D-printed diffuser keycaps, so the legends light up evenly.
• No parameters are unlocked with Gilume. Official MA3 hardware (onPC Node or onPC DMX Key) is necessary for sending DMX, Sacn or Art-net data.

The plugin (the part I'm happiest with) A Lua plugin that runs inside grandMA3 (tested so far on onPC 2.2.4/ 2.2.5):

• Setup: it creates what Gilume need, so you don't have to build macros by hand.
• Live feedback: the plugin pushes show state back to the hardware. Key LEDs show what's active (Blind, Update, ...), executor and fader values come back, and the current page and command line are mirrored. Encoders drive programmer values through the encoder bar. If the connection drops, the controller restarts the plugin by itself.

Why?

 I wanted a proper tactile command section and faders for onPC and small setups without buying a full console surface.

take a closer look: https://youtu.be/00iCC4-GT9c

What I'd love to know

1. Would you use something like this? For what: programming, busking, touring, install?
2. What would be a deal-breaker, and what's missing?
3. What would you consider a fair price for a finished, assembled unit?

Happy to answer anything about the electronics, the plugin or the OSC side.

Not affiliated with any console manufacturer. grandMA3 is a trademark of its owner.

Ever since I first saw it I wonder how they did it, surely a rotating gobo cannot spin that fast right?
Supposedly the fixtures being used here are Robe iEsprite.

Hi there,

Has anyone here ever managed to get a multi-cluster fixture to work as a linked fixture in Wolfmix beta 2.5? What do you need to do to make that happen? I customized the fixture file using the Fixture Builder and split it into several beam clusters.

But in Wolfmix, it always just shows up as a normal single-fixture device.

Any Ideas?

Hey all, I'm thinking about buying a set of these guys for lighting design uses in small-medium venues (500-1500). They'll be used for live shows as part of travelling floor packages, probably audience facing blinders doing pixel fx etc.

I've had the chance to test one unit and I was happy with the performance. It has pretty good low end dimming, and the max output will work for the space I need it to. The DMX channel count works for pixel effects. They suit my budget and I'm fine with the cheap build quality. I believe the wattage is around 30% of a JDC-1 which is fine for me as I don't need super high output.

Wonder if anyone could weigh in on any potential issues I might come into with a purchase like this - I'm wondering what technology is missed on a unit that costs a fraction of the professional version. For example, sensors on the motor? Possible that recalling position palettes wont work great? Longevity issues?

Any other thoughts? Thanks a bunch!

What RDM Softwares are you guys using? I just found out that Concert only sees fixtures connected to an etc node and I would like a more universal solution...

Does anyone have experience using aluminum gobos in the ETC Halcyon Golds? We’re replacing a gobo for the first time in these movers and haven’t gotten the biggest vote of confidence from ETC support or our ETC rep as to what we can use.

The specs sheet lists the gobos material as 0.5mm aluminum, (or?) 1.1mm glass Borofloat. Our rep said ETC “recommends” glass, but according to the specs it should be fine to use aluminum…

When we called support, it was an immediate NO, followed up with an “actually it should be fine. Maybe test one first,” which was not exactly reassuring.

Has anyone used aluminum gobos in these fixtures? Did they burn up?

We're trying to control a show on eos using osc and right now we can't seem to get the console connected to the PC running touch designer.

Is there a way to confirm the pc and console are connected so that we know that's not the problem and that way we could move on to the next phase?

Edit: it works now but we have a bit of latency

Hi everyone, I am doing lighting for a small school play and was thinking about putting a 4D feeling into it. I was wondering if yell had any recommendations for a fog machine where the fog does not go higher than people's ankles. Any recommendations?

Hey everyone, I'm posting here to get some ideas about this LED Moving Head Projector I've been making for about 2 years. It's all open-source (AGPLv3)

The idea was to recreate those projectors that make powerful light beams but at home as I'm a fan of lightshows like in the concerts (like Daft Punk’s Alive 2007 show). The idea was to use a LED with two servos (SG90/MG90D like) and control them via PWM with an ESP32 and a 3D printed body.

I thought it would take at most a few months to finish (as I do it in my free time), in fact it would take me 2 years.

Power:
The first problem was the power supply, I couldn't use the simple usb port as the servos would use all of the energy, making the esp32 brown-out. I mitigated this by doing 3 things.
- using a 5V 3A dedicated power supply
- 3x470uF capacitors(2 on 5V, 1 on 3.3V) to help with the current surges from the servos moving
- pull-down resistors on PWM gpio for LEDs as when the esp32 powers up, it would sometimes lead to one channel failing.
All of this fixed the issue.

LED Driver:
The second difficulty I encountered was the light itself, I used a standard 10mm LED which was not powerful at all and thus could be driven by a simple low-side MOSFET circuit. So I decided create my own high-efficiency LED driver using a PCB and the TPS92512 IC by TI, a buck constant current driver. The light would be concentrated by a collimator lens (need to be changed). I wanted to control a 3W RGB led but I also wanted to upgrade later to 9W, so I chose that IC because output current can be adjusted using the IADJ pin to set for example max 300mA and in hybrid mode with PWM input so using a trimpot for a voltage divider it can control any current from ~300mA to 1.5A. I then had to order and solder everything with a hotplate, everything was working fine until I accidentally injected reverse voltage, killing the ICs. At this point, I was kind of bored of this project and left it during half a year, then I bought a hot air station and had to sacrifice like 5-7 ICs to finally get all 3 boards working reliably.

Mechanics:
At this point the only thing missing was a good model, so I remade the original one in FreeCAD instead of fusion 360 (mainly because I switched to linux) but also to make it easier to share it with people as the whole project is on github.

Firmware:
I then wrote firmware for it originally using WebSockets but it wasn't very fast so i switched to UDP with smaller packets for better latency and ~30 updates/s. I also included OTA updates as the esp32 wasnt connected via serial anymore.

Software:
In parallel of all of this I was also writing a software to control it, it uses the sound of your speakers and detects beats to create live lightshows without any configuration, it uses a percentile based algorithm and random animations (Square, Circle, Lemniscate, etc...). It uses PySide6 and pyqtgraph for sound visualization. I also had a Novation Launchpad X so I wrote a manual mode, where you give beats, choose colors animations etc... and a hybrid mode which takes beats from the detection but lets you choose animation and color.

And here we are, the project is far from perfect but it's the first practical prototype that really works.

Current Problems:

- MG90D and SG90 are really noisy, do you have any replacement idea that are still as compact, affordable and simple ?

- Colors don't really mix well, the beam isn't focused very well.

- You guys are professional and I'm just a dumb DIYer, you certainly have a list of common mistakes I've made, tell me so I can correct them!

Roadmap:

- Project mode for software: prepare lightshows with additive colors, preset beats etc...
- Better PCB, remade in KiCAD.
- Even faster protocol, using binary or protobufs for better performance,

AI Policy:

LLMs have only been used as consultation, as a tool instead of doing all of the work, this is a human project.

https://reddit.com/link/1xg9s57/video/hxk2bshrpvxh1/player

Links:
Video
Controller Software (Windows portable and installer, Linux portable and AppImage)
ESP32 Firmware, 3D model project files, PCB project files
Printables 3D Stl
Final PCB + Circuit img

So, I've just finished at a smallish catwalk fashion show week in my hometown and the lighting was ok (for me as a photographer) but the host wanted more moody lighting when we needed light to shoot the outfits.

We used two LED panels either side of the top end of the runway, and one at the back where us photographers sat, so it was like a T shape of lighting, making use of the kit we had to hand (much of a make do situation), the venue chosen also was an event space so didn't really have any kinda theatre sides it was chairs in an event space, models walk up behind the chairs, across the front (everyone could see them walk up) down and U-turn then exit via the right, again next to the audience.

For next year though I've been asked to assist in making it better. I thought about possibly for the runway next year of doing drop lighting either spotlights or or square LED panels that can be rigged from the ceiling with gridded softboxes for smooth lighting, over what we did this year.

What realistically would be best to look into? Would square LED panels work for what I'm thinking?

I though potentially having it so the lights are in a strip down the walkway, give it more dynamics over trying to light from the sides and rear, I'd like to try and get that mood they wanted with the dimmer lights, but also give us togs enough light to work with.

Open to other suggestions though!

(Also posted this to r/AskPhotography)

We're renovating one of our venue stages, and we made sure we wanted top notch gear.

May I present, the Mac Encore Two.

We got them delivered last week, but I haven't had time to play with it until today

Hi everyone,

I'm an electronics engineer and founder of SHD Systems, a small UK engineering company.

We're currently developing two professional show-control products and would really appreciate feedback from people working with lighting and lasers professionally.

The two concepts are:

PrismDeck L1 (Laser Control)

A proposed standalone laser-show control desk with a touchscreen, physical performance controls, multi-projector operation and integration with existing laser-control hardware.

LumaDeck D1 (Lighting Control)

A proposed lighting console featuring a touchscreen, motorised faders, dedicated controls, cue programming/playback and DMX/network-based lighting control.

Both are still in development, and we're trying to understand real-world workflows and requirements before finalising the designs.

We've put together two questionnaires covering:

- Current equipment and workflows

- Frustrations with existing systems

- Essential features and compatibility

- Hardware and interface preferences

- Reliability and safety requirements

- Pricing and purchasing expectations

Laser operators:

https://forms.gle/WgsB1vLChjjp1HCAA

Lighting operators:

https://forms.gle/QCz7QydNcCs58FyT8

Each takes around 10 to 15 minutes. If you work across both areas, you're welcome to complete both.

We're not selling anything here. The aim is to gather honest feedback from professionals, including criticism, to help determine whether these products would be useful and how they should develop.

Contact details are optional.

I'd also be happy to discuss the concepts or answer questions in the comments.

Thanks!

Sam, SHD Systems Ltd

Hey everyone! I’m throwing a DIY techno party in a small-ish space, and looking for lighting advice on a budget.

Right now, for lighting I have 2 LED text scrolling signs (think the scrolling kind on a food truck or convenience storefront), a projector I plan to play visuals from, and a haze machine.

I can’t afford a full lighting rig & tech at this time (but hope to in the future!).

I was thinking of buying some lightly programmable, battery powered light tubes to round it out and for their portability. I’m very familiar with titan tubes from video production, but those are quite expensive and I think probably overkill for what I need?

Any advice on brands I should look at, or at least specs I should look for? I’d love a set of 4 for under $500 if possible.

Thank you in advance!

There’s obviously the pit-falls of Chinese knockoffs. Loud, inconsistent color, etc.

Has anyone actually found any cheaper fixtures that are worth it? I only asking because I saw a guy on instagram using some ADJ Jolt knock-offs that actually looked good.

I know this is a cringe question but there has to be diamond in the sack of crap somewhere.

What is your opinion on the Chauvet Maverick Silens 1x Profile? My theatre is considering getting some, but would enjoy your review.

I got my LED 500 smoke machine to add fog like effects to my videos just one additional thing that I've added to my collection of gear as I get gear in I will post it on my Instagram and my other social media platform to let my fans know that my studio is slowly building but it's coming along I will introduce smoke lights and camera in my next videos and take it to a different approach more of a concert feel. With new remixes and new songs with the new sound and speaker amp sound system stay tuned.

Visco 242

I'm planning to buy a laptop primarily for lighting design and visualization, and I'm deciding between these two ASUS laptops.

My main use cases are:

- Capture for lighting previsualization, with projects containing around 200–300 fixtures.

- grandMA3 onPC, including using MA USB DMX hardware.

- Blender for 3D modelling and rendering.

- Adobe Creative Suite, particularly Photoshop, After Effects, Premiere Pro and DaVinci Resolve.

I also need to take the laptop to venues and show clients their lighting setups, so portability is important.

Option 1: ASUS ROG Strix G16 (G614PR-RV032WS)

- CPU: AMD Ryzen 9 8940HX, 16 cores / 32 threads, up to 5.3GHz

- GPU: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5070 Ti Laptop GPU, 12GB GDDR7, up to 140W

- RAM: 16GB DDR5-5200, upgradeable to 64GB

- Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

- Display: 16-inch IPS, 1920 × 1200, 165Hz, 300 nits

- Ports: USB-A, USB-C/USB4, HDMI 2.1, Ethernet and audio

- Weight: Approximately 2.5kg

- Price: Around ₹2.3–2.8 lakh, depending on retailer and availability. I'd upgrade the RAM to 32GB immediately.

Option 2: ASUS ROG Flow Z13 (GZ302EA-RU520WS, 32GB)

- CPU: AMD Ryzen AI Max+ 395, 16 cores / 32 threads, up to 5.1GHz

- GPU: Integrated AMD Radeon 8060S

- RAM: 32GB LPDDR5X-8000, soldered and not upgradeable

- Storage: 1TB PCIe 4.0 NVMe SSD

- Display: 13.4-inch touchscreen, 2560 × 1600, 180Hz, 500 nits, 100% DCI-P3

- Ports: USB-A, 2 × USB4, HDMI 2.1, microSD and audio

- Battery: 70Wh

- Weight: Approximately 1.2kg without keyboard

- Price: Around ₹2.4 lakh

My questions

1. Is the RTX 5070 Ti overkill for Capture projects with around 200–300 fixtures, or would an RTX 5060 laptop be sufficient?

2. How does the Radeon 8060S perform in Capture compared with an RTX 5070 Ti in actual projects?

3. Can the Flow Z13 comfortably run Capture and grandMA3 onPC simultaneously with 32GB RAM?

4. For Blender, how significant is the advantage of NVIDIA CUDA/OptiX over the Radeon 8060S?

5. Would you recommend a different laptop under ₹3 lakh in India that offers a better balance of performance, portability and reliability?

I'd particularly appreciate feedback from people who use Capture, grandMA3, or other professional lighting and visualization software. Real-world experience is more useful to me than gaming benchmarks alone.

Thanks!

Building a rack to run 8x custom 3 m pixel neon flex tubes for an outdoor festival stage (under a roof, but it's a bush site). I'm stuck on the connector between the rack and the tubes.

Voltage drop kills DMX cable straight away (0.22 mm² over 15 m leaves almost nothing at the tube). On 2.5 mm² I'm looking at ~1 V drop, which I can live with.

Current plan is NL4 on 4 x 2.5 mm² speaker cable:

- 1+ / 1- = V+ / V-

- 2+ = data

- 2- = backup data

The appeal is that the audio vendor already carries plenty of NL4 cable, so I don't have to build a packer.

Questions

1. Anyone running pixel over Speakon? How have you dealt with the risk of someone patching an amp output into it (or the rack into a speaker)? Is colour-coding and labelling enough on a shared site?

2. Single-ended pixel data over 15 m of unshielded speaker cable: has it been reliable for you, or should I be putting a differential receiver at the tube end?

3. Is there a better connector for this I'm missing? I've ruled out 3-pin XLR (cable too thin, plus the risk of putting 12 V into someone's DMX port) and 4-pin XLR (cable's hard to source and too thin anyway).

Cheers

Hi! I’m new to this, so forgive me. But, I have a pair of moving head beams Mingjie MJ-OS-17. Everything mostly works except I can’t get them to not show a gobo. I can make it rotate, change colors, move, etc….but I can’t get it to go blank. I’m using lightkey (I think the issue is somewhere there because in “sound” mode I can get a blank beam). I’ll pay someone $50 to screen share and fix this for me!

Thanks