First version

Part 2 of 4

Connect

What plugs into what. One diagram per situation.

How to read a diagram

Two kinds of wires

Each arrow is coloured. It tells you what travels: sound, an order, or light.

Full diagram

I am a DJ with a Mac

See →Steps and animation

I am a band with backing tracks

See →Steps

I am preparing an installation

See →

Situation 1

I am a DJ with a Mac

You mix with djay on a Mac. You want the lights to follow your tracks without anyone pressing a button.

Diagram: DJ with a Mac The Mac plays music with djay. The sound goes to the mixer, then to the line input of the MaestroDMX box. Velvet Light DJ sends a cue number to the box over the network. The box sends the light as DMX to the fixtures and as Art-Net to the Mac. YOUR MAC djaythe music Velvet Light DJpicks the cues Soundvia the controller Cue number(OSC message) Mixer(the console) Networkthe router Sound tothe line inputaudio cable same networkas the Mac MAESTRODMX BOX creates and plays the cues itself listens only to its line input DMXArt-Netover the network Fixturesthe lightswired with DMX The same MacVisualizer : 3D previewLight DJ : colours
DJ with a Mac: the sound goes to the mixer then to the box; orders go over the network; the box sends the light back to the fixtures and the Mac.

The diagram, top to bottom

  1. The Mac plays the music with djay. It is connected to a DJ controller, and the controller sends the sound to the mixer.
  2. The mixer sends the sound to the box's line input. That is how the box “hears”.
  3. Velvet Light DJ sees the track you start in djay, picks one of your cues, and sends its number to the box over the network (OSC message).
  4. The box plays the cue and sends the light as DMX to the fixtures, and as Art-Net, over the network, to the Mac.
  5. Velvet Visualizer shows that light in 3D if the Live DMX switch is on (green light). Velvet Light DJ also receives the colours.

What you need

  • A Mac, with djay and Velvet Light DJ, connected to a DJ controller.
  • A MaestroDMX box, with your cues already created in it.
  • A mixer that is on and sends sound to the box.
  • The Mac and the box on the same network.

What this diagram does not say

  • It does not work with another box: Velvet Light DJ is made for MaestroDMX only.
  • It does not make up music: with no sound on the line input, the beams stay frozen.

What depends on your gear

  • The audio cables: from the controller to the mixer, then from the mixer to the box's line input. They depend on the sockets of your gear.
  • The router: the Mac and the box must be on the same network.
  • The fixtures receive the box's light as DMX, and have their own power supply.

Situation 2

I am a band with backing tracks

The idea

The band plays live instruments, with a click track or backing tracks started by Velvet Show on the Mac. You place your lighting cues on that track: at each cue, Velvet Show sends its number to the box (MIDI or OSC).

  1. The instruments and voices go to the mixer.
  2. The sound of the backing tracks leaves the Mac and goes to the mixer.
  3. The mixer sends the sound to the box's line input: it is the only input the box listens to.
  4. Velvet Show sends each cue's number to the box, over the network.
  5. Starting the songs: a band member with Velvet Remote (iPhone), a technician at the Mac in the booth, or automatic playback that chains the songs.

The Mac can be at the booth or on stage. In this example, the musicians have no in-ear monitors. See the animation, “Live band” tab.

Situation 3

I am preparing an installation

The typical plan

You are preparing a venue or a show before going on site. Velvet Visualizer shows your lighting in 3D, with no gear at all: a Mac is enough for the preview.

For a fixed installation, with the real lights, you need:

  • a Mac (Velvet Visualizer, and Velvet Show or Velvet Light DJ depending on use);
  • a MaestroDMX box;
  • a mixer (or a music player) that sends the sound to the box's line input;
  • a router, so the Mac and the box are on the same network;
  • the fixtures, connected to the box with DMX.

To see the real light in the Visualizer, turn on the Live DMX switch (green light).

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