Resources

Lighting craft for beginners

Plain-language guides to DMX, Art-Net, sACN, MIDI, OSC, timecode and small lighting networks.

What is DMX? A beginner’s guide to lighting control
DMX512 explained in plain language: channels, start addresses, universes, cables, and how a desk talks to fixtures.
Updated 2026-08-23
What is Art-Net? DMX over Ethernet for beginners
Art-Net in plain language: universes on a LAN, broadcast versus unicast, ports, and why it must stay off guest Wi-Fi.
Updated 2026-08-23
What is sACN (E1.31)? Multicast DMX for beginners
sACN explained: E1.31, multicast versus unicast, priorities, and how it differs from Art-Net on a show network.
Updated 2026-08-23
MIDI vs OSC vs DMX: which control language do you need?
Three different jobs: DMX drives fixtures, MIDI is a hardware surface, OSC is a networked address tree. How they fit together.
Updated 2026-08-23
Art-Net vs sACN: which should you use?
Practical differences between Art-Net and sACN (E1.31): discovery, broadcast, multicast, hardware support, and how to choose.
Updated 2026-08-23
DMX universes explained: channels, addresses and 512-channel limits
How 512-channel DMX universes work, why addresses spill, how personalities eat slots, and how to plan a patch.
Updated 2026-08-23
How to run DMX over Ethernet without putting show traffic on the wrong network
Keep Art-Net and sACN off venue Wi-Fi and office VLANs. A practical lighting-LAN checklist for small rooms and clubs.
Updated 2026-08-23
Audio-reactive DMX: BPM, transients, envelopes and spectral bands
What live-audio DSP signals actually are — tempo, transients, envelopes and bands — and how to wire them to fixtures without chaos.
Updated 2026-08-23
How to make DJ lighting reactive without preparing every track
A booth workflow: one audio feed, one patch, a safety surface, and Ethernet out — no per-track lighting file required.
Updated 2026-08-23
MIDI lighting control: mapping faders, pads and blackout
How MIDI faders, pads and learn workflows become lighting controls — and how to keep blackout findable in the dark.
Updated 2026-08-23
OSC for lighting control: when to use it and how to structure mappings
When OSC is the right path, how to design a stable address tree, and how it sits beside MIDI and DMX.
Updated 2026-08-23
SMPTE/MTC timecode for lighting: a practical introduction
How SMPTE and MIDI timecode differ from live audio analysis, and when to lock lights to a clock.
Updated 2026-08-23
How to design a small club lighting-control network
A small-club topology: wired nodes, a dedicated switch, separate control Wi-Fi, and a spare plan when the house NIC dies.
Updated 2026-08-23
How to build a safe manual override layer for automated lighting
Keep automation, then add MIDI, a phone bank and desk merge so a human can still kill or take over the room.
Updated 2026-08-23
Node-based lighting control: sources, transforms and outputs
How a lighting graph works: sources produce values, transforms shape them, outputs send DMX, pixels or visuals.
Updated 2026-08-23
Art-Net troubleshooting checklist: subnet, firewall, node and universe mistakes
A field checklist when Art-Net packets leave the PC but the rig stays dark — interface, firewall, universe, then address.
Updated 2026-08-23

What is DMX? A beginner’s guide to lighting control

What is Art-Net? DMX over Ethernet for beginners

What is sACN (E1.31)? Multicast DMX for beginners

MIDI vs OSC vs DMX: which control language do you need?

Art-Net vs sACN: which should you use?

DMX universes explained: channels, addresses and 512-channel limits

How to run DMX over Ethernet without putting show traffic on the wrong network

Audio-reactive DMX: BPM, transients, envelopes and spectral bands

How to make DJ lighting reactive without preparing every track

MIDI lighting control: mapping faders, pads and blackout

OSC for lighting control: when to use it and how to structure mappings

SMPTE/MTC timecode for lighting: a practical introduction

How to design a small club lighting-control network

How to build a safe manual override layer for automated lighting

Node-based lighting control: sources, transforms and outputs

Art-Net troubleshooting checklist: subnet, firewall, node and universe mistakes