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I don't know where to post this question other than here, if there's a better SE for this question please let me know.

I'm wondering what software/hardware I would need to automatically sync DMX lighting to music as it's playing. I would be running the show from my Mac (I have Parallels so Windows software is still an option), and I'd like to be able to play music from iTunes if possible.

Ideally, I would start a playlist in iTunes (or whatever music player I need to use to make this work) and the software/hardware I'm looking for will analyze the song playing and control my DMX lighting in such a way to sync it to the music.

Is this even possible? If so what do I need?

EDIT: It would be really nice to have a stereo lighting setup, where each side of the room matches the corresponding side of the audio stream, but that's not a huge deal if it can't be done.

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  • You'll need some sort of "show control" software to make this work. One popular example is Qlab.
    – user9881
    May 9, 2017 at 18:53

3 Answers 3

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There are lots of possibilities here, and as others have mentioned you need at least a controller able to output DMX, as well as software that is able to generate the signal sent to the lighting rig.

But; what does your rig consist of, and what are your expectations? If you have intelligent lights such as scanners, moving heads or LED strips, some of these may already have a built-in sound-to-light function. But keep in mind that functions such as those rarely yield good results as it has no notion of what looks good, where the fixture is placed or anything else; it only responds to sound.

Another suggestion is to look into what manufacturers of lighting consoles such as High End Systems and MA Lighting offer; they often have their own software which can be used to program and run shows on lighting rigs in combination with hardware controllers. This allows you to preprogram cues or complete shows, and simply queue these up as you set up your playlist for the evening.

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Chauvet obey controller does this but I'm not sure there's a software for it. Check airDMX and music 2 light in light jams

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I am not affiliated with nor have used Soundswitch, but in researching the same thing you're asking about I came across it. It appears to be aimed more at mobile DJs rather than live bands (which is what I'm working with), but it may be useful to others looking for this type of solution.

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