Hacker News new | ask | show | jobs
by womod 1275 days ago
A good number of stage lighting controllers have the ability to interface with and handle MIDI, but the vast majority of stage lighting equipment is controlled using DMX[1]. The two have a lot in common, being pretty much ubiquitous and rock-solid even given their age.

[1] - http://www.dmx-512.com/dmx-protocol/dmx-protocol-basics/
1 comments
cschmittiey 1275 days ago
I think it’s likely they were confused also by the physical connector - DMX can and often does use the same 5 pin connector as MIDI, if I’m not mistaken.
link
adw 1272 days ago
Nah, I was just wrong :-) I know a lot of big touring productions drive lighting and patch changes off the same clock (usually a laptop which provides time code, possibly backing tracks, and possibly patch changes for effects and synths), and misremembered that lighting typically used a different protocol even if it’s the same program driving everything.
link