Guide to Do-it-Yourself Lighting Software
As a Show Director & Lighting Designer, my goal is always to embrace the emotional potential of the show. From my experience, an artist with a smaller lighting setup of their own creation is more interesting than a larger house lighting rig, because people who frequent that venue rarely see something new. One option is to hire a lighting director who understands your music, and controls the lighting live.
Alternatively you can do it yourself. Having been in your place, I know what it feels like to nerd out on something new, and program something special for your fans to enjoy. Respect the hustle 💪
Assessing Your Needs
Automated lighting systems use sophisticated software to ensure every light change matches the music perfectly, allowing artists to focus on their performance.
Before diving into software options, consider the scale of your performance, the complexity of your lighting needs, your technical expertise, and the types of lights you’ll be using. Compatibility with music production tools like Ableton is also crucial, alongside the software’s reliability.
Top Music Lighting Software Analyzed
Now, it's worth mentioning that none of these methods make it way easy to control the house lights. This is more for lighting that the artist owns or rents and brings to their shows.
ENTEC EMU Software: The successor to DMXIS, for those wanting a higher level of control and are okay with a higher learning curve and time commitment to dive deeper into the world of DMX.
Developed by the maker of Lightjams, This modern software offers a robust and intuitive approach for syncing lights, compatible with a wide range of DMX fixtures. Supported by Mac and Windows. Controlled via Standalone or VST/AU in your DAW of choice.
Show Buddy (db audioware): Can run standalone for control via MIDI & OSC, as well as a VST or Audio Unit Plugin to run with your DAW, such as Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Pro Tools, etc.
You can trigger looks via MIDI or the VST/AU plugin. There is a Show Buddy Setlist, which is designed to also work as an audio playback unit, in addition to their full-fledged "Show Buddy Active" version. Please note you will need a hardware unit to send DMX out from the program, such as the ENTTEC PRO or ENTTEC Open DMX boxes.
Lightjams: Great for non-moving pixel-heavy lighting rigs, Lightjams excels in real-time interactive control, ideal for installations and live events where audience engagement is key.
This program is unique compared to the others, as it treats the lighting rig as a spacial "pixel map" in order to create unique geometric effects over. Realtime audio feedback from the music (i.e. FFT) can be used, or effects can come from midi triggers. This program has a bit more of a learning curve because you typically will need to create DMX fixture profiles to keep up with the latest crop of lighting products, but frankly this is a good thing so that way you understand how lighting control actually works.
MaestroDMX: A newer, user-friendly option for those preferring a set-and-forget system, though it may lack the advanced controls desired by some users.
A newcomer on the market with a unique offering. You know that look of Guitar Center's DJ party room, or like a school dance or wedding DJ having lights that are every color under the sun and all at once? This is what's called "sound active mode", and is a mode that lights have just in case someone didn't bring a way to control them. They listen for changes in volume and just dance around in a few canned looks. Maestro takes realtime lighting control to a new level! Instead of each light doing their own thing, Maestro centralizes the music analysis in real-time, and controls the lights like any typical lighting console would. Maestro might be great for artists that don't play to any backing tracks, and are looking for a more maximalist approach to their lighting experience. For anyone that's looking for an intentionally thought out show, then i might suggest looking at another option.
Not for the faint of heart, but for someone that loves to work under the hood and aren't seeking perfection: this little box will take midi note & pitch data and convert it directly to DMX512 Protocol to control dmx light fixtures: i.e. midi note pitch affects the DMX address, and midi note velocity affects the DMX addresses's value. The great thing about this box is that it doesn't need any software, hence it's very reliable. The downside is that you might have to do some midi note trickery and do clever things after memorizing the DMX light manuals of the lighting you want. But you can do some interesting things for super simple projects with conventional lights, dimmer packs, and a handful of RGB was fixtures without stepping away from your trusty DAW piano roll!
Conclusion
Selecting the right lighting software for your live performance comes down to understanding your show's unique needs and the lighting fixtures you want to control. We work with a lot of music artists who began their lighting journey with one of these products, before eventually deciding to bring on professional lighting programmers (like Duck Lights) to create the show of their dreams.
We find that doing it yourself is a rewarding journey and hope you create something special for your fans!
