Triggering MyDMX with Sony Acid/Garage Band etc

Where to begin....

First, if you enjoy crashes, please continue.

Second, I've done over this in EXCRUCIATING detail, and not just from the "oh, I'm just a DJ/casual user" point of view, but from a guy who has spent time on the road and you literally have to trust your employment to your equipment.

So, Step 1:
The MIDI implementation in MyDMX is very bare bones. It's in there, but it's not great. It does a lot, but it doesn't do it well. The simplicity is a strength and a weakness.

Step 2: You need a minimum of a 2-band MIDI interface to have a hope of NOT crashing. You will want to do a hard loop(short cable) between the MIDI OUT of say, Bank A(that the sequencing software is sending to), and the input B, which the sequencing software should NOT be looking at, which may not be an option as many packages snag the whole interface. You also have to watch your signal routing, which is where the crashes tend to come from.

There's a way to do this without a MIDI interface, but I'm not game to try it. I got some 1-foot cables, they get the job done.

Step 3: MyDMX doesn't like to be in the background, so you need to give yourself some set-up measures(2 is enough) to switch back to MyDMX, which you'll need to have programmed/learned on the B port. It's also best that MyDMX stays in the FOREGROUND because if it goes to the background, sometimes it hangs. Or it may cause something else to hang, or something else may hang.

Can I do it? Sure, I've done it. Would I do it all in one computer? No. I'd rather slam my genitalia in a car door repeatedly, as it will be less painful.

Ideally, when running MyDMX, that's what you should run. It doesn't take a lot of beef to run it, so use a lower-end machine that exceeds minimum specs and you're gold. Use your better machine for the other stuff. It's a matter of "the right way to get the job done".

However, if you want to fight it, then by all means, I'll let you have fun. It's just been unreliable and unstable and at some point, MyDMX may refuse to listen to the MIDI for some reason in this method. Why? I do not know.

So, you CAN do it. Should you do it? No. Will you do it? I bet you will just to spite me. That's fine. As I said, I've done it, and I DO NOT recommend it. But, hey, what do I know, right? I'm just some audio guy. What does he know about lighting? IT? Communication protocols, Computers.... It's OK, I'm married, I'm used to being ignored. But don't say I didn't warn you. I'm not gonna sit here and say "do it my way", but I will say that through trial and error and spending over a thousand bucks of my own money to test this stuff, my tests lead me to the conclusion that my way, or variations of 2 computers, is the correct method of doing this in a manner that will ensure the highest degree of reliability.

If you absolutely must do all this stuff in ONE computer, I strongly suggest the totally awesome Compu Show package, which I also use, and it can work fine in the background. It's more money, it's worth it. You still need to hard loop it, but other than that, no issues.

Thanks Chris, So........
What he said ^
Welcome to the forums.
Sincerely,

Wow...someone's got a temper...but...thank you for the step by step. I had scoured the posts for a day or two but couldn't find the actual "how to do it". Our advantage at the school is that we have pretty high end stuff. The down side is we only get one. So I really wanted to play around a bit in, obviously futile, hope of finding a magic trick.
It is actually really interesting to me that I can use 3 different VST engines with Finale, or Sony to create some pretty cool sounding music but I can't trigger a lighting protocol in a similar manner. But hey, maybe down the road there will be a patch or new version that will allow for this to work out.
Not to spite but I will most likely attempt to do it a couple times. In frustration I will use Sony's time stamp on the tracks to help me time the lighting shows in the end, and either way, my eighth graders can still boast that they have the only music teacher in the North East that gives an intro to DMX protocol in music class.

you'll get used to Chris as time goes on here on the ADJ forums. He doesn't have a temper. It's just.........."his way" haha. He means no ill intentions.
Sincerely,

No worries. Spent a couple hours on a show last night while the wife was studying. Absolutely love the interface and the 3D preview. Its nice seeing kinda what you'll get before you plug everything in. Of course, I know that once the lighting gets set up, that will be the fun part of making sure it does what I want it to! LOL
When we get talent show underway, we will have our middle schoolers work in teams to design lighting scenes/shows for the performers. Should be good times!
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assuming the teenage attitudes don't kick in! lol

Well good luck. And have fun. Post pics of the show if you can.
Sincerely,

Temper? Please understand where I come from:

I have to deal with people on a daily basis who don't want to listen to how things are, and are insistent on trying to do things the wrong way. Then, they go out and do it the wrong way, fail and then want to blame someone else for it. It's frustrating. But people don't want to listen as they already figured out what they think will work anyways. You tell them it won't work.

Think this way:
Do you want to trust your show to that? I've already done it and ran into the problems. Why would anyone want to purposel create a problem environment for themselves? I guess nobody here has done shows will a million dollar price tag on it.

The thing is, with a VST or RTAS environment, you're working in a platform that is specialized. At the same time, you can only bog down your CPU so much before you choke the computer. One of several things will happen: You get an error message, you crash the software(rebooting fixes it, often though restarting the software is sufficient), it won't work, or you have to start pre-rendering to free up the CPU.

The reality is that while DMX at the CORE is very light on the CPU, it's the other stuff that loads down the computer. With MyDMX, The 3D Visualizer is the biggest CPU burner. While not necessary, I find it's needed during my shows as a final sanity check. Similarly, in Compu Show, the Easy 3D is the equivalent and can be a CPU hog, but at the same time, I can run it in a lower resolution mode, which honestly works better for me come show time.

If you mis-route your MIDI, you'll create a loop. Result: it can either make the software quit, lock-up, crash the software, crash the OS or even BSOD. Sound fun in the middle of a show?
If you are switching between MyDMX and some other package, you have a very good shot of MyDMX simply bombing out, and you'll need to reboot to clear the problem. Other issues will be that sometimes MyDMX will forget all your MIDI assignments. Sometimes during the switching of foreground applications, MyDMX will stop responding to MIDI.

Also, keep in mind that MyDMX doesn't give you a choice as to what it's going to listen to, from a MIDI interface point of view. This could be in direct conflict with Finale and other programs. Just more argument for breaking the task up to 2 machines. Some software packages can let you share a multi-bank MIDI interface with various software packages at the same time. But not all can. MyDMX doesn't give you any useable input as to what MIDI port it is looking at. It looks at everything. This isn't bad, but it isn't great either. Why? You need to remember WHERE that learned trigger came from, because it will track the port as well as the channel and controler and so on.

Also, think that MyDMX is designed for DJ use. I'm not saying it is a dumbed down product, but its designed for fast and easy use in show mode. A DJ often has a LOT going on, and the last thing they have time for is a complicated interface when you're keeping the party flowing. Also, for the price, you cannot cram a monster amount of features and functionality.

If you'r really insistent on sync, forget it on MyDMX. No two clocks are the same, and trust me, they WILL drift. Trust me,I've been there, I've done that. Case and point:
Using my media player and a "cue" for a show that's now almost 2 hours, I did program it with MyDMX, but the drift was a killer and required me sitting on top of it the whole time to correct for the drift.

When we switched to a different blu-ray player, the clock was different, and hence the drift was different. I've since moved to Compu Show to handle this task. As a result, using MTC, I can sync up the video playback to the lighting and it's TIGHT!!!

What do we do? I'll get basic:
The show is driven by Sony Vegas playing the primary projection in HD and sending MTC at 24fps.
Going to a passive MIDI thru-Box(1 in, 4 out), I send that MIDI to a computer that is running Compu Show and a video sync package. I have to split it to TWO MIDI ins on the MIDI interface. Compu Show listens to input A, while the video sync package listens on input B.

Solid, reliable, flawless.

So, keep in mind:
I've been doing this for 30 years in MISSION critical environments with A-list talent, working with sound(mostly), video and now lighting. I want to save people money, but I want to save people time. I work to provide solutions that are affordable and reliable. This has included system builds from the ground up for their computers for their road rigs. If this was reliable, I'd say "go for it", but it's NOT, so I am telling you "don't do this".

A $400 laptop can handle MyDMX just fine. That same $400 laptop could most likely handle Compu Show as well.

So, you get high-end gear. But that only means you get one. Putting top end ear in the hands of an unskilled performer or tech is a waste of technology or gear. Putting not so great gear into the hands of a very skilled individual will BLOW YOU AWAY!

What's critical is that you need to show how everything integrates. I think it's great that you're showing DMX. It's another signal chain and protocol with it's own rules and issues. Knowing how to tie it all together is critical.

Don't fail. It's not worth the months of frustration I spent figuring this out. With my experience and resources, if it was going to work good, I'd have figured it out. I wasted my time on this. Now you don't have to.