UC3 Wireless with 8 channels

Would you like to change every one of our products? haha.
Sincerely,

Change every product?

No James, just make them better. Lol

Please make an 8 channel UC3 wireless

How about getting some DMX control instead?

MyDMX is affordable and powerful. Easy to learn and to use, but requires a PC to operate.

The DMX Operator is very affordable, a respectable number of features for the price and is easy to use. As a stand-alone controller, all you need is power and DMX cabling.

Either of these options would be more cost effective from a developer's point of view, and from a customer's point of view, adds features and functionality and opens up more options.

Chris,

i don't know too much about software DMX, etc
i will look into it,

i'm mobile DJ, band, usually 1 man
so i wanna keep things simple

that's why UC3 wireless,
but I, and I'm sure many others have more than 4 different lights and would love an 8 channel unit

thanks

Why not the witech 8 then? http://www.americandj.com/Prod...ollers&txtSearch=UC3

James,

witech 8 , turns on and off ONLY with only 1 UC3
for that i'll just put a regular power strip

i want UC3 on 8 channels, to control patterns, blackout, strobe, etc, on all 8

So if the UC3 wireless only does 4 and you need 8 then get 2 of em. Think of the ADJ advantage points lol.
Sincerely,

I find doing the work up front properly makes the tail-end part of the process much easier.

With the right add-ons, MyDMX becomes quite simple to use for the "one man band" outfits.

and James

if i were to get 2 of them
which is twice the setup, time to mount

would the remotes be on 2 different channels so one does not trigger the other?

wouldn't it be better to have 1 unit that can handle 8 UC3's ?

or should i get 8 UC3 corded controllers and have all 8 controllers on my table lol


Chris, i will look into this MyDMX,,thanks

Maybe you or ADJ should develop a UC3 Switcher, or a switch that leads to a UC3 controller with an addressing switch or knob or button up/down pair. Regardless, you have to back-haul all your UC3 controller cable leads back to a centralized location. And if you're already complaining about set-up time, then this seems like excessive work.

With DMX, all you need to do is chain all the DMX cabling through the fixtures(they have a DMX IN and a DMX OUT, it should be rather obvious what you need to do). Then control comes back to one centralized location, such as a DMX console or maybe the laptop running MyDMX(or Compu Show, or Compu Live or Compu Cue...)

Personally, I think you have too much stuff on a single stand and would break it up onto 2 stands. This makes you look bigger AND gives you bigger floor coverage. And since you want to add a band into the mix, a band isn't going to want to get hit from one area only, so at least some wash from each side should satisfy their modest needs(A need to not be treated like a cake or a houseplant).

You could get a UC3 for each side then. Or 1 DMX run. Or get an Opto Branch/4 and split your DMX into a run for each side of the stage.

Considering my average set is 3 hours from the time I arrive until I can say "whew, I'm done", I don't sweat the small stuff. I get stuff done, right the first time, every single time.

Your biggest set-back is I can't see how to help you pre-configure and pre-wire to help you reduce set and strike time, at least not without putting some of your gear in jeopardy, and that's not acceptable. I don't want your stuff getting trashed.

It's not like DMX is gonna be a life saver either. You have to run a DMX IN up each tree, then IN to the first fixture, the OUT from that fixture and IN to the next... repeat until you're done and then plug a DMX terminator into the end and repeat on the other stand. Plus, avoiding cable clutter and purchasing 5-foot DMX cabling for "in stand wiring" and maybe a 10-foot cable for "lead from first fixture to floor" and then 25' or 50' cables to go from DMX hardware at your position to your stand(s).

I'm carrying well over 1200 feet of DMX cabling these days. It's what I have to do to get the job done. But I also have a lot more fixtures and a much different application than yours. Doens't make me better, just makes me different.

Going DMX is a big jump, but at the rate you're going, you got to look at this:

"Do I get the UC3 controller(s), how much does that set me back and how long is that going to cut it for me?". The money part you can easily deal with. It's the "how long will this last me" part that can be a big question.

If you go DMX, it's going to up front cost more, it almost always does. But do you go for a DMX Operator or MyDMX? If you go MyDMX, do you have a PC(or a Mac running Bootcamp) to run the software on? Knowing what I know, the cost of a low-end controller vs MyDMX, even at twice the price or more for the purchase of MyDMX, MyDMX wins easily by being a better value on the "bang for the buck" aspect.

Then there is going back to the UC3 issue: If you're going to eventually upgrade to DMX anyways, why not jump sooner and not waste money on the UC3s? Spend the money on MyDMX instead. From a business point of view, this starts making more financial sense IF this is the path you're heading.

Then there's the "well if I get the UC3's even though I'm heading down the DMX path, it does give me more options and possible back-up possbilities". It does lengthen your ROI but also preserves your investment a bit better until you finaly abandon the UC3's if that's where business takes you.

Confused yet? Yeah, it makes the brain hurt sometimes.

There's no single right path because each little DJ and company is different. But that's also why there are so many choices.

Any of these options are better than backhauling 8 UC3 remotes!

thanks Chris for taking the time...

question

can myDMX do blackout EASILY on each unit as can UC3?

can myDMX go through presets EASILY as can UC3

can myDMX strobe easily any fixture?

can mydmx switch ALL my lights to sound active mode?

and IMPORTANT for me, is this...
is myDMX Keystroke assignable and midi assignable?
meaning i hit my numeric keypad 0-9,
and 0 is blackout
1 is strobe
2 is sound active
3 is all red
4 is all blue, etc...


i can't get my hands off the "music" to move faders, nor do i want to spend my time programming scenes...

can i do the simple stuff, the exact same things UC3 gives us , right out of the box?

maybe Jingles can help too....

thanks

if i can set my scenes, and switch at the touch of my numeric keypad on laptop,
then i may consider myDMX

great if i go on breaks, and want to put all lights in fade/wash like mode,
or all of sudden i wanna strobe all lights,
or put all RED,

man, i think i am liking this DMX thingy :-)

so i downloaded the manual for my DMX,
and YES, you can trigger scenes via Computer Keyboard, and Midi,

so when playing in my Band,
i can control my lights with my AKAI keyboard's PADS, which are right in front of me,
or i can use the keyboards 8 faders to control lights....NICE !!!

and when DJing, i can control via numeric keys or anything else :-)

These are questions for another area.

First, no, you can't. The Akai products don't seem to work with MyDMX. This is in part due to Akai's class compliant driver on many units, but mostly due to how MyDMX implements MIDI. I'm hoping the developers address this MIDI stuff soon. But I do kno the Korg nano-series works fine. BUT: Only ONE MIDI device can be used at a time. If using a MIDI interface, anything behind the MIDI interface is fine, provided MyDMX is able to communicate with the MIDI interface.

If the Akai unit can work with MyDMX(big if, and the LPK25 might be just one of those things that doesn't), you should be able to use anything on the controller, provided it's capable of generated MIDI commands.

In regards to "when I'm DJ'ing"....

Well, once you program your triggers, use them when and how youw want to. Ain't no big thing!

IN regards to your strobe idea: I don't like strobes that much, but that's a personal issue. My recommendation is 2-3 seconds tops for fast strobing, when then either goes into a second step in the scene of a wash, or otherwise then goes to a wash scene. For slow strobing, no more than 10 seconds(6 seconds good, 5 better) before moving onto a wash scene or at least something that ain't strobing.

You can also start downloading the software and using it/playing with it. If you like what you see, then buy the hardware, plug it in and keep on rolling with no downtime.

thanks, but man there are other companies i see with dongle/hardware,
with STAND ALONE capabilities (no computer required) , IR Remote interfacing, etc,

so many options, i just gotta see what's simplest and best for me :-)

Right, there are other options.

Let me ask you this:
When it comes to showtime, are you gonna trust that you loaded your show properly into that little plastic box? What if you didn't? Gonna bet the whole show on that?

Also, IR options don't always work reliably. Line of site. Partiers with their hands in the air, waving like they just don't care, don't glve a crap if you can aim the IR remote at the fixture. Plus, when I do shows, the IR sensor would be pointed away from where I'd need it, so it becomes useless for me in MY environment.

For every solution, there's a problem. For every problem, there's a solution. And when those two things collide somewhere in the middle, that's when you start finding out what works.

In some cases, you can build a dongle from plans for $15-20 in pre-made kits, that work with free software and nothing gets any support. Great for learning, but not a comfortable solution for me for shows. I want a product with some backing behind it.

With so many options, you can narrow it down. If you're going with a PC-based software solution, you can then narrow things down to those sort of product offerings. If you're going DMX controllers, you can limit your scope of research to those. If you're going in another direction, then you do limit yourself. For example, I don't think the UC3 controllers work with anything other than ADJ lights that use the UC3 controller, which may or may not be an issue. DMX is a protocol, so anything that speaks DMX will work with DMX.

I think with my Elation SD+ interface, I can run in a stand alone mode. NO way in hell I'm ever gonna do that though, but it's nice to have it as an option.

Forget simplest. Think "best". The extra effort may pay off. Don't rule out simplest though, keep it as a secondary goal. Simple is good.

I think for you, start playing with the MyDMX product, it will run forever in demo mode, so there's no incentive to pay for it until you actually need it. The only thing you won't be able to do without the hardware is run a show. That's it!! Everything else works.

When I stepped into lighting, I stepped big, going with a controller and dimmers for control from day 1. I didn't have any DMX fixtures, just ADJ dimmer packs with DMX. From there, it was add more effects, then finally I got to a point where I realized I could do a hell of a lot more if I got DMX capable lights, and then I quickly realized that this DMX Operator wasn't going to serve my needs very well anymore and needed to upgrade to MyDMX.

But, I'm a sound production company with clear goals and objectives. You're trying to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that. And you know, I think you can do those, and do it well, but you just need to step into MyDMX. It will outperform any console in the same price range and is a better value than other software/hardware based products in the price range. You can make unlimited shows(band set, DJ set, combo set, show specific sets...) Loads of options!

thanks Chris

the lighting is not my #1 prioroty
if the little stand alone box goes, no biggy,
just sound active as i use now :-)

my #1 priority is my SOUND and MUSIC played and to get people on the dance floor

Chris , i'm now researching LUMINAIR

oh my, i'm sure you know about it...

do i need this? no, but it would be way cool

just have to figure out if it will do what i want, and figure out what exactly i need

and then just blow people's minds...

i love gadgets by the way !!!
and having fun with my lights

If you're researching Luminair, let me say this:

They chose to start spamming me. I then blocked them via filters on my mail server. They chose to change tactics, so I DNSBL'd them into oblivion and enacted "draconian" tactics to ensure they never "see the light of day" on my server again. I never asked for it, I never wanted it.

But, since you're researching them, you might as well go with MyDMX and get English support.

My #1 priority is sound. The band is the music, not my problem!

Aside from that, I'm not wasting time researching other lighting companies. I'm pleased with the offerings of ADJ and Elation. My requirements from a business perspective, especially from a support point of view, DEMAND English language and domestic support. I ain't gonna play the language game or the time differential game. And when it comes to a product I rely on, such as MyDMX, it needs to be a commercially available product that the company will stand behind and support.

That being said, there's plenty of other offerings out there. What's good is that if you're going software based and it's a DMX package, well, certainly not all DMX software is created equal, but if it speaks DMX, then all your DMX fixtures will work with it. So, regardless which way you go, you SHOULD end up winning, with the exception of your bank account. That always gets a hit in regards to these sort of things!

I would also recommend the following big of snooping before you buy stuff from now on because you're moving in the direction of DMX:

As you know, many fixtures work in multiple modes, one being sound active, another being stand alone, another being master/slave and another being DMX. Not all fixtures support ALL modes. Since sound active is important to you, read the manual before buying a fixture to see if sound active is an option in DMX mode as well as in a stand-alone type of mode. This way you can keep that feature and can go "sound active cheap show" fast in your lighting software. It's a nice option to have availble. For my general show file, I have an "all sound active" profile.

Thanks Chris for a that great info

Also for heads up on whether sound active mode is available in DMX

That is very important to me as lights are secondary to me

I gotta read manual for revo 4. Revo rave and galaxian 3D. :-)

And also hypergem and fusion tri fx led if I buy.

More people need to read manuals before they buy.

A lot of people where whining in 2010 about "well, it has sound active mode but no sound active in DMX mode" stuff, and it got old really fast when it was apparent nobody bothers to read manuals until it's too late. Maybe it's because I'm very ill right now, but my sympathy gland is definately not working. Of course, I've learned to ignore it anyways!

For me, if I want a stand-alone effect, I get the lesser expensive "high-tech FX" units, mainly because, knowing what my audience wants and expects in those price ranges, such lights do the job fine. Set and forget, walk away, collect a check. Well, not really. I do need to make some easy scenes in MyDMX to rotate out the FX to meet the requirements of their duty cycles. I have to deal with duty cycles because mine are older units. Duty cycles aren't so critical these days because cooling practices have improved, as well as other factors like LEDs creating less heat than halogens.

I think more and more, due to consumer demand(and/or buckets of tears), more fixtures are being released with sound active included in the DMX properties. I know currently for all my DMX lights except my follow spots, they all have sound active. For the rave I do, I just throw all my LED's into sound active and I'm done. Aim the cans up and out, the Mega Bar 50's into the stage from the foot, and the Mega panels aiming OUT from the DJ position. I was also including the Mystic, Sunray III and Vertigo, but it just seemed nobbody gave a crap anyways. Fine with me, they're all hopped up on Poki sticks anyways!

All users should read ALL pages of ALL of their manuals. All users considering NEW purchases of NEW gear should read ALL pages of ALL the manuals of ALL the new gear they intend to purchase. In your case, since sound active is so important, something as trivial as sound active not being an option could be a deal breaker. That would be good if you knew this up front, thus preventing you from wasting time and money on an item that has to go right back to the store for being unsuitable for your application.

ok so i searched the manual for the lights i own to see whether sound active was controllable VIA DMX

the Rev4, Revo Rave, Galaxian 3D, ALL seem to be DMX sound active controllable

the HyperGem (which i may buy) also seems to be good to control sound active via DMX

BUT
the Fusion Tri FX DON'T seem to offer this sound active mode VIA DMX

can someone please confirm??

I can confirm that the tri fx bar does not have sound active via dmx. bummer man.
BUT one UC3 controller to that fixture not in the dmx chain and you still have some control. so it could be your lights on dmx and then the one tri fx bar on a uc3.
Sincerely,

ye bummer James

and that Fusio Tri FX is pretty new
why leave that out?
i guess with 7 lights in one fixture they ran out of channels/values?

and ye i can get 1 UC3 hardwire and connect to my 2 Fusions Master/Slave, but...

james, since units have version numbers,
you think they can ever be upgraded ? the software/firware?

man, i may have to look at getting 2 mega panels instead of the Fusions for my 2 sidearms so i can control sound active via DMX :-(

so

Fusion FX Bar 2 >> DMX sound-act CONTROLLABLE
Fusion FX Bar 3 >> DMX sound-act CONTROLLABLE
Fusion FX Bar 4 >> DMX sound-act CONTROLLABLE

BUT

Fusion Tri FX, which is the NEWEST Fusion, and the best of the Fusions IMO
CANNOT be sound active controlled via DMX

i don't understand...

Not much to need to understand.

The Fusion Tri FX does not support sound active when in DMX mode. However, maybe some of the built in chase sequences could be randomly gone through to give a randomness factor to the light?

It still has a sound active mode. Jingles is saying leave that out of your DMX chain and use a UC3 to control that one. In my opinion, that seems a bit silly, because I insist on DMX control on all my fixtures.

Ye Chris

Would be silly to let's say hit "0" on my laptop
And Have all my lights blackout except fusions
And then have to reach over and hit the one UC3 just to black them out

I'll probably hold off on fusions and get
Hypergem for the very TOP of my stand since it's an awesome light at an awesome price

Maybe you can blackout fusions via DMX
So what I meant is you'll have to reach for your remote to put them back on sound active

Chris of James or anyone

do you know if this will work with software to control my DMX lights?
or maybe another Enttec product?

http://www.enttec.com/index.ph...tion&name=opendmxusb


looks like a VERY cheap way, and there's free software out there too,
and i'm only looking to do very basic things

thanks

No comment. I do not recommend nor support the freestyler stuff or any program like it.
Sincerely,

ok i understand James,

naturally you'd recommend teh ADJ/Elation stuff :-)


man, i'm still bummed on my Fusion Tri FX inability to DMX sound active :-(

1: I'm not an ADJ/Elation employee. But, I am a more than satisfied customer. Of course, I'm free to choose any products I want for anything since I don't have any product endorsement deals. Still, I've stuck with ADJ and Elation because, for lack of a better term, they've stuck with me, from the standpoint of they support and service what they sell point of view. Working as a VAR-type person in the data comm world as one of my many lives, I understand the need to charge a bit more when you feel you provide a SUPERIOR product with superior service. In my case, I front-end a lot of stuff for clients, resolving their issues faster than should they have been left to do it on their own with their service and maintenance contract.

2: Regarding your scene idea. Sure, if you want to make a Scene that is blackout(and I do suggest you do), and choose to trigger this using the "0" key, then yes, it will black out everything on the DMX chain, PROVIDED you set specific values to zeros(like shutters to close, dimmmer channels to zilch). Blackout is cutting off light, not necessarily all ZERO values. When I'm working on my big show, I have to maintain the light colors through the fades so it looks more natural. The Fusion Tri FX, not being on the DMX chain, would be EXLCUDED form your blackout, requiring an extra effort on your part, which means reaching for the UC3.

Would it be silly? Well, that's a matter of opinion I guess. Your need for sound active forces your hand and we do what we do to get the job done. Another idea would be to put the Fusion Tri FX on a switcher pack if you only intend to use it in sound active mode, but you have to deal with a boot cycle that will most likely take a few second. But the added cost of the switcher pack has to be factored in.

3: Regarding the EntTec solution coupled with freeware software:

First, my opinion. Similar to Jingles, I do not recommend such products. For me, this is part of my business, so as such I make the choice to choose products that are commercially available by a company that will support their products. This doesn't limit me to the ADJ and Elation brands as there are other commercial offerings of this nature. I am choosing ADJ and Elation solutions.

Again, no endorsement products. I buy what I like and use what I like and praise what I like, regardless of the brand. I had to buy a Chauvet flame bowl effect last year. Love it! I just didn't care for the ADJ offering, in addition to it being discontinued. I can't say I'm as thrilled with some of my other Chauvet fixtures through. Similarly, it's why I have mics from at least a dozen brands in my inventory.

Now, getting off the "brand toadie" soapbox, I did a show a couple of years ago with a band that did their own lights. Mostly Chauvet lights, but that's not the issue. They used some free software package with a cheap dongle to run their lights. The program didn't exactly appear to be feature rich or even all that great, but they got the job done and that's really all that matters in the end, right?

Even so, this is something that happens with free stuff. First, support is almost always non-existant. Stuff is provided as-is and you're on your own after that.
Second, Windows updates might knock your software and/or driver and/or hardware out of commission until updated versions are released, wihch may never happen. New OS's come out and the driver may never be updated to reflect the new OS. Say, items running in XP might not work in Vista(doubtful) or Win7(likely). At least you have a choice of researching other free software solutions, right? But what good does that do when your interface is unable to function?

So, what are your choices? Blow money on another cheap interface and gamble again? Waste time constantly researching new software to evaluate? Doesn't seem a good way to spend time or money to me. Or, do you jump in to a packaged product that works and has support?

I know you only want to do basic things, but sometimes basic business logic is the better way to go. If you're trying to be cheap, then sure, go with the cheap interfaces and free software. Will it work? Sure, it SHOULD work. But it's not a solution I would go with.

Here's a better example:
Doing a show with MyDMX, MyDMX was constantly freaking out on me, causing me endless grief the entire show, forcing me to focus on the lighting instead of monitoring the make-shift intercom and the audio feeds(I'm supposed to handle it all, but I would prefer to focus on audio). It was a non-stop fight, but I managed to pull it off.

Had I gone with cheap and free stuff, my support options are "go f... yourself" because I'd be screwed. No money means no motivation to support. With ADJ, it's more of a "we gotta look into this" and have since released a December 2010 Beta that appears to have addressed that issue. However, not to knock MyDMX, the show I'm working on is better served with Compu Show, and I splurged for the new software and hardware.

Sometimes going basic costs. My basic system usually involves a load out approaching $80K+ worth of gear.

It's your choice. Spending $60 on a "open" dongle, you have to ensure your software works with it. Trial and error.

Or for $199.99 at Guitar Center, you can get an Elation/ADJ DMX OPerator hardware controller. For $100 more, you can get MyDMX. Some dealers may be able to offer better pricing on either of these items. And really, for what you get out of MyDMX, it would probably cost you a few thousand dollars for a console that could do the same. But if you really want to go basic and cheap, the DMX Operator is widely available, well respected and often goes on sale for half that price I listed above, sometimes NEW at Guitar Center(they had a sale last spring selling those new in the box for $100 each).

So, $60 and I gotta do all the work, or $300 and I get a working solution out of the box(well, maybe I gotta download the latest off the internet, but that's so common it doesn't bug me except for the fact my internet connection sucks).

$60 and I can't get to work yet.... Lost time. Angry!! I hate lost time!!

$300 and I can start working that night... Hmmm, seems good to me. Realistically, that wouldn't happen unless I'd been making my shows offline in Demo mode though.

If you go with the free/cheap solution, nobody here is gonna kill you. People here use TONS of stuff because that's how it works out there in reality. The problem is that your questions about it aren't going to get answered because since it's not an ADJ product, there's no obligation to support it.

Then again, maybe a board full of UC3's is looking more attractive to you?

you make some good and valid points Chris,

i don't mind spending money, so i will look into all options :-)

i do like ADJ stuff , (except Fusion Tri FX in DMX ) :-)

i plan to get 2 or 3 more lights

i will look into mydmx and dmx operator

thanks again

I have the DMX Operator, and if all you want to do is basic, it gets the job done. Do keep in mind it is limited to 240 scenes, 6 chases(made from the 240 scenes) and 192 DMX channels.

MyDMX is of course much more flexible and open, but it has limitations as well. For example, the DMX Operator can use sound to chase functions through an internal microphone, effectively giving you "sound active" to all your lights. MyDMX does not have a sound to chase function, but you can program your lights to go into sound active mode.

Of the two, here's my thoughts based on your configuration currently and where you may be going:

You're mostly into the high-tech FX stuff, which is fine. Through their limitations(not that this is a bad thing either), the DMX Operator should be more than sufficient, but it's not the most live friendly console out there, especially if you have to run your lights on stage at the same time. Moving through banks can be annoying in a live setting. It does support basic MIDI triggering via note on commands from notes 1-128, which gives you the first 128 scenes you can trigger, leaving you with 112 scenes you cannot trigger via MIDI.

Going with MyDMX, you get more options and the ability to groew more and make scenes with more than 1 step for not that much more money. If you're getting more into LED wash lights or thinking about movers, MyDMX is the way to go.

As I said, I have both. I started with the DMX Operator in I think 2002, which worked fine with no issues until I got into LED lights, and jumped to MyDMX at the same time, which is I think in 2006 maybe? MyDMX served me well until 2010, when it was time to once again upgrade as business continued to demand more. That's not to say MyDMX and me are history. MyDMX has a place in my system even now that I've moved over to Compu Show. Waste of money? Maybe, but not how I see it. The DMX Operator got me to a point where getting LED's and going computer-based control made sense, which put me more in demand since I could do even more with lights. That grew into more complex shows, moving beyond what MyDMX was capable of really handling well. However, now that I'm at the top, I sure hope I don't outgrow that!

I'm also looking into getting a netbook just to handle MyDMX and Compu Show as a back-up. The concept is that this fixed platform is all I need to handle these applications, and will run along side at every show to ensure things keep moving.

Musiclee... Did you wind up going DMX or 2 UC3 Wireless units... I just made a post about this... I got an Elation Operator 192 but having a hard time getting everything to run DMX... I'm sure there's a large learning curve with DMX... I don't know what I am doing...

I'm thinking of going with 2 UC3 Wireless units... Did you find out if the UC3 Wireless remotes will interfere with each other if you use 2 at the same time... let me know... Tom