Bring DMX lights into your show.

Hardware & connection

Use a Windows PC, a compatible USB/DMX interface, DMX cabling and your lighting fixtures. The current output uses a Windows COM port to transmit a single universe of 512 DMX channels.

The interface must support direct serial DMX output at 250,000 baud, 8 data bits, no parity and 2 stop bits, with serial break support. A device appearing in the USB list does not by itself confirm DMX compatibility. Interfaces requiring a proprietary packet protocol and Art-Net or sACN network output are not supported by this output path.

1. Connect the USB/DMX interface and install its manufacturer's Windows driver if required.
2. Connect the fixtures and set their physical DMX addresses and channel modes.
3. Open the DMX timeline editor and select the USB/DMX device.
4. Add matching fixture profiles and verify the output using a simple segment before building your show.

Keep connection active, available in More settings > DMX and in the editor, maintains zero-valued transmission while idle. It can help avoid an initial wireless DMX connection delay; the transmitter remains active.

Fixture profiles and channel modes

A fixture profile describes a light's channels and operating modes. Choose an existing profile or create and edit one to match your fixture's manual. Select the same channel mode on the physical fixture and in Media Board.

Set each fixture's DMX start address and reserve enough consecutive channels for its mode, within channels 1–512. Avoid overlapping channel ranges between fixtures you want to control independently.

Depending on the profile, the editor exposes colour channels, dimmer, shutter/strobe, colour wheels, gobos, Pan/Tilt, focus, zoom, speed and custom commands. Available controls reflect the fixture's capabilities.

Build a lighting timeline

1. Add a fixture to create its track, then add a timed segment.
2. Select the segment to edit its initial channel values. Set its position and duration on the timeline.
3. Open Keyframes / Transitions to animate the light. Start and End define the segment boundaries; add intermediate points at relative times in seconds.
4. Choose outgoing transitions per channel: Hold, Step start, Linear, Ease in, Ease out or Ease in/out.
5. Preview, adjust and save the timeline to reuse it in your show. Enable Loop when the lighting sequence should repeat.

Continuous channels such as dimmer, RGBW and Pan/Tilt can change smoothly. Wheel colours, gobos, programs and reset commands use discrete changes where required by the profile. Pan/Tilt fine channels are evaluated together with their coarse channels for 16-bit positioning.

Move, resize, split or duplicate segments and use undo/redo while editing. Resizing stretches the animation; moving keeps its internal timing. The Pan/Tilt path shows motion through keyframes in channel coordinates, rather than a simulation of a real stage.

An optional reference video opens in a separate resizable window with playback and seeking synchronized to the editor. Its local path is saved with the timeline; a missing file will not load.

Preview your lighting

Use the keyframe preview slider or Play/Pause to inspect changes over time. Colour gradients and movement paths help you read an effect while editing.

Enable Live DMX preview to send the selected state to your actual fixtures while editing or scrubbing. Without it, the keyframe preview does not transmit DMX. Closing the keyframe dialog returns live output to the segment's initial state.

Visual previews summarize channel values; they do not simulate a fixture's physical movement or colour wheel. Check the result on your actual lights before a show.

Trigger lights with or without media

Save your timeline, open a button's configuration and select it in DMX Effect. Use it with an audio or video file for lighting synchronized to playback, or leave the media file empty to create a DMX-only button.

Lighting-only buttons let you launch a scene independently of an audio or video file. Saved timelines can be linked to multiple buttons without rebuilding the effect.

For integrations, the local HTTP API can trigger buttons and synchronize DMX with an external playback clock. See the DMX synchronization API for execution identifiers, position updates and seeking.

Reuse, export and back up your work

Your DMX library contains saved timelines and fixture profiles. Timeline export and library archives retain lighting data, including keyframes. Full .sdboard backups also include the DMX library.

When cloud sync is available for your account, timelines and profiles are included in the library synchronization workflow. Review any reported conflicts before completing sync. Keep an independent backup and use an up-to-date Media Board version on every PC; older versions do not evaluate animated keyframes.

See the cloud sync guide for the workstation and conflict workflow.

Free DMX playback and plan access

Without an active DMX plan, choose one linked button for free DMX playback. Use Choose free DMX button in More settings > DMX to select it. Other timeline links are retained.

Fixture creation and timeline editing remain available. An active DMX plan enables playback on all linked buttons. Check the available plans for access options.

Troubleshooting

The interface is missing or unavailable

Check the USB connection and Windows driver, then check the selected device. The output requires a compatible USB serial interface exposed as a COM port.

A light stays dark or responds incorrectly

Match the physical address and channel mode to the fixture profile. Check cabling, dimmer and shutter/strobe values, then test a simple colour with Live DMX preview enabled.

No editable channels appear

Add and select a segment on the fixture track. Selecting only the fixture does not select a segment's channel values.

DMX output is already in use

Stop the fixture test or timeline playback before starting another output session.

Only one button can play DMX

Without a DMX plan, only the selected free button is enabled for DMX playback. Check the selected button and your account's DMX access in More settings.