Q Light Controller+

Hi,

Last year I used a webbrowser in combination with the qlcplus web api to automate lighting for a quiz. The whole setup still works great, but when hosting at fullly equiped venues (that didn't use qlcplus) I couldn't link my system up.

That's why I'm looking into making the system more versatile. Instead of using the web api to trigger changes, I would like to use google chrome to emit midi messages and make qlcplus react on that. That way, I hope I can just hook up my laptop to the installed light system and use midi to automate the show at venue. Each "state" of the game will have its own note and a small control panel on the laptio will allow triggering each note manually, so that the events can be easily programmed.

I don't know much about midi (or lights programming in general), but would this work?
And would there be a way to "loopback" a local midi connection between chrome and qlcplus?
And, in general, how easy is it to link up a midi cable to a venues pre installed setup?

My goal is to provide a versatile solution that works in most venues and to use qlcplus when we're doing our own setup.

Thanks!
Thijs

Thijs,

I hear your thoughts...
but hear me:

Your idea to hook into a present system by using midi is way too complicated... midi is a music based rather unintelligent protocol (as is DMX). We can use midi to control lights but that's a via via solution...
You will have to figure out the whole midi cha-bang present. Midi is more obscure than DMX since you can sniff midi IF you have a midi source to copy from... in an unknown venue chances a near to none to figure out midi. Versus DMX packets which are one -to- one related to the lights installed.

*off topic now - NO chrome midi loopback involved whatsoever...

In a new venue I do sniff the house installation direct on the (main) DMX line and start with a whole new QLC+ environment. I plug in a DMX IN cable into the house line and configure QLC+ to use the interface it's input. In QLC+ I look at the DMX monitor to see changes coming in. A DMX interface with input is required.
Dimmers are easy to figure out, intelligent lights will be hard to distinguish which channel is used as base channel and then you possibly have to create them inside the fixture editor before you can control them.

Then once you know what (house) gear you are working with and where it is addressed you can change your universal quiz lighting show with the channels you have learned.
At show time, (or better: before) the QLC+ DMX output goes directly into the DMX house line(s). (Disconnect their table / and other DMX controllers <- dangerous ! you are responsible now to get it working again afterwards)
(I personally use a merger / splitter to do that so that lobby lights can still be controlled ... etc - but I'm talking about other budgets here in man hours)

* There is no versatile solution in lighting ... every place is unique
* The chances you get correct and viable usable information from the venue is ... unique also - unless you get in touch with the technical staff of the venue.
* Then you will have to rebuild the whole house lighting system and after that works
* You can start with you 'universal solution'

I hope you get the whole (experience based) story better now...

Tell me more about your 'universal solution' and maybe I can help more...

Thanks for your story! I'm indeed not very experienced in these things, so your reply is very helpful.

All I'm currently doing with the qlcplus web api is sending out cue's (I toggle buttons in the virtual console) when events from the game are sent out. So I'm not really controlling the lighting from the game, but more sending cue's from the game to the lighting console. Since that's all that I'm doing, I feel like midi would make sense, especially with systems that have "learn" capabilities. I could then (let the venue technician) define the scenes and chases suitable for the venue and use midi "learn" to detect which note should trigger that specific scene/chase. Repeat for all game states and done; unasigned "notes" would not trigger any scene change.

I've tried the dmx input / output approach a couple of times but never managed to set it up; I'm blaiming a faulty dmx usb dongle but it's probably just me not being able to configure it properly Most of the times I'm not the lights technician, so that's why midi seemed to be the perfect match for what I'm trying to do. (light tech asks to activate the "during question" scene, I push a button that generates the midi signal for that scene). Would midi work for that situation?

I'm definitely not touching the in house control panels myself, I have no idea how to program those things :p So in case no technician is included, I'm going to try to passthrough approach again; I'm bound to get it right eventually

Greetings,
Thijs