Over the summer I built a custom lighting console for controlling stage lights in a fast but expressive way while DJing. Effects are built with a chain of modifiers, where each layer provides a new dimension of control. This makes it so that with just a few controls, you can create complex effects quickly and intuitively in real time, which is very artistically and creatively satisfying to do in real time!
The goal is to be able to run lights on almost any (not too large) stage with minimal patching and preset-building. Instead I want to be able to expressively create new patterns and effects on the fly to match the music.
Stack & Design
The main component is a program written in C#/vvvv which runs on the laptop. It generates the effects, shows a preview, stores presets and outputs the DMX over ArtNet. The most interesting part though is the iPad, where the program is controlled using TouchOSC.
Current interface layout. Bottom right grid is presets.
Building the interface is a constant battle in constraining complexity while not limiting expressiveness. The fundamental idea is to sample different functions at different positions depending on fixture position and time. By rescaling, quantising and in other ways transforming the position and time inputs, a wide variety of waves, chases, grids and more can be created. These functions and transforms are layered and control different properties (dimmer, colour, position etc.) to create effects. Due to how the transforms are chained, you pretty much get exponential complexity and possibilities with only linear increase in the number controls.
Remote controlling
I realised halfway through a gig that since I use OSC, I can just sit down wherever I want in the audience and run the lights from there. Very useful to see how things actually look from the audience perspective.