MADRIX Forum

Hey guys, new to the forum but I've been using madrix neo for some time now, wondering if I can use a conventional intelligent DMX controller to playback madrix without using my computer's keyboard. I have an elation show designer 1, a show designer 2 and an elation operator 192 of which I am using the sd2 for my conventional fixtures. I dont know if any of them are compatible with madrix or if I'm even trying to do this properly but any help would be appreciated. Thanks

Hi grego,

Welcome to the forum!

You have multiple options to control MADRIX remotely. You might not be able to let go of your keyboard entirely, especially for programming effects, but yes, you can use your controllers. MADRIX offers remote control via DMX-IN, MIDI, Art-Net Remote, or Remote HTTP. MIDI or DMX-IN will be useful for you. You can use the built in DMX-IN Remote Editor or MIDI Remote Editor to configure your mappings individually. Everything can be set up in the Device Manager of MADRIX. But please note that you may need further equipment to connect your controllers to the computer.

Please feel free to ask any other question.
Thanks!

Great, thanks for the info. So by further equipment, are you referring to specific cables/adaptors or is there actual hardware that would be processing signals etc that would be used? For example, to use DMX-IN would I only need the proper cables and adaptors to plug in to usb or whatever is compatible with DMX-IN? Apologies on the lack of tech jargon, I'm definitely new and self taught with lighting. Again, any and all help is MUCH appreciated.

Sorry. I should have been clearer!

I am familiar with two common things referring to MIDI. Most of the DJ/VJ controllers have a direct USB-to-USB connection nowadays. Then, only a USB cable would be needed. I think I saw in the manual of one of your controllers that it uses the common MIDI connectors. As such, you would need the correct MIDI-to-USB cable (which needs to support MIDI-IN).

For DMX-IN, you would need a DMX USB interface. For example the USBone (http://www.madrix.com/home/products/usbone.html) or even the MADRIX NEO (http://www.madrix.com/en/home/products/neo.html) could be used (They both have one XLR connector. So they can either be used as IN or OUT).

As mentioned above, XLR connectors are the standard connector type for DMX512. You would need the corresponding adaptors or Gender Changers. This is necessary because XLR can either be female or male and 3-pin or 5-pin (5-pin is the standard, but you will often see the 3-pin version).

Let's look at an example: The DMX Operator 192 has a 3-pin Female XLR plug.
The USBone on the other hand has a 5-pin female XLR plug. To connect both, you would need a 3-pin male to 5-pin male XLR Gender Changer.