Posted on

How to share or backup your Show Buddy Setlist data

How to share or backup your Show Buddy Active data

You can copy your Show Buddy Setlist data to other computers (for sharing or backup purposes) using the built-in Backup and Restore features.

A Show Buddy Setlist backup is a .ssb file. It contains all data required to fully restore your programmed shows, including  all your audio files, lightshows and shows.

Backing up the data

  • Open the Show Buddy Setlist app.
  • Select File > Backup shows… from the main menu.
  • Click Yes to proceed.
  • Choose a name and location for your .ssb backup file and click Save.
  • Copy the resulting .ssb file to your backup drive or the other computer.

Restoring from a backup

  • Open the Show Buddy Setlist app.
  • Select File > Restore from backup… from the main menu.
  • Read the warning and click Yes to proceed.
  • Locate your .ssb file and click Open.
Posted on

How to share or backup your Show Buddy Active data

How to share or backup your Show Buddy Active data

You can copy your Show Buddy Active data to other computers (for sharing or backup purposes) using the built-in Backup and Restore features.

A Show Buddy Active backup is a .sab file. It contains all data required to fully restore complete shows, including banks & presets, fixture definitions, fixture patching, and all images or video files used by your presets.

Backing up shows

  • Open the Show Buddy Active standalone app.
  • Select File > Backup show data… from the main menu.
  • Enter a text description for the backup file.
  • Click Backup ALL shows… OR highlight the shows you need and click Backup selected…
  • Click Yes to proceed.
  • Choose a name and location for your .sab backup file and click Save.
  • Copy the resulting .sab file to your backup drive or the other computer.

Restoring from a backup

  • Open the Show Buddy Active standalone app.
  • Select File > Restore from backup… from the main menu.
  • Click Yes to proceed.
  • Locate your .sab file and click Open.
  • Confirm that the description is correct. 
  • Click Restore all shows… OR highlight the shows you need and click Restore selected shows…
  • Click Yes to proceed.

You can now load and run the restored shows from Show > Manage shows… on the main menu.

Posted on

Channel masking – what is it?

Channel masking – what is it?

Show Buddy Active Channel Masking lets you specify which DMX channels are controlled by each preset.

Say you want a preset which only turns up a spotlight dimmer on channel 20, leaving the rest of the rig unchanged.

  • Click Macros > Channel Masks > Disable all channels.
  • All faders grey out, indicating they are not controlled by this preset.
  • Drag the dimmer on channel 20 to the desired level.
  • The channel 20 fader is no longer greyed out, meaning it is controlled by this preset. 
  • Save as a new preset called “Spotlight ON“
  • Drag channel 20 to zero, and save as a new preset called “Spotlight OFF“.

You can now load any full preset to set the entire rig, then load “Spotlight ON” and “Spotlight OFF” to control the spot independently. 

See “Channel masking” in the user manual (from the Show Buddy Active Help menu) for more details.

Posted on

Where have the DMXIS forums gone?

Where have the DMXIS forums gone?

We’ve retired the old DMXIS discussion forum. They were no longer sufficiently active to be useful and contained a great deal of outdated and inaccurate information.

We are now focusing support where it’s most effective. You can email support@db-audioware.com with any questions, and there’s an evolving knowledge base covering common issues.

This approach lets us respond directly and keep guidance current, so you’ll get accurate, up-to-date advice. Thanks for your understanding.

Posted on

Why can I not import fixtures into Show Buddy Active?

Why can I not import fixtures into Show Buddy Active?

Problem – you downloaded a fixture from the online library, but when you try to import it into Show Buddy Active (from File > Manage fixtures) you get an error, or the file cannot be selected.

The Reason

Fixtures are downloaded as .zip files. and Show Buddy Active can only import these original .zip files.

If your computer automatically opens the .zip file, you’ll end up with a folder called “DmxLibrary” that contains one or more “.dmx” files. These cannot be imported directly.

Here’s how to prevent your browser from auto-extracting zip files.

macOS Users

On a Mac, Safari and the built-in Archive Utility may automatically unzip downloads.

Stop Safari from Unzipping Files

  1. Open Safari.
  2. From the menu bar, choose Safari > Settings (or Preferences).
  3. In the General tab, uncheck:
    “Open ‘safe’ files after downloading.”

Now downloaded zip files will stay zipped.

Stop Archive Utility from Removing Zip Files

  1. Open Finder → Applications → Utilities → Archive Utility.
  2. In the top menu, select Archive Utility > Preferences.
  3. Under “After expanding”, choose “Leave archive file.”

Windows Users

On Windows, web browsers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, etc.) normally do not unzip files automatically.

If your zip files are still being unpacked, it’s usually caused by another program on your computer, such as:

  • A download manager (e.g., Internet Download Manager, Free Download Manager)
  • An archiving tool (e.g., WinRAR, 7-Zip, PeaZip)
  • Antivirus or security software

What to Do

  • Open the program’s settings and look for options like:
    • “Auto extract archives after download”
    • “Unpack files automatically”
  • Turn those options off.
  • If you’re not sure which program is doing it, try temporarily disabling or uninstalling extra download tools, then test again.

Manual Workaround

If you prefer, you can manually copy the fixtures files as follows.

  1. Locate the .dmx files (in the DmxLibrary folder of the downloaded zip file)
  2. Copy the .dmx files into your Show Buddy Active fixture library:
    • Windows : C:/Users/Public/Public Documents//db-audioware/Show Buddy Active/DmxLibrary
    • Mac : /Library/Application Support/db audioware/Show Buddy Active/DmxLibrary
Posted on

Show Buddy Active not transmitting Art-Net (macOS Sequoia or newer)

Show Buddy Active not transmitting Art-Net (macOS Sequoia or newer)

Problem: You have correctly configured Art-Net settings in Show Buddy Active, but no data is being received by your Art-Net hardware.

You have successfully used ArtNetMon to confirm that the software is transmitting Art-Net data locally.

Solution: macOS Sequoia may be blocking your Art-Net data. Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network, and make sure ‘Show Buddy Active‘ is enabled.

Posted on

How to trigger the performance buttons via MIDI

How to trigger the performance buttons via MIDI

By default, the performance buttons on the “Perform” tab can be triggered by notes sent on MIDI channel 14.

The MIDI note numbers required are displayed on the buttons. For example, here MIDI note 10 on channel 14 would trigger the “Gears” preset, and note 26 would trigger the “Graceful” preset.

If required, you can change the MIDI channel from the Preferences window:

Posted on

Playing long videos in Show Buddy Active

Playing long videos in Show Buddy Active

Problem: you want a long video to run continuously for the entire duration of a song. But when you change presets, the video playback stops.

Explanation: When you load a preset, the Effects tab stops all FX layers currently playing – including your video that was triggered by the earlier preset.

The solution is to disable the Effects engine in all subsequent presets. Edit every other preset in the song, and disable the Effects engine via the “FX OFF” button:

Important note:

This technique has an important limitation. Since the FX engine is effectively tied up performing video playback for the duration of the song, you can no longer use the “Effects” tab to program your lights in the remaining presets. For those presets, you will need program your lights from the “Controls” tab (using faders and oscillators).

Posted on

Replacing audio track with a revised mix

Replacing audio track with a revised mix

Question : How can I update one of my existing audio tracks with a new mix?

Answer : Just drag your revised audio file into the ‘Track Library’ panel of the main Show Buddy Setlist window. This will replace the existing file, and retain your exiating light show programming.

When you drag in a revised audio file, you should see this message:

Note that your revised file must have the same name and parent folder as the original (“Chill Wave.mp3” and “Demo tracks” in the above example).

Posted on

Presets are not loading and Effects tab is not working

Show Buddy Active : presets not loading and/or Effects tab is not working

Solution : Open File > Preferences > Audio/MIDI Settings and make sure a valid Input audio device is selected:

Explanation : Show Buddy Active uses the audio input as an accurate timing source, to manage crossfades and oscillators, and to process incoming MIDI data. If no input is active, then you will experience various issues with switching between presets and running effects within presets.