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Lights not fading smoothly when using DMXIS

If your lights do not fade smoothly under DMXIS control (and you are using a Windows computer) this may be caused by incorrect audio driver settings.

In the DMXIS standalone, open File > Audio/MIDI Settings and select an audio driver with a low latency, ideally less than 30ms.

If you get the problem with the DMXIS plugin in an audio host, try reducing the audio buffer size in the host program to 40ms or lower.

Background: DMXIS uses the incoming audio stream for synchronisation. If the audio is being passed to DMXIS in very large buffers (i.e. if the audio latency is more than 40ms) this will slow down the DMX refresh rate, which in turn can cause flickering lights. It can also cause your audio to run out of sync with the lighting.

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DMXIS footswitch doesn’t work

Problem: The DMXIS standalone application (1.4.3 or better) does not respond to footswitch presses.

Solution: Make sure you have a valid “Input” soundcard selected in the Preferences window.

Preferences window audio midi settings

This is also essential for reliable operation of oscillators and crossfades, as the audio input is used by DMXIS as a timing clock.

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Where should DMXIS fixture files be saved on Mac OS X?

Question

You have downloaded a fixture definition file from fixtures.dmxis.com (or created your own using a text editor). How do you copy this file to the correct location?

Answer

  • Click anywhere on the OS X Desktop (or click on the Finder icon in the Dock)
  • Choose Go > Go to Folder… from the Finder menu
  • Type “/Library/Application Support/ENTTEC/DMXIS” and click Go
  • Place your fixture file anywhere inside the DmxLibrary folder

You can create any subfolders required inside DmxLibrary, and these subfolders will show up in the DMXIS fixture menu.