Are they any fairly cheap PC based DMC controls that any one knows of. Not your mega bucks Martin and Abstract stuff , something a bit more homegrown. Cheers

What one person calls cheap is anothers fortune, how much have you got to spend, as there are some very good computer based DMX controllers for around £400 to £600

I call that reasonable but if you have only just started out you wouldn't even look at them.

avolights do a pearl replicator for free, i dont know weather you can use it for normal dmx lighing thou i think its just moving heads, give it a try www.avolights.com

well ive got the mega bucks martin pc software with computer - but it is BLOODY good!!

I'm using Daslight which has thoroughly impressed me - the software is free and the dongle costs about 350 - a bargain considering what you can do - the live desk facility is awesome.



Majik

[COLOR=red]Edited site because it is linked to the main uk distributor... who is another disco retailer!!!

i use daslight to and have been for 3 years now...easy to get to grips with..

Hi,
If you are soldering iron profficent and can find your way around a few components there is a Velleman kit available from maplins that will do the trick for you it works quite well with the pc,
and there are some freeware programs like FREESTYLER available,
here is a link to the page on the maplins website
http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?Module...mx&doy=24m2
you dont need megabucks to provide a decent dmx controlled lightshow,
unless you want to run loads of effects or want to boast about your expensive equipment,

best of luck
David

Basically, the best cheap software DMX solution out there at the moment is Chamsys MagicQ (free download) running with an Enttec Pro dongle (~£120)

It's the same software that they use on their high end desks (although they're natively Linux) and is akin to the Avo Pearl in operation. It's not a fancy 'Windows' type interface, with drop down lists and things in pretty colours, but it is a very powerful desk thats very quick to use and setup once you spend a bit of time on it. It functions in the same way as many other pro desks like Hogs, Pearls, Jands, ETC, etc and is a marvel that they can give it away for free. If you decide you want to go further then you can buy a fader wing to give more hands on control, but they are quite a bit more money (my 2nd hand PC wing was nearly a grand, retail is about £1500, but thats still £2.5k less than a Pearl).

Quite simply, there is no other product for the money that comes even close to what they offer. Failing that, get Freestyler, it also works with the Enttec dongle. In fact, just buy the Enttec dongle anyway, there's a few different pieces of software that support it, its basically the lowest common denominator of dongles and leaves you the most options. Other dongles have you tied to the manufacturers software.