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MIDI Mapping Synthesizers in FL Studio Simultaneously with

DMX Mapping in Chauvet ShowXpress

Madhu Ashok

University of Rochester

The Institute of Optics

Submitted to Mark Bocko on 12/12/2014

Abstract: A brief introduction and tutorial to MIDI assigning variables in two

different programs, as well as an introduction to DMX. MIDI is the music

standard for communicating between musical instruments and similarly DMX is

the standard for communicating between lighting equipment. This tutorial shows

a method of combining the two using the computer programs Chauvet

ShowXpress (a program made for controlling lights) as well as FL Studios (a

program made for producing music). This setup was run using a Novation

Impulse 49 MIDI controller, chosen for its 9 faders and 8 knobs which can be

mapped in the two programs. Since MIDI is a universal signal, other controllers

can be used to achieve the same results.

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Introduction

This independent study focuses on computerized lighting design, specifically DMX based

fixtures and software. In order to fully understand DMX and how it is used to manipulate light,

it is helpful to understand how MIDI is used for sound and the various parallels between the two

electrical signals. The goal for the semester was to find a way to combine the two in a user

friendly fashion. In this paper I will be using the Novation Impulse 49 MIDI controller, although

there are hundreds of other controllers which would work similarly.

Figure 1: Novation Impulse 49 MIDI Controller comes with 49 keys with velocity and after

touch, (discussed later in the background) 9 faders, and 8 knobs programmable using MIDI

signals. Faders for DMX and MIDI are near identical, and can be used interchangeably.

The software used for music will be FL studios, although most programs will allow for

interaction with MIDI controllers. Just as in music there are tens of programs for lighting design

with DMX. Chauvet ShowXpress can be downloaded for free making it a good entry level

program.

Light shows have been a topic which has interested me since I visited the Strasenburg

planetarium for “The Beatles in Laser Light” ten years ago. The field of lighting design has

grown incredibly over the past two decades, with the emergence of the LEDs in lighting

production, as well as improvements of efficiency and variability for laser and incandescent

systems. Lighting design has become a crucial element in the experience of a music show and

often bands include a lighting designer in their roster.

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Figure 1: Pretty Lights live band with lighting designer Greg Ellis. [1]

Background

DMX

DMX512 is the lighting industry protocol used for communicating from transmitters

(computers, and lighting controllers) to receivers (light fixtures, computers, or controllers).

DMX stands for “Digital Multiplex”, with 512 representing the number of channels in one DMX

universe. A DMX cable can hold up to one universe, but oftentimes light shows are so intricate

they require more than 512 channels and require multiple universes. DMX is an electrical signal

consisting of 8-bit (byte) signals, giving a possible 256 combinations of 1s and 0s. This allows

for values from 0-255 for a given data byte. Information is sent in “packets” which consists of

the following: A “mark before break” (MBB), a pause of around 92μs, a “mark after break”

(MAB), a start bit, data bytes, and ending with two stop bits. This sequence is repeated for each

channel (up to 512) which is sending signals.

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Figure 2: Typical package output from a DMX transmitter. Following the slot for channel 1 are

the 511 subsequent slots for the rest of the channels. If a channel is not being used the slot is

skipped. [2]

The start code does not include information on which parts of the sequence to process, so each

fixture must be individually addressed to indicate which DMX channels it corresponds to. This

is done with dip switches or screens on a fixture which indicate the starting channel of DMX.

For example, we will be modeling a Venue PAR 64 LED fixture which has 6 channels of DMX.

If we addressed the fixture for channel 120, signals on DMX channels 120-125 would be read by

the light. Since the fixtures read the channel value, multiple lights can be controlled by one

channel of DMX if they are addressed for the same channel. This is useful for creating

symmetry in a light show without using up all 512 channels. [2]

DMX controllers are electrical devices which output signals for light fixtures. They

consist of multiple faders which output a value of 0 to 255 for the corresponding channel (0 to

512). The output signal derived from the faders can be sent to the fixtures in real time, or they

can be saved in what are called “scenes” (a sequence of DMX values). These scenes are what

make a light show so intricate. A scene can be as simple as a red light turning to a green light, or

a compilation of light changes in up to 512 channels.

DMX cables can either be 3 or 5 pin depending on the brand of cable and fixture. The

cable consists of a shield pin, + and – data pins, and for five pin cables two extra data pins. The

Chauvet ShowXpress USB dongle I purchased outputs a 3 pin signal, but many high end lighting

fixtures use 5 pin data cables. Light fixtures are daisy chained together like Christmas lights.

This is one of the reasons the data signal is limited to 512 channels, since the distance from the

transmitter to the last fixture can be greater than 100 meters. Signal quality is very important, so

the last fixture in the daisy chain will have a terminator to avoid signal reflections to cause phase

cancelations. [3]

With the rise of computerized technology, DMX controllers have been replaced by

computer programs which can create and output DMX signals. Although they still require

hardware to convert USB to DMX signals, they offer much cheaper alternatives to a controller.

There are multiple lighting design programs on the market, much like there are multiple

programs for editing pictures. Each program will include a digital version of faders.

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Figure 3: An example of digital faders in ShowXpress. The values above each fader indicate the

signal value being sent to the corresponding DMX channel (on the bottom of the fader).

What varies in lighting software is how the scenes are created, and the 3D rendering of the

signals created. This is useful for programmers who do not have access to their lights when they

are on the road.

MIDI

MIDI is the music equivalent to DMX and stands for “Musical Instrument Digital

Interface”. This system allows musical instruments to send and receive electrical signals to

computers and other MIDI devices. MIDI signals consist of an 8-bit status byte starting with a 1

to denote a note-on message and 7 bits of information which identify the message for the data

bytes that follow. A data byte corresponds to a value of 0-127 (or 1-128) for velocity, pitch

bend, control change, or program change (these are called voice messages). Some devices such

as the one used in this tutorial have after touch, which is occurs when a key that is already held

down is pressed again.

Figure 4: The figures above depict the various signals which can be sent from the MIDI

controller. The MIDI controller sends 1-0 values for on/off data, 0-127 values for the other

operations. This data can later be sequenced by programs such as FL studios and modified to a

desired outcome. [4]

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There are 16 channels of MIDI operation allowing for 16 independent devices to be connected,

or in the case of this tutorial one device which can output 16 different channels of MIDI data

(which can be changed manually on the Impulse 49 controller). [5]

To change MIDI channel on the Novation Impulse 49 press the “MIDI Chan” button and use the

“Data” knob to select the Channel (1-16) and press the “MIDI Chan” button again to set the

channel.

This tutorial focuses on the control change voice messages which can be outputted to the

16 different channels of MIDI. The control change data byte refers to MIDI messages sent out

by the knobs, faders, and other buttons which are not keys. Each knob and fader has a Control

Change number associated with it (CC #). Similar to velocity, each CC can output a value of 0-

127.

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Figure 5: CC# 49 at a value of 0 (Top), and CC# 49 at a value of 127 (Bottom). CC# 49

corresponds to the 9th fader, which is immediately to the left of the screen. It can be seen that the

fader is all the way down on the top figure, and all the way down on the bottom.

Since this specific MIDI controller can output 16 different channels of signal, each knob and

fader effectively can have 16 different functions. MIDI mapping is the assignment of CC

number and MIDI channel to a parameter or variable in a music or lighting program.

Figure 6: An example of MIDI mapping in FL studios. The channel is 15, and the control

change (Ctrl) is #21. In most modern programs, MIDI mapping is as simple as clicking a button

and moving the controller you want to use.

MIDI mapping is a useful function for changing effects in real time, and can be mapped to

anything from digital synthesizers to volume controls.

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Problem

There are many parallels between DMX and MIDI signals, so it seems appropriate to

combine the two for live operation. MIDI controllers output data signals with half of the

resolution (values from 0-127 instead of 0-255), but this is negligible for most lighting

operations. Imagine a musician who cannot afford to hire a lighting designer, so he decides to

map his MIDI controller to his lighting fixtures. This tutorial describes a way in which a

performer can simultaneously change his digital synthesizer and his lights with his faders and

knobs.

Software

Chauvet ShowXpress

Chauvet ShowXpress is free software for intro-intermediate level lighting design. In

order to output DMX signals from the program an external dongle is required for each universe

of 512 channels. First open the program and click File->New Lightshow:

Name the file and click OK. This will bring you to the starting screen which displays your

fixtures in editor. This page is used for DMX assigning each of the fixtures that are desired for

use, and will later be used for assigning dipswitches to the fixtures connected through the dongle.

In order to create a new fixture click “Add Fixture”. Notice how the grey boxes represent the

512 channels of DMX.

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The “Add Fixtures” menu has a library of popular fixtures on the left hand side of the pop up

screen.

By clicking on the desired fixture from the library and then clicking “Patch” (for example the

Chauvet Intimidator Spot 350 (14CH)) the fixture will appear on the fixtures tab of editor:

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Since this specific fixture contains 14 channels of DMX, the program assigned it to channels 1-

14. This can be changed by right-clicking the fixture and moving it to the desired DMX

channels.

The Chauvet fixture library is limited, so it is useful to know how to create your own fixture. In

the “Add Fixtures” pop up menu, click “or create a new fixture” on the right. Name the fixture

and click OK.

The Venue PAR 64 LED is not included in the catalogue of fixtures, so it needs to be inputted

manually. Luckily, the DMX information is specified in an online manual [6].

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Figure 7: DMX values for the Venue PAR 64 LED fixture. The left column specifies the DMX

channel and the function and its corresponding values to the right. For channel 1 a value of 0

corresponds to 0% red light, while 255 corresponds to 100% red light. [6]

After naming the fixture in ShowXpress, the program will ask how many channels of DMX the fixture

contains. In this case the Venue light has 6 channels, and click OK.

This will create a 6 channel fixture located in the right side of the menu. Click “Patch”

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This will create a new fixture with 6 channels next to the previous Intimidator 350 fixture.

Double clicking a fixture brings up the “edit fixture” window. Double click the Venue PAR 64

LED fixture to modify the DMX values according to the factory specifications.

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This is the Edit Fixture window, and the left hand box represents the DMX channels of the

fixture. Right-click the first DMX channel and click “edit channel”.

This will bring up a window with the option to name the channel and a graphic for representation

of the channel (the graphic is helpful for visually representing the channel with its function).

Using figure 4 we will name the channel “Red” and choose the red icon.

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Close out of the window, and click on the “add level” button.

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Once you have added a level, you can edit it by right-clicking and selecting “edit level”

This will bring up the edit level screen, which allows for selection of min and max DMX value,

along with a name and icon for the level. Fill in the following parameters for the Red level:

Some channels have multiple levels, such as channel 6 in the Venue PAR 64 (which has 8

levels). Fill in all the information for the 6 channels and their corresponding levels. It should

look something like this:

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On the right hand side of the edit fixture menu are inputs for beam aperture and power (located

in any fixture manual). Once your fixture is complete, select save and close out of the Edit

Fixture screen.

The previous steps can be repeated until a desired number of fixtures are created. For the

purposes of this example we will be using 2x Venue LED PAR 64 (PAR lights) and 2x Chauvet

Intimidator Spot LED 350 (Moving Head) lights. For duplicating lights right-click the desired

fixture and select “Duplicate fixture”

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Once all of the fixtures have been created and mapped to DMX channels, the fixture window

will show icons on the right side of the window representing the PAR lights and moving head

lights. These icons can be selected and represented in groups with macros assignment. Right-

click the desired fixtures and select “Add new group”.

The above screen shot illustrates creating a group for the PAR lights. A pop up window will ask

for the name of the group, and the macro assignment (a key on the keyboard).

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Click “Apply” to create the group. Pressing “p” on the keyboard will select the two PAR lights

for use in other editor windows as well as the “live” window. Create another macro for the

moving head lights.

The next part of the tutorial focuses on patching the MIDI signals to DMX channels.

Click on “File” -> “Preferences” to open the preferences menu.

Enable MIDI in the preferences menu, and select the corresponding controller (in this case

Impulse-2)

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Next, click on “Midi and DMX patch” and click on the MIDI input tab.

This tab is used for connecting CC numbers to DMX channels. To create a new patch click

“learn” and then on the MIDI controller move the corresponding knob or fader desired.

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In this example the 41st controller (Fader 1 on the Impulse 49) is selected on MIDI channel 7.

Select “MIDI input” for the priority mode. The output will be the values of DMX that will be

controlled by the 1st fader. By typing “1+7”, the CC # 41 on the 7th channel of MIDI will be

patched to channels 1 and 7 of DMX.

Click Add to create the patch. To make more patches click on “ch. 7 – cont.41”. You can now

move a fader or knob on the MIDI controller to create a new assignment. Repeat the previous

steps to create MIDI assignments for the desired DMX channels.

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The above image is an example of MIDI inputs mapped to DMX outputs. Close out of the patch

menu, and click “Apply” on the preferences menu. You will need to restart the program for the

changes to work. DMX channels 1 and 7 correspond to the “Red” channel on both PAR lights.

Channels 2 and 9 correspond to the “Green” channel on both PAR lights. Channels 3 and 9

correspond to the “Blue” channel on both PAR lights. These are depicted in the “steps” editor

menu of ShowXpress:

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By mapping to the MIDI controller, you can bypass changing the channel values on the “steps”

editor page.

Reopen the program and open the “steps” tab in the “editor” menu. Select the “3D” button.

Next the 3D window must be opened. Click on “Windows” -> “3Dview”.

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The four fixtures will appear in a random orientation on the 3D view. The fixture positions can

be changed by right-clicking the 3D menu and select “Fixture settings”.

This will bring up the fixture settings pop up menu. Select the desired fixture to move (on the

top right of the screen), then adjust the “position” and “orientation” to the desired coordinates.

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This part of the program is very straight forward. Each fixture will have an X,Y, and Z position,

as well as an X, Y, and Z orientation. I have decided to use the following layout of fixtures:

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DMX channels for red, green, and blue are mapped to the first 3 faders of the controller.

Changing the fader values from 0-127 (MIDI) changes the corresponding color from 0-255

(DMX).

In this example the “RED” and “BLUE” faders are at 127, while the “GREEN” fader is set to 0.

This outputs the color purple on the 3D viewer.

In this example the “RED” and “GREEN” faders are at 127, while the “BLUE” fader is set to 0.

This outputs the color yellow on the 3D viewer.

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In order for the moving head lights to operate, the dimmer and shutter DMX channels

need to be set to 255. The dimmer (DMX channels 23 and 37) are mapped to the 7th fader on the

Impulse 49. The shutter (DMX channels 24 and 38) are mapped to the 8th fader on the Impulse

49.

Pan for the two moving heads (DMX channel 13 and 27) is mapped to knob 1. Tilt (DMX

channel 15 and 29) is mapped to knob 2. Color for the moving heads (DMX channel 18 and 32)

are mapped to knob 3.

Both the PAR lights and Moving Head Lights are mapped to the MIDI controller.

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Fruity Loops Studio

Fruity Loops Studio is not free software, but it is a popular music editing program for PC

users. This tutorial will not go into detail on how to download and implement plugins, but it will

show how to add a MIDI device and use its faders and knobs to change controls on a digital

synthesizer. MIDI mapping is very easy and straight forward in this software.

To add a MIDI device Start by opening FL Studio and select “Options” -> “MIDI

settings”.

This will open up the settings window where input and output MIDI devices are configured. All

the drivers for the controller need to be downloaded and updated before proceeding. Select the

first Impulse port in the MIDI input section (In this example “2-Impulse”).

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Click the “Enable” button below the input selections, and click on the “Controller type” scroll

down window (highlighted in red).

Select “Novation ReMOTE SL”. Keep in mind that this process is specific to the Novation

Impulse 49 controller.

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The MIDI controller is now configured correctly in the program. Close out of the settings

window.

Open your preferred digital synthesizer. In this example Toxic Biohazard will be used.

Click on “Channel” -> “add one” -> “Toxic Biohazard”

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MIDI mapping the digital synthesizer is done by right-clicking a function in the synthesizer (for

example the frequency offset in the first channel) and selecting “Link to controller…”

This will bring up the “Remote control settings” window. Mapping the function is as easy as

moving a knob on the MIDI controller. In the remote control settings window, FL Studio

automatically reads an incoming CC# and channel.

In this example the 21st controller (knob #1) in MIDI channel 1 will be mapped to the frequency

offset.

To MIDI map multiple channels, select the “Multi-Link to controller” button located on

the top right of the screen.

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In this example we want the equalizer to be mapped to the first 8 faders.

Move the first EQ value up or down (left) and next to the multi-link button the operation will be

displayed (right).

Now move the second EQ value, third, fourth, etc.

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Now that all the EQ bands have been selected, deselect the “Multi-Link to controller” button.

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This will bring up the “Remote control settings” window. Mapping the 8 EQ settings is as easy

as moving the 8 faders in sequence (moving fader 1, followed by fader 2, followed by fader 3,

etc.)

The above image shows an example of moving the 4th fader. On the bottom left of the screen it

shows the movement of the fader in real time. The function “Multi-Link to controller” makes

MIDI mapping a faster process by selecting the functions desired followed by the control

assignments.

Simultaneous Operation

Following the steps shown above I have mapped the Toxic Biohazard digital synthesizer

in FL Studio to most of the important functions in MIDI channels 9-16. The main channel of

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operation is channel 9, which will be used for Chauvet ShowXpress as well. This specific digital

synthesizer has 6 mixing channels with a master “MIX” and “PAN”, which I assigned to MIDI

channel 9 faders 1-6 and knobs 1-6.

In live operation, these values are the most important, and determine the percentage of a specific

channel and its left or right orientation.

The buttons below the faders are also MIDI CC buttons which output ON-OFF data either with a

0 or 127. I assigned these to turn channel 1-6 on or off.

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Next, I devoted an entire MIDI channel to each of the 6 generators. MIDI channel 11 was

assigned to the first generator, MIDI channel 12 to the second, etc. The faders were assigned to

the envelope (“Vel”, “Init”, etc), and the knobs were assigned to the modulator for the

percentage levels of the 6 channels with respect to the channel selected. The two remaining

knobs were used for phase and pitch.

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Figure 8: The Purple box indicates the functions mapped to MIDI channel 11 faders 1-6.

The red and black boxes indicate the functions mapped to knobs. This process was

repeated for the other five generators.

Channel 9 is the main synthesizer channel, therefore making it the ideal channel for use

in Chauvet ShowXpress. Just as in the software section the PAR lights were mapped to faders 1-

3, and the dimmers and shutters for the moving heads were mapped to faders 7 and 8. The pan

and tilt DMX channels for the moving heads were mapped to the first two knobs, with the 3rd

knob mapped to color.

Once this is all completed open FL studios and make sure Toxic Biohazard is selected.

Minimize the FL Studios window and open Chauvet ShowXpress. Open the 3D window, and

make sure the fixtures are correctly mapped. At this point you can play the keyboard and sound

should come out of the speakers. The knobs and faders should now simultaneously manipulate

the fixtures and the digital synthesizer.

Light and Sound synthesis!

Conclusion

Getting used to MIDI and DMX protocol takes a bit of time, but once one has gained an

understanding of their function the possibilities for creativity are endless. FL Studios will allow

for MIDI mapping of almost any function in the program. Unfortunately Chauvet ShowXpress

does not share this functionality, but has an equally important implement of triggering scenes

with MIDI keys and pads. Scene triggering and BPM timing are the main reasons ShowXpress

has MIDI capability. Using this tutorial along with some trial and error will give the ability to

create a light show simultaneously while making music on a MIDI controller.

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References

[1] “Tour Photos” Pretty Lights Music. <www.prettylightsmusic.com>

[2] Eade, James. The DMX512-A Handbook. Cambridge: Entertainment Technology Press Ltd, 2013.

Print.

[3] Cadena, Richard. Automated Lighting Second Edition. Oxon, UK: Focal Press, 2010. Print.

[5] “An Introduction to MIDI” The MIDI Manufacturers Association. (2009)

<http://www.midi.org/aboutmidi/intromidi.pdf>

[5] “MIDI 1.0 Detailed Specification” The MIDI Manufacturers Association. (1995)

<http://oktopus.hu/uploaded/Tudastar/MIDI%201.0%20Detailed%20Specification.pdf>

[6] “LED PAR 64 User Manual” Venue Lighting Effects.

<http://www.venuelightingeffects.com/VenueManuals/03_PAR64_LED.pdf>