song-individual DMX light shows using BH with myDMX go

[Bibo69]

Hi there,

I know there is another thread where Arlo explains how to control myDMX go with Bandhelper (http://forum.arlomedia.com/index.php/topic,3054.0.html) but I thought I share quickly what I did with it on my old iPad Air (2nd Gen?)

1. smoke test
The first thing I did was making sure, that controlling the myDMX Go App using Bandhelper Midi messages gemerally works as described above. For that, I fired Midi events using the icon next to the Midi Presets list. It didnt work until I figured out that the MyDMX go App has to stay in the foreground in order to receive midi messages. Since it doesnt support split screen mode, I had to use Bandhelper in overlay mode and put it on top of the myDMX app (thanks Arlo for implementing this option. Finally, I could see how presets change triggered by Bandhelper. Yeehah! I also experimented with the (myDMX) button messages but those buttons can be switched on, but not off.  So useless feature.

2. programming light presets
Next, I set up a list of light settings in the myDMX App. some are inteded to work with certain moods like melancholic, euphoric, hot, marching etc. - all of them setup to be synced by tempo/tap, not by music/mic. Others used the moving heads to highlight one single musician (for solos). Plus, I added 3 standard light scenes for blackout, ,,blind" (all white, maximum intensity) and ,,stop" (static, colorful light for inbetween the songs)

3. set tempo
since all our songs are equipped with a bpm value, I was able to set the speed which is used for the standard light programs of myDMX. yes, it will go out of sync after some time. yes, the band will not always play in exactly the bpm given in the database. but the fact that the speed of the lights is somewhat near to what the band plays has the effect that the same light preset (see above) has an entirely different effect depending on its tempo. by that, the light presets are in a way ,,multiplied". All I have to do is to send out the respective midi signal on Bandhelper's metronome and start the metronome for 5 seconds at the beginning of the automation. which leads me to the next point...

4. programming song sequences
After setting up a suitable layout (portrait mode, with all midi presets listed on the left side and automation controls on the right side), I start with programming the following standard automation events:
- start metronome
- stop metronome
- start recording which I will use as a reference for programming (needs at least one recording in the right tempo with the right structure per song)
- send special Midi preset ,,Stop" at the very end of the automation (see above)
Having done this, I set the automation to ,,record" and act as a light jockey while bandhelper plays the recording: searchlight for the intro, slow blue for the verse, strobe for the chorus, blind and blackout for the hits at the climax, again slow blue for the 2nd verse and so on. most times I need to correct some recorded events manually afterwards but thats ok. now I have a light show individually programmed for one song

5. live usage
Due to the overlay requirement when running myDMX together with Bandhelper (see above), I need a specialized layout for exactly that format, which needs to be created in overlay mode itself. luckyly, I just need a few controls, mostly the automation button and next/previous buttons and some controls to see if everything is working as desired (metronome, midi preset list). Now when I press the automation button, 5 seconds of tempo sync will happen. The band knows when to start by looking at the lights starting to move (since normally, they are on ,,stop", see above). and what can I say: it is so f*cking awesome and makes such a difference while playing since the light supports the mood so nicely. it doesnt always work but most of the time it does and then it is so cool. the band was sceptical when I suggested this practice, but they loved it from the first song we played. We even do it during the rehearsals since it is a no-brainer once it is set-up.

6. outlook
I need to tackle the problem that the automation goes out of sync. Either Arlo implements some feature that woul allow me to jump to the next / previous event in the automation while it is played or maybe an AI can be "trained" to map the automation to a trained set of songs (AKA repertoire) - should be bot too difficult since the number of songs is limited per band.

Thats it, I hope you find it useful. I'd love to hear your opinions, thoughts, ideas or questions on this.

Cheers,
Bibo