I am a keyboard player in a club here in Thailand, and the owner has asked me to look at the lighting system. I'm not really a lighting guy, although I've hired and operated lights before, quite a long time ago, in the days of analog desks and par cans. I do have basic knowlege of digital desks and something of a grasp of DMX and moving lights. For NYE shows in 2001 and 2002 I hired a digital desk and some trackspots. But I've never worked with a computer based lighting system before.
The local guys working the lights every night are only using the half dozen or so scenes/chases that the installer programmed in when the system was put in several years ago. I [and the boss
] want to "freshen up" the look, as well as set up some programmed set scenes/chases for different songs, etc. So my task has been set: first learn the system, then teach it to the Thai locals...So I looked over their shoulder the other night and saw your URL www.nicolaudie.com on the top of the software, and got on the net looking for --eh heh-- "enlightenment"
Here are the questions I have, in no particular order:
- The software they [we] are running is "Sunlite2000" - but I couldn't find an owners manual anywhere on your site for it. Are you still supporting it? Where can I download the manual from?
- I downloaded the latest version of the software [2004] from your site, and put it on my laptop to try it [I didn't want to risk breaking an already working system...] But when I tried to start it I got this error message: You need to install DAS-OCX to use this software. What is "DAS-OCX", and where do I get it from?
- There doesn't seem to be any help button on the software, nor anything obvious in the folders. There is a "?" at the end of the menus, but pressing it does nothing.
- I read somewhere that these systems sometimes use a parallel port connected DMX adaptor, and some use USB. How can I tell what we've got, without crawling under the desk/into the wall to find out? [scary thought - if I go in there, I might not come out!
]
- Is there a way to have the chase step through the scenes in time to the music by listening to the mic input on the soundcard? [I'm assuming it will have a standard soundcard on the motherboard - this country seems to be the land of the "all in one" motherboard!]
- ok, one silly question to finish: I'm guessing your software is windoze only? Do you have a Linux version?
Thanks a lot in advance for any help/guidance/advice you can give me
