The quick start guide for those who are already familiar with DMX lighting controls and who want to incorporate Sidus Link Pro into their lighting control workflow.
For the Video Quick Start Guide, check out Quick Start Guide Video
You Will Need
To follow this guide, you will need:
- An iPad updated to iPadOS 17.4 or later, the Sidus Link Pro app downloaded on to this iPad.
- A Sidus Link Pro account and valid login credentials.
- A Sidus One transmitter or another Wi-Fi enabled CRMX transmitter.
- Or another workaround of Wi-Fi, Ethernet, and DMX devices connected together to get the Art-Net/sACN data output from Sidus Link Pro into a CMRX transmitter.
- A CRMX-enabled lighting fixture like an MC Pro or an Inifinibar, an MT Pro.
- Or another CRMX-compatible lighting fixture
Logging In & First Steps
- After launching Sidus Link Pro, you will need to log in to your account. You can use your Sidus Link account or create a new one.
- Once you have successfully logged in, you will first see the the Projects Page. Tap the folder with the + on it to create, name, and color code your first project. Projects should be named as the Film, Commercial or Music video you are working on, like "Bacon Commercial." It is also good practice to include the date.
- NOTE: The Demo project cannot output data.
- Once inside the project, you will be able to create a number of scenes. Imagine scenes as the stages that you are working on, you can name them according to the setting they will be controlling, or according to the lighting package you will want to control each one on.
- Each scene is an independent show file.
- Tap the green circle with the + on it to create, and name your first scene. Once created you will see the new scene as well as the number of fixtures patched in it and the date it was created. The name of each scene can display a maximum of 15 characters before being abbreviated with an ellipses. Tap the new scene to open it. The app will show you the different sections of the user interface.
The Four Main Steps
From here we will need to accomplish four things. It does not matter which order you complete them, as long as all four are eventually completed you should have wireless control of your lights with Sidus Link Pro. We do advise that patching the lights into your scene happens before setting the DMX address and DMX profile on each light, that way you have a plan for which DMX address and which DMX profile to set each light to.
- Patch the lights you want to control with Sidus Link Pro into your scene.
- Connect your iPad with your Sidus One transmitter
- Pair your CRMX-enabled fixtures and CRMX receivers with your Sidus One transmitter.
- In the menu of each light, set the DMX addresses and DMX profiles of each light to match with the addresses and profiles that you patched into your scene.
Patching Your Lights
[screenshot of the empty scene with the "Add New Fixtures" menu displayed in the top right corner. Getting Started 03.1]
Let's proceed with patching the lights you want to control with Sidus Link Pro into your scene. After seeing the user interface, to get started, go to the green + in the top right corner. Tap this and tap "Add New Fixtures" from the menu that pops up.
This will open the Add New Fixtures window. Tap the grey + rectangle under the phrase Add Fixtures phrase. This brings up the Select a Profile window where you can navigate through the library of fixtures from Aputure/Amaran and other major film lighting manufacturers that have been added to Sidus Link Pro fixture profile library. We will update this library later on with more profiles from more manufacturers. {Feature to be added later: You may use the magnifying glass icon in the upper left of the window to type in the name of the fixture you are searching for a profile for or scroll to browse through the fixture profile library.}
[Screenshot of the Select a Profile Window with "Aputure" selected. Getting Started 04.1]
For our first example, we will be patching a MC Pro in Mode 03 at DMX Address 001 here. Navigate to 'Aputure' then 'Mini' then 'MC Pro' then 'Mode 03:CCT&HSI" then tap the green "Next" in the upper right corner. This will take you to the Edit Fixture window that details the fixture(s) you have selected and are about to patch.
If you're not sure which fixture profile to use, have a look at this article {hyperlink to article on selecting a fixture profile and navigating a DMX budget here}.
In the Edit Fixture window, you can
- Enter in the DMX address you want to patch the fixture to at in the DMX Address field.
- Select which universe you want to patch the fixture into in the Universe selection field.
- Increase the quantity of similar fixtures that you want to patch simultaneously at sequential DMX addresses. For example, if you want to patch an 8 light kit of Aputure Infinibars or 8 light kit of MC Pros here, in the Number of Fixtures field, enter or increase the number to '8'.
For now, we'll leave everything as it is, and tap "Confirm" in the upper right of the window.
[Screenshot of the Edit Fixture window with one MC Pro at DMX Address 001, Universe A, Number of Fixtures at 1, identify the Confirm Button. Getting Started 05.1]
This will take you back to the Add New Fixtures window, but now the fixture that you identified and addressed will be identified by a green check mark. To complete this step, tap the green "Save" button in the upper right corner.
If you want to identify a few more other fixtures here before you proceed to save them into the patch, you can use the the grey + rectangle to again bring up the Select a Profile window to add other fixtures from the Sidus Link Pro fixture profile library. You can easily access this page again later if you only want to do one light at a time, so no worries if you tap the save button now with our first MC Pro.
It is important to write down in a document separately which mode/profile you are patching each light in as there is not currently a way to go back and see what mode the light was patched in once it's been saved.
[Screenshot of the Add New Fixtures Window with the one MC Pro checked and the green Save button identified. Getting Started 5.2]
Once you tap Save, you will be returned to the scene you created, but now the light you patched will be selected and active on the stage, as well as added to the fixtures list. Congratulations, you have patched the first light into your scene.
[Screenshot of the Scene that has one MC Pro patched and selected in the Stage, with intensity at 100%, CCT at 5600k, G/M at 0. Getting Started 06.1]
Connecting your iPad
Next we will walk you through how to connect your iPad with your Sidus One transmitter.
Attach the three antennas included with your Sidus one transmitter first, then power on the Sidus One. The Sidus One should automatically generate a Wi-Fi network with a line-of-sight range of about 30 feet/10 meters. If your transmitter and iPad venture further than this range limit, you will experience delayed signals or a dropped signal.
{Link to article on troubleshooting wireless signals here}
Navigate to the Settings app on your iPad, then to the Wi-Fi Settings. In the Networks list of your Wi-Fi settings, the Wi-Fi Network that the Sidus One transmitter is generating should appear.
Sometimes it takes an iPad 15-30 seconds to detect a new Wi-Fi Network nearby. If it does not appear, try toggling the Wi-Fi off and then back on again. Doing this enables the iPad to scan the wireless environment nearby for all visible Wi-Fi networks.
[Screenshot of iPad Wi-Fi Settings page with the Sidus One WiFi Network visible and identified but not selected. Getting Started 07.1]
By default, the Wi-Fi network that your Sidus One generates is:
Sidus One-XXXXXX
and the password to join this network is printed on the back of the Sidus One.
If you need to reference these, they should be engraved into the rear chassis of the Sidus One transmitter below the belt clip.
Select the Sidus One's Wi-Fi network, enter the password, confirm and wait a few seconds for your iPad to confirm that it has joined the Wi-Fi network being generated by the Sidus One. Stay in the Settings app because next we will enable Local Network Permission for Sidus Link Pro.
While in the iPad settings, if you are using Sidus Link Pro for the first time, you will need to enable Local Network Permission. To do this in iPad Settings, navigate to the Privacy & Security settings, then navigate to Local Network. Here you should see a short list of applications that do or do not have permission to find and communicate with devices (like the Sidus One transmitter) on your local network. Make sure to enable (turn green) the switch for the Sidus Link Pro app. You should only have to do this the first time you download the app. If you delete and re-download the app, you may have to remember do it again.
[Screenshot of iPad settings navigated to the Privacy & Security settings, with the Local Network identified. Getting Started 08.1]
While you're here, it's also a good time to turn on Bluetooth for the iPad. Now we can return to the Sidus Link Pro app. In the top bar you should see the Wi-Fi icon next to the "?" button. Tap this to see the name of the Wi-Fi network and IP Address that Sidus Link Pro has detected that it is outputting data to.
{Later on be sure to add here how to connect with Bluetooth to the Sidus One transmitter to enable abilities like sending a CRMX Linking command or changing the Universe selected from in Sidus Link Pro}
[Screenshot of Sidus Link Pro in a Scene with the Scene Settings menu open and the Universe Settings and Output Protocol detailed. Getting Started 09.1]
The Sidus One transmitter is able to receive either Art-Net or sACN natively without any settings changes required. A final step that we will need to cover is to make sure that the protocol and universe being output from the Sidus Link Pro and received by the Sidus One is aligned. We recommend using 'sACN MultiCast.'
Tap the gear icon in the upper right of a scene to get to the Scene Settings window, then tap the Output Protocol. It it is on, turn off Broadcast Art-Net and you should see the sACN MultiCast switch turn on. If it is already on then you don't have to do anything. Navigate back to the Scene Settings menu and then tap the Universe Settings. Your Universe A Output should be set to 1 in this menu. If it is then you you don't have to do anything.
{Instructions on how to make sure your Sidus One transmitter is broadcasting Universe A go here}
You have now successfully completed connecting your iPad with the Wi-Fi network generated by your Sidus One transmitter and aligning the output of Sidus Link Pro with that of the Sidus One.
Pairing your CRMX-enabled fixtures
Next we will describe the process of pairing or linking your CRMX-enabled lights with your Sidus One transmitter. This step is needed because CRMX-enabled fixtures and receivers ignore CRMX transmitters broadcasting in their area unless they have specifically been paired/linked with that transmitter. It is also needed in case there are multiple CRMX transmitters broadcasting different universe of lighting control data across the same set or areas of the same set.
In the menu of every light you want to pair, you will have to navigate through the settings to find some kind of connection settings, or wireless settings, or CRMX settings page. What it's called and where it is in the menus depends on the manufacturer of that lighting fixture and how they've structured the menus of their light. Once you find it, we suggest turning it off then on again, and then looking for the Unpair or Unlink command in a nearby menu in the light. Sending the unpair/unlink command in the settings here will clear the receiver from recalling which transmitter it was last paired with and will leave it open to be paired with your Sidus One transmitter. If you can, leave the light in the wireless settings menu page as it sometimes shows wireless status depending on the light.
We don't want to distract the processor of the light with any Bluetooth signals, so we recommend disabling any Bluetooth enabled because it can interfere with the reception of the CRMX data that the CRMX is hearing from the transmitter.
If you are using a CRMX receiver instead of a CRMX-enabled lighting fixture, most will have a "Link" button that should send an equivalent "unlink' command to this if you hold it for a few seconds when the receiver is powered on, clearing the receiver and leaving it open to being able to pair with a new CRMX transmitter. A CRMX receiver does not need to be plugged in to the 5-pin DMX port of the light it is being used with to successfully pair with a CRMX transmitter that it is being linked with, it just has to be powered on. If need be, the same receiver can be unplugged and plugged into a different light that needs to gain wireless control from the same transmitter instead without needing to be re-linked or re-paired.
Once you've sent unlink/unpair commands on the menus of each of the lights and receivers you want to control and cleared them from their previous transmitters, on the Sidus One transmitter, press the button on the front that is labeled 'CRMX' and has a chain icon on it. You should see a light blink on the screen for a few seconds, indicating that the Sidus one is sending out a linking/pairing handshake to all unlinked CRMX-enabled lighting fixtures and CRMX receivers in its range. This should be all it takes for the handshake between the transmitter and the receivers to pair or link. The rest of this section is notes for troubleshooting and general information about CRMX operation.
You might need to use the Lumenradio CRMX toolbox app [https://lumenradio.com/products/crmx-toolbox/] to perform a firmware update on the Lumenradio CRMX processor chip over Bluetooth in the receiver or lighting fixture to make it work with some newer CRMX transmitters.
As described earlier, a CRMX-enabled lighting fixture or receiver will remember the last transmitter it was previously linked to even if it is powered off and then on again later. So once you link your lights to your transmitter, you shouldn't have to re-link them if, for example, you power down your set on a Friday and then return on a Monday to the same set with the same transmitter. The CRMX-enabled receivers will recall the transmitter they were last paired with and 'listen' for any commands it is sending out currently. If you power off your iPad Wi-Fi and then your friend brings their iPad in and connects it with the Sidus One transmitter you were connected to, that Sidus One transmitter will still be linked to the same CRMX-enabled lighting fixtures and receivers. The iPad or control source that the Sidus one was receiving lighting control data from has no bearing on if the CRMX-enabled lighting fixtures or receivers remain linked to that Sidus One transmitter.
Setting the DMX Addresses & DMX Profiles in Each Light
Next we will set the DMX addresses and DMX profiles in each light. For the purposes of this guide, we will focus only on doing this with Aputure products but the process should be largely similar with non-Aputure products that are capable of receiving DMX control from DMX 5-pin input ports, or from CRMX/Art-Net/sACN.
A reminder is also needed here that updating all of your lights to the latest firmware offered by their respective manufactures can help to ensure things like DMX profiles are corrected if earlier versions of their profiles had issues. Updating firmware can be a form of preventative troubleshooting as it also sometimes adds functions that can be adjusted from DMX controls such as fan speed control, DMX Status screens, DMX smoothing, strobe channels, or output modes that might have not been added or enabled in earlier versions of the firmware for that fixture.
[Two screen shots of an example of a filled out fixture management page and a corresponding screenshot of a Fixture Management spreadsheet with the Lights, Fixture numbers, DMX addresses, DMX Ranges, DMX profiles, DMX profile description, and position of light. Getting Started 10.1. Getting Started 10.2]
After patching multiple lights into Sidus Link Pro, the result will be a Fixture Management page that can guide you (and your team if you're working with one) on which address to set each of your lights to before rigging them above, into, and around your sets.
Unfortunately, the Fixture Management page does not show you at a glance which profile was selected when you patched the lights. As we recommended earlier, it is important to write down in a document or spreadsheet separately which mode/profile you are patching each light in for efficiency. We also recommend renaming each fixture as you patch them with the fixture number you want to assign to them. In our screenshot, you can see that we added F-numbers to the end of each fixture's name corresponding to column D in the spreadsheet we made.
The Fixture Management Page can be accessed on the right bar of the scene at the button that says 'Management.' Referencing this and the document that you created with each fixture's DMX profile that you selected, you can begin to set the address and profile of each light. If you forget which profile/mode a light was set in, you can find out by going to the Fixture Management Page, tapping the '•••' on that fixture's tile, and tapping 'Edit Fixture.' This brings up the Edit Fixture window that can show you what mode it was patched in. Be careful not to change the DMX Address or Universe for this light when you confirm or exit this window. {Will Sidus Link Pro add the ability to see the DMX Profile, DMX Address, fixture number, and DMX profile description at a glance in the Fixture Management window?}
Each light should have a screen on it with a menu that allows you to navigate to a "DMX Address" or something similarly named. It should also have a Profile, or Mode, or DMX Mode, or DMX Profile or some similarly named menu setting that allows you to set that light's DMX profile. Set each of these to correspond to that light's associated DMX start address and DMX profile as you designated in the Fixture Management page when patching that light.
For example, the MT Pro and Infinibars have a menu page titled "DMX Settings" that gives you the sub menu with the DMX Status screen, the DMX address set page, the DMX Profiles set page, and the DMX Loss Behavior set page. To set the DMX start address for this light go to DMX Status, then to DMX Address, then set the DMX address here. To set the DMX profile this light is in, go to DMX Status, then to DMX Profiles, and then set the DMX profile for the light to the one you need it to be in. Once you have done this for each light in each of their menus you should have wireless control over each light that was patched.
As of writing this in March of 2024 any Aputure fixtures that have a 5-pin DMX input port aside from the XT26, and CS15, must be set to the DMX Address screen for the light to allow control from to any incoming CRMX or DMX signal being sent to them. If not on the DMX Address screen then they will default to local control from the control box instead of the CRMX/DMX signal being sent to them. Firmware updates are planned to change this in the future and for now, be sure to set your light to the DMX Address screen when receiving wireless control.