This topic includes:
Art-Net is a communication protocol that allows to distribute DMX512 data over Ethernet network [DMX over Ethernet].
Art-Net has been invented by Artistic Licence and has now been published into the public domain. Often, so-called Art-Net nodes then act as Ethernet to DMX512 converters and hardware interfaces. Especially, long distances can be covered using Ethernet cabling.
MADRIX is compatible with
| ▪ | Art-Net I |
| ▪ | Art-Net II |
| ▪ | Art-Net III [DMX universes can be assigned up to universe 256 for Broadcast Mode. Higher DMX universes can be used via Direct IP Mode and virtual DMX universes in the MADRIX Software.] |
| ▪ | MADRIX supports all devices that are fully compatible with Art-Net. - You can use these nodes either as output or input devices. |
It is highly recommended to only use Gigabit Ethernet network components [such as network card, switches, network cabling, etc].
1] Set up the correct network settings in Windows.
2] Activate Art-Net in MADRIX.
3A] Add your Art-Net devices automatically.
3B] Add your Art-Net devices manually.
4] Edit the settings of your devices.
5] Activate your devices.
6] Assign the correct DMX universes.
7] Set up the Frame Time.
8] Choose to send optimized frames or full frames.
| ▪ | Repeat steps 4] to 8] for each of your devices. |
1] Windows Network Settings
Art-Net is a network-based protocol. MADRIX will use the network card of your computer to send data.
| ▪ | It is required to set up the correct network settings in Windows, first. |
| ▪ | You must use these IP address and Subnet mask settings. Otherwise, Art-Net might not work! |
| ▪ | The IP addresses of your computer and your Art-Net devices need to be different. |
| ▪ | Set up an individual IP address in the following IP address range: - 2.0.0.1 ... 2.255.255.254 or - 10.0.0.1 ... 10.255.255.254 |
| ▪ | Set up the corresponding Subnet mask - 255.0.0.0 |
| ▪ | Restart MADRIX, if you have changed the network settings in Windows while MADRIX was running. |
| ▪ | Check the settings of the Windows Firewall. Learn more »Tips [Microsoft Windows / Networks / USB] |
| ▪ | Example for PCs that are running MADRIX: |
| ▪ | Please remember to restart MADRIX, if you have changed the network settings in Windows while MADRIX was running. |
2] Activating Art-Net In MADRIX
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > Art-Net [Keyboard shortcut: F4 > Art-Net] |
| ▪ | Activate the checkbox Enable [in the upper, right corner]. |
| ▪ | MADRIX will automatically create the entry ArtNet Remote This device is used only for Remote Control. Learn more »Art-Net Remote |
3A] Adding Devices Automatically
MADRIX can automatically add devices using the ArtPoll Reply functionality if supported by the Art-Net device.
| ▪ | Click  [MADRIX will automatically search the network for connected Art-Net devices. MADRIX will scan even across multiple network cards. Devices that are found will appear in the list.] [Please make sure that your devices also have the correct network settings.] |
3B] Adding Devices Manually
Some interfaces might not support ArtPoll Reply in order to add them automatically. Then, you need to add your devices manually.
| ▪ | Click  |
| ▪ | A new window will open. |
| ▪ | Number Of New Devices - Enter the number of devices you wish to add. |
| ▪ | Port Count Per Device - Enter the number of ports each newly created device should have. Per device a maximum number of 4 ports is available. - In order to create an 8-port node, set up 2 devices with 4 ports each. In most cases the same IP address should be entered then for both devices. |
| ▪ | Enable Direct IP Mode - Activates Direct IP Mode for all newly created devices. This setting can be changed later again. Learn more below. |
| ▪ | Send Full Frames - Activate this option if devices should always send a single data frame including a full number of 512 channels. If this option is disabled, MADRIX will automatically send optimized frames that reduce network traffic. Learn more below. |
4] Device Settings
| ▪ | Select your device in the list. |
| ▪ | Click  |
| ▪ | A new window will open [Art-Net Device Configuration]. |
Set up specific settings for your device.
| ▪ | The following settings are available [this depends if the device was added automatically or manually] |
| ▪ | Short Name - Represents a short description of your device. |
| ▪ | Long Name - Represents a long description of your device. |
| ▪ | Port Count - Represents the number of ports for this particular device. |
| ▪ | State - Displays if the ports have been activated under Preferences > Device Manager... > DMX Devices. Learn more below. |
| ▪ | Universe Port OUT - Defines the general allocation of DMX universe and device port for output. E.g., the eighth DMX universe is sent to port 8. |
| ▪ | Universe Port IN - Defines the general allocation of DMX universe and device port for input. |
| ▪ | Direct IP Mode - Activates Direct IP Mode. Learn more below. |
| ▪ | IP Address - Defines the IP address of the Art-Net device when data is sent via Direct IP Mode. |
| ▪ | Broadcast Mode - Activates Broadcast Mode. Learn more below. |
| ▪ | Network - Defines the network card that is used for Broadcast Mode. Learn more below. |
| ▪ | LED Status Indicators - Allows you to switch of all LED status indicators of a device if supported by the device via Mute |
5] Activating Devices
Each of your Art-Net devices need to be activated.
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > DMX Devices [Keyboard shortcut: F4] |
| ▪ | Select your devices in the list. |
| ▪ | Activate Enable |
| ▪ | Activate Output |
| ▪ | Click Apply |
6] DMX Universe
| ▪ | Make sure that your device is still selected under Preferences > Device Manager... > DMX Devices |
| ▪ | Set up Universe - Enter the specific DMX universe number |
| ▪ | This setting assigns a specific DMX universe [of the Patch] to the device or the port of the device. |
| ▪ | Make sure the correct universe is assigned according to your requirements. Learn more »Glossary |
| ▪ | Click Apply |
7] Frame Time
| ▪ | Make sure that your device is still selected under Preferences > Device Manager... > DMX Devices |
| ▪ | Set up Frame Time (ms) - The Frame Time affects the Frame Rate. The Frame Rate specifies how fast data is sent to the device or received from it [Frames Per Second; FPS]. - Increase the Frame Time in order to decrease the Frame Rate [e.g., 40ms = 25 FPS]. - Decrease the Frame Time in order to increase the Frame Rate [e.g., 20ms = 50 FPS]. - The default value is 30 ms / 33.3 FPS. - Some LED fixtures might have problems with a high Frame Rate. Then, it is recommended to increase the Frame Time / to decrease the Frame Rate. |
| ▪ | Click Apply |
8] Optimized Frames Or Full Frames
| ▪ | Make sure that your device is still selected under Preferences > Device Manager... > DMX Devices |
| ▪ | Activate or deactivate Send Full Frames - Per DMX512 standard, MADRIX only sends the number of DMX channels that is configured. For example, if you are using 312 DMX channels on a DMX universe, only 312 DMX channels will be sent with every single frame on this universe [Optimized Frames]. - Activate Send Full Frames if devices should always send full frames on a particular universe, instead of optimized frames. Sending full frames means that always the full 512 DMX channels of a DMX universe will be sent with every frame [even when you are using less than 512 channels]. - Activating Send Full Frames is recommended if problems with the data output of your devices occur. |
| ▪ | Click Apply |
It is very important to set up the correct settings of your devices!
Broadcast Mode Or Direct IP Mode
MADRIX can send Art-Net data in 2 ways to your Art-Net devices:
| ▪ | Broadcast Mode - Means that every packet sent from a single transmitter will be received by all recipients in the network. MADRIX will send data to all devices in the network. - Advantage: The same data [e.g., DMX universe 1 and 2] can be made available at different points of your setup. - Disadvantage: A potentially huge number of data packages will be sent over the network. This can reduce the overall network performance and cause data issues or instability. |
| ▪ | Direct IP Mode - Means that the specific data will only be sent to the specified recipient. - Advantage: Data traffic is reduced immensely, which means that a larger number of Art-Net devices can be used in one network. Reduced network traffic increases the performance and stability. - Disadvantage: The network settings of all devices need to be 100% correct. |
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > Art-Net [Keyboard shortcut: F4 > Art-Net] |
| ▪ | Select your device in the list. |
| ▪ | Click |
| ▪ | A new window will open. |
| ▪ | A] Choose Direct IP Mode to activate Direct IP mode: - Make sure to enter the correct IP Address of your device that should receive the Art-Net data. - MADRIX will send the corresponding data only to this device. |
| ▪ | B] Choose Broadcast Mode to activate Broadcast Mode: - Make sure to select the correct Network card of your computer that should send the Art-Net data. - MADRIX will send data to the whole Art-Net network. |
| ▪ | Click Apply |
Direct IP Mode is recommended in general.
Sync Mode
|
Sync Mode - Allows you to activate or deactivate the usage of sync packages for Art-Net. |
| ▪ | Before activating sync, make sure that all activated Art-Net devices are available in your network! Else, the frame rate of Art-Net might drop. If you are not sure, do not enable any sync mode. |
| ▪ | This Sync Mode is not conform to Art-Net. To work properly it needs to be implemented by the manufacturer. Please check the manual of your Art-Net node if this option is available to you. |
| ▪ | Even if your Art-Net hardware does not support Pre Sync or Post Sync mode, it might be advisable to activate it in MADRIX. In this way, data packages will be sent one after another and will not get mixed up. The data will be sent more precisely. |
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > Art-Net [Keyboard shortcut: F4 > Art-Net] |
| ▪ | Click Sync... |
| ▪ | A new window will open. |
| ▪ | Select the network for which you want to activate Sync Mode. |
| ▪ | Click Enable to activate the Sync Mode for the selected network. |
| ▪ | A] Choose Pre-Sync to send sync packages before Art-Net data. |
| ▪ | B] Choose Post-Sync to send sync packages after Art-Net data. |
| ▪ | Click OK |
| ▪ | To disable sync mode, click Sync... again, select the correct network, and deactivate Enable. Confirm with OK |
MAC To IP Conversion
MAC To IP - Allows you to includes a tool to convert MAC addresses to IP addresses, and vice versa.
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > Art-Net > > MAC To IP |
| ▪ | A new window will open. |
| ▪ | OEM Code - Choose the manufacturer of the device. |
| ▪ | A] MAC Address - Enter the MAC address of the device and the tool automatically converts it into the correct IP address. |
| ▪ | B] IP Address - Enter the IP address of the device and the tool automatically converts it into the correct MAC address. |
Subswitch
If your Art-Net device is equipped with a subswitch, MADRIX is able to recognize this feature.
| ▪ | This feature is for your information only. |
| ▪ | Go to Preferences > Device Manager... > Art-Net > |
| ▪ | Check if your Art-Net device is equipped with a subswitch or not. |
| ▪ | The window will include several informative elements. In this way, you will be able to see the configuration of your interface within MADRIX. |
Subswitch available:
Subswitch not available:
Managing Devices
|
Refresh Device List - Communicates with connected devices to see if there have been any changes to update them in MADRIX accordingly. |
|
Duplicate Devices - Duplicates the selected devices to quickly add new similar devices. |
|
Remove Devices - Removes the selected devices from the list. [Keyboard shortcut: Del / Delete] |
|
HTTP Configuration - Allows you to configure your Art-Net device remotely with the help of a web browser if this feature is supported by your device. If this feature is available, a new browser window will be opened using the specified IP address. This offers you access to the configuration of your Art-Net device. If this is not possible, a message box will be displayed in MADRIX. |
Status Indicators [ArtAddress]
In order to use these features, please Enable ArtAddress first.
[Please make sure that your nodes fully support this Art-Net feature, such as MADRIX LUNA, MADRIX NEBULA, MADRIX PLEXUS, MADRIX STELLA. You will also get notified by a message box. Confirm the message with OK or abort via Cancel.]
|
Mute Status Indicators - Switches off and disables all built-in status indicators of a device over Art-Net [ArtAddress > AcLedMute]. |
|
Operate Status LEDs Normally - Allows the built-in status indicators of a device to operate normally again, after having them switched off [ArtAddress > AcLedNormal]. |
|
Highlight Device - Activates the highlight mode [ArtAddress > AcLedLocate]. Select one or more interfaces and click the button. The corresponding status indicators of the selected interfaces will flash for a better identification or tests. This makes it easier to see them on site/stage. It considerably speeds up the procedure of programming or testing the selected interfaces. |
|
DMX Watcher - Opens the DMX Watcher to monitor your DMX output or input. |
If wish to resize the window of the Device Manager to see more devices in the list, simply move your mouse pointer to the bottom of this window. Then, select the border and hold the left mouse button, while moving your mouse downwards.
| ▪ | Remember to configure your light matrix. Learn more »Matrix Generator or »Patch Editor |
| ▪ | Make sure to save your MADRIX Setup file after the configuration process. |
| ▪ | Keep in mind that network devices, if activated, cause network traffic! |
| ▪ | If you are using a network-based output protocol and if the Startup option Start MADRIX After Booting Windows is activated, it is highly recommended to also activate the Startup option Start With Timeout (s) with a value of 30. |
| ▪ | When activating Art-Net, MADRIX will create a so-called shared socket and not an exclusive socket. Therefore, other software on the computer has the chance access Art-Net using the same socket, when running MADRIX and another software at the time. |
| ▪ | It is not recommended to operate Art-Net and access to the World Wide Web/Internet in the same network! It is recommended to run it in a separate network without internet access. |
If you are encountering problems, please work through the following checklist:
| ▪ | Double-check the settings of your network card [IP address, Subnet mask]. |
| ▪ | Make sure to set up the Windows Firewall correctly or deactivate the Windows Firewall if possible [only if no connection to the internet is available]. Learn more »Tips [Microsoft Windows / Networks / USB] |
| ▪ | If MADRIX does not use the correct network card for Art-Net Remote, change the order of network adapters and set a higher priority for your preferred network. Learn more »Tips [Microsoft Windows / Networks / USB] |
| ▪ | Double-check the settings of the Art-Net devices in MADRIX. |
| ▪ | Use the DMX Watcher to monitor outgoing data. Learn more »Tools |
| ▪ | Use only GIGABIT [1GBit/s or 1000 MBit/s] network components [such as, switches and network cards]. |
| ▪ | Use high-quality network components [cables, switches, cards, etc.]. |
| ▪ | Remove any routers from the network. |
| ▪ | Check all other IP addresses and cabling. Having the same IP address in the network causes problems. Make sure that the network is not forming a ring, were the start point is also the end point, and that data is not sent back to the source [the computer]. |
| ▪ | Use Start With Timeout (s) in the MADRIX Options to make sure network is initialized correctly before MADRIX starts. Learn more »Startup |
| ▪ | If output problems occur, decrease the output frame rate [FPS] in the Device Manager. |
| ▪ | Make sure that Art-Net is set up as an individual network and separate from the Internet. |