DMX Core 100

Every feature, one page

The complete DMX Core 100 feature list, organized by category, with links into the documentation. Updated continuously - see the release notes for what's new.

Lighting & Protocols Fixtures & Effects Playback & Recording Automation & Scripting Integrations & Control Users & Security Administration Hardware

Lighting & protocols

Multi-protocol output at scale, with live monitoring of everything on the wire.

Output

  • Up to 800 universes at 40 Hz, or 600 universes at 60 Hz, over the network
  • ArtNet, sACN (E1.31), KiNet v1/v2, and TPM2.net output - map any mix of protocols and universes
  • Sync packets over ArtNet, sACN, and KiNet for multi-universe sync
  • Per-output sACN send priority
  • Direct DMX-512 via optional 2-port isolated expansion board
  • USB DMX via Enttec Pro / DMXking devices (up to 4 universes)
  • DMX passthrough with automatic fallback when the external source stops
  • Stream routing: DMX coming in on sACN, Art-Net, or a DMX-512 port goes straight back out on every output mapped to the same slot - including Shelly, LIFX, WiZ, and Govee bulbs - merged by priority with the unit’s own cues and presets
  • Several input protocols routed at once: a console on sACN, another on Art-Net, and a DMX-512 input port can all be live together, each on its own slots
  • Protocol conversion in both directions: take a console’s sACN and send Art-Net, KiNet, TPM2.net, or DMX-512 out of the same universe
  • Loop protection: outputs that would feed a routed universe back into an input are flagged as Routing Conflict and left out of routing, and a mapping that would close a loop is refused when you save it

Monitoring

  • Output Monitor: real-time visualization of live DMX channel values
  • Live Sources: every sender seen on the mapped input universes - name, address, universe, priority, frame rate, and the outputs it reaches
  • RDM device status monitoring over Art-Net
  • Device Status page with per-port output creation
  • Electrical monitoring: voltage, current, and temperature on supported devices
  • Advatek PixLite® integration: auto-discovery, one-click output setup, board temperature and per-output current

Fixtures & effects

Profile-based fixture control with a built-in effects engine - no external software required.

Fixture Setup

Live Control & Presets

  • Real-time color, dimmer, and position control from Web UI or touchscreen
  • Faders page: console-style vertical faders for every dimmable fixture, with zone submasters, FLASH buttons, and fine-drag precision - plus a Controls view that puts every Control Value level on the same desk
  • Fade mode: glide any fader to a target level over 0.5–30 s - fades run on the device and continue if the browser closes
  • Visualizer: a 2D live view of your looks on photos of your venue - place fixtures on the picture and see presets and effects light it up, from anywhere
  • Presets with smooth fades, copy/paste editing, and favorites
  • Ambient presets: a persistent fallback scene when nothing else is playing
  • Master dimmer and flash mode
  • Copy trims: dim individual copies of a multi-copy fixture without splitting it, with Solo to identify each unit
  • Blackout, Stop, and Output Off as three distinct states - Blackout is a latched switch like the key on a console, with playback and audio running on underneath
  • Hide individual fixture functions from operators

Effects Engine

  • Built-in generators: Breathing, Chaser, Crackling, Fire, Flickering, Full Sinus, Lightning, Pulse, and more
  • Audio triggers that step effects such as chasers on the beat, from DMX Core's own playback or a USB sound card input
  • External trigger stepping: tap through a chaser's steps from any button, trigger, or script
  • Zone-level effects with configurable speed, intensity, and behavior
  • Effect fade durations and preset integration for scheduled or triggered activation

Playback & recording

Record from any console, play back forever - with timelines and synchronized audio.

Cues & Recording

  • Record from ArtNet, sACN, DMX-512, or KiNet sources - the other routed inputs keep streaming to the rig while a take is recorded
  • Automated recording via input triggers (DMX, HTTP, TCP, UDP, OSC)
  • Cues stored as PCAP files with automatic protocol conversion
  • Fade in/out, cross-fade, and a Fade Mask editor for selective channel fading
  • Channel Rules: cap, scale, or copy (multipatch) recorded channels on the fly - adapt a recorded show without re-recording
  • Bounce playback, seamless infinite loops, pause, seek, and scrub
  • Compressed cue storage: keep recordings 3–5x smaller on the flash and play them back in place, or store every new take compressed automatically
  • Playback Layers and global merge mode for per-cue concurrency control
  • Import cues from DMXking and Pharos DMX Recorder, Lightjams recorder videos, and Enttec S-Play backups
  • Recording UI shows recorded size and remaining space
  • Play, pause, and restart a just-saved take from the Record page without leaving the recorder session

Timelines

  • Visual timeline editor sequencing cues, presets, sounds, and scripts
  • Audio waveform overlays and cue intensity profiles
  • Seek, scrub, loop, and priority settings
  • Timecode chase: lock a timeline to incoming Art-Net ArtTimeCode so Play joins the live clock instead of t=0 - multi-unit shows stay on one site clock, including after a restart
  • Hold milestones: pause a timeline until a button release, trigger, Web UI action, or timeout - looping sounds and cues keep playing
  • Trigger from touchscreen, schedules, or external control

Audio

  • WAV and FLAC playback via USB sound card or optional audio board (the boards are output only)
  • Synchronized audio with lighting cues
  • Volume, loop, and fade settings; pause and scrub
  • Audio delay compensation for aligning speakers with fixtures
  • Import WAV, MP3, FLAC, OGG, and AIFF files straight from the Sounds page

Scheduling, automation & scripting

From simple dayparts to fully custom logic - designed to run unattended. For mounting, network planning and handover on a live site, see the permanent installation guide.

Schedules

  • Schedule cues, presets, timelines, and scripts by time of day, day of week, or date
  • Sunrise/sunset start and end times with offsets, based on device location
  • Per-schedule dimmer, fade-out at the end time, and stop-at-completion
  • Toggle schedules on/off from custom menus

Triggers & Events

  • Input triggers: DMX thresholds, OSC, MQTT, HTTP, TCP, UDP, and digital inputs
  • Value-mode triggers (wall faders, sensors) with transform scripts for custom response curves
  • Output events: notify external systems via MQTT, HTTP, OSC, TCP, or UDP when things happen - or switch a relay on the digital output on, off, or for exactly as long as a button or contact is held

JavaScript Scripting

  • Write JavaScript to play cues, apply presets, set fixture colors, drive Control Values, and publish OSC/MQTT
  • Built-in web editor with test payloads, run history, and logging
  • Run from input triggers, schedules, timelines, button presses, or lifecycle events
  • Persistent state store that survives reboots
  • Sandboxed with hard limits - a runaway script never affects playback
  • Full scripting API reference

Custom Menus & Favorites

  • Custom menus: installer-built layouts with nested levels, icons, status indicators, and live value readouts (a score, a volume, an on/off state)
  • Guest access: open custom menus in the Web UI without logging in
  • Direct links and QR codes: every menu has a stable code that opens it straight from a URL - ideal for printed QR codes and wall tablets
  • Custom playback properties per button: fades, loop counts, confirmation prompts
  • Favorites for one-tap access to frequent cues, presets, and sounds

Integrations & control surfaces

Speaks to your AV stack, your building systems, and the hardware on your desk.

AV & Building Systems

  • Q-SYS and Symetrix DSP integration with custom control pages - no DSP scripting or extra licenses (docs)
  • Control Values: named levels, toggles, selectors, and counters shared by keys, menus, faders, triggers, timelines, and scripts - held on the device or bound to a DSP audio level, with timed ramps, and able to drive a fixture, zone, master, or volume so a wall knob, a Stream Deck dial, and a cue keep one light in step
  • OSC: bidirectional control with configurable server port
  • MQTT: built-in or external broker
  • Smart lighting outputs: drive Shelly, LIFX, WiZ, and Govee WiFi devices from DMX like any fixture
  • Home Assistant: scenes, dimmers, switches, and sensors appear automatically via MQTT Discovery - no custom component (also works with openHAB, ioBroker, and Domoticz)
  • REST API over HTTP/HTTPS with API tokens
  • Integration API: a versioned HTTP + WebSocket contract for control systems such as Bitfocus Companion, Crestron, and Node-RED - list and execute cues, presets, zones, and Control Values (with loop and fade options on playback), get live state pushed back for button feedback, and poll device health
  • Bitfocus Companion: a Companion module for the DMX Core 100, built by our partner Mandylights on the Integration API, is coming soon - put DMX Core cues and presets on the same Stream Deck buttons as the rest of your show
  • MCP (Model Context Protocol): AI clients such as Cursor and Claude Desktop can activate cues and presets, set levels, and control fixtures over the LAN - authenticated with MCP-only API keys
  • Plugin registry: integrations are plugins, installed and updated in one click from the device, every first-party plugin backed by an automated test suite - and anyone can build and publish one with the open .NET SDK

Control Surfaces

  • Elgato Stream Deck MK2, Plus (LCD bank labels, swipe-to-switch, dials), and Dock - keys show the live value they control, and Plus dials step a counter or selector one click at a time with the readout on the LCD strip
  • Key Digital WP8 wall keypad with LED status
  • OSC control surfaces with two-way status feedback
  • MIDI controllers over USB (Akai LPD8 and more), rtpMIDI, and Network MIDI 2.0
  • Control surface editor with operator view, flash mode, and takeover handling
  • Hold to confirm on destructive buttons: hold Blackout, Stop, or Toggle Output before it fires - a sweeping ring on Stream Deck, blinking pads on MIDI keypads, Yes/No in the browser
  • Scan the network for Key Digital keypads from the editor instead of typing an address
  • Cytron IRIV IO Controller for wired buttons, sensors, and relays via MQTT

Remote Access

  • Cloud tunnel: secure Web UI access from anywhere, no VPN or port forwarding
  • Fleet management portal: health monitoring, email alerts, remote reboot/backup, and updates
  • VNC remote control of the touchscreen
  • Internet Passthrough: get an offline unit online through a laptop with the DMX Core Connect app
  • Satellites: run multiple units as remote control/server

Web UI, users & security

Give everyone exactly the access they need - and nothing more.

Web UI

  • Full browser-based control from any device on the network (HTTP/HTTPS)
  • Responsive layout for phones and tablets
  • Dark, light, and auto themes
  • Guest-accessible custom menus without login

Users & Roles

  • Multiple user accounts with role-based permissions (24 permissions)
  • PIN or per-user password login
  • User and API tokens for programmatic access
  • Auto log-off after inactivity

Device Security

  • Admin, user, and lock-down access modes
  • Screen lock with 4-digit PIN, admin PIN recovery
  • Audit log tracking all system actions

Administration

Commission it fast, maintain it from anywhere.

Setup

  • Per-adapter network configuration: DHCP or static IP, hostname override, on-screen device nickname
  • Time zone support with NTP server configuration and browser time sync
  • Demo data import for quick setup and testing
  • White labeling: custom home screen logo, backgrounds, and icons

Maintenance

  • Backup/restore to local files and cloud storage, including S-Play backup import
  • Remote software upgrades with release channels
  • Web Admin UI: device screenshot, log viewer, file explorer, restart, and more
  • Automatic cleanup of deleted and orphaned files

Hardware

The same software also ships on dedicated touchscreen hardware. Full specifications →

Dedicated Unit

  • 4.3" touchscreen (7" variant available) plus rotary knob with push button
  • Raspberry Pi CM4 compute module, max 8 W power draw
  • Power over Ethernet or 8–28 VDC input
  • 1 GbE Ethernet, MicroSD, USB-A, 16 GB internal storage
  • RTC clock with battery backup and network time sync
  • Mounts in a 2-gang electrical box, 19" rack mount, or desk stand

Expansion

  • Dual isolated DMX-512 board (enables passthrough)
  • Audio output board for onboard synchronized sound
  • ADIO board: audio output + 2x DMX + digital inputs in one
  • USB DMX and USB sound card support

Software Platforms

  • Desktop software for Windows, macOS, and Linux
  • Free full-feature demo mode - no signup, no expiration
  • Automatic signed updates on Windows and macOS

Try everything, free

Download the full-feature demo for Windows, macOS, or Linux - no signup, no expiration.

Download Free Demo Product Overview Documentation ↗