This page is about Pharos Controls, the architectural lighting company — not Pharos Blueprint, Uniprint or any of the print-management software that shares the name.
Pharos builds some of the most trusted architectural lighting controllers in the world — you will find them behind landmark facades and skylines. If you are cross-shopping an LPC 1, LPC 2 or LPC 4 and want to start in software, evaluate on your own PC, integrate with modern AV systems, or control a project without committing to hardware up front, here is how DMX Core 100 compares — fairly, feature by feature.
A note on Designer 2: Pharos Designer 2 is the free software you program in; the show then runs on an LPC. DMX Core 100 is not a replacement front-end for Pharos hardware you already own — it replaces the controller and the programming environment together. If you have LPCs in the rack and just want a different way to author for them, this is not the product you are looking for.
A side-by-side look at the features installers and integrators evaluate most.
Which Pharos, and why: this compares against the LPC 1, LPC 2 and LPC 4 — the entry and mid controllers that actually get cross-shopped with DMX Core 100. The LPC X, VLC and VLC+ are a different class of product for landmark-scale architectural work, with a price bracket to match, and we would not pretend to be a like-for-like swap for them. If your project genuinely needs 100 universes in one box and pixel-mapped video across a facade, buy the Pharos.
| Feature | DMX Core 100 | Pharos LPC 1 / 2 / 4 |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $599 software (800 universes) $399 software (8 universes) · $999 appliance |
$2,000+ (LPC 1, new) |
| Max Universes | 800 | 1 / 2 / 4 per unit (more networked) |
| Software-Only Runtime | ✓ | — |
| Cross-Platform (Win / Mac / Linux) | ✓ | — |
| Dedicated Hardware Option | ✓ | ✓ |
| Web UI | ✓ | ✓ |
| ArtNet | ✓ | ✓ |
| sACN (E1.31) | ✓ | ✓ |
| KiNet | ✓ | ✓ |
| Scheduling (sunrise / sunset, astronomical) | ✓ | ✓ |
| SMPTE / MTC Timecode | — | ✓ MTC built in; SMPTE via RIO A |
| MQTT | ✓ | — |
| Q-SYS / Symetrix | ✓ | — |
| Stream Deck | ✓ | — |
| REST / HTTP API | ✓ | ✓ |
| Cloud Remote Access | ✓ | ✓ |
| Timeline Editor | ✓ | ✓ |
| Built-in Effects | ✓ | ✓ |
| Record & Playback | ✓ | via DMX Record |
| Synchronized Audio | ✓ every model | — not on LPC 1/2/4 |
| Multi-User / Roles | 24 named permissions | ✓ web UI user levels |
Competitor specs are based on publicly available product documentation and may change. Always confirm current details with the manufacturer. DMX Core prices set out or referred to on this page are recommended prices only, and there is no obligation to comply with the recommendation.
The LPC family is sized by universe count, so that is the cleanest place to compare.
A single-universe controller for a small, self-contained space. If that is genuinely all the project needs and it will not grow, an LPC 1 is a tidy answer and the Pharos dealer network will support it for years. Compare DMX Core 100 if you want scheduling, zones and a browser interface at the same time, or if a second zone is already on the drawing board.
This is where most cross-shopping happens, and where the universe-count gap is starkest: four universes of dedicated hardware against up to 800 at 40 Hz in $599 of software. If you are specifying an LPC 4 because the site might expand later, it is worth checking what that expansion actually costs on each platform before you commit.
If you are at landmark-facade scale, this is not a close call and we will not pretend otherwise. A single LPC X handles up to 100 universes with automatic multi-unit synchronization, and the VLC range goes far beyond that for pixel-mapped arrays. Different budget, different job, backed by a spec and dealer network built for exactly that work.
We would rather be honest than oversell. Pharos is a genuinely world-class architectural platform, and it may be the right call if:
Pharos LPC controllers are fanless, solid-state, DIN-rail units proven on skylines, bridges, and stadiums worldwide, built to run unattended for years in demanding permanent installs. That track record is hard to match.
Pharos locks shows to external SMPTE or MIDI timecode for tight AV and broadcast synchronization. DMX Core 100 triggers on schedules and events but does not chase external timecode, so timecode-critical shows favor Pharos.
A single Pharos LPC X (current Series 3) handles up to 100 universes, and multiple units synchronize automatically over Ethernet — purpose-built for the largest architectural projects, backed by a deep spec and dealer network.
Program and evaluate the whole project on a Windows, macOS, or Linux machine before buying any hardware. With Pharos, Designer 2 is free but a show only runs once you have committed to an LPC controller.
Deploy the same software on a plain PC or on a dedicated touchscreen appliance. No hardware lock-in — prototype on a laptop, ship on an appliance, or keep it software-only.
MQTT, Q-SYS, Symetrix, and Stream Deck on top of the shared Art-Net / sACN / KiNet stack, plus 24 permission-based user roles for multi-operator venues.
Capture shows from any external console, store them as cues with synchronized audio built in, and trigger them on schedules or external events — no separate recording utility required.
The comparison is built against the LPC 1, LPC 2 and LPC 4 — the sizes where a $599 software controller is a real alternative. If you are specifying an LPC X or a VLC, buy the Pharos: a single LPC X handles up to 100 universes with automatic multi-unit synchronization, and the VLC range goes further again for pixel-mapped arrays. That is a different budget and a different job.
Yes. DMX Core 100 runs as desktop software on Windows, macOS, and Linux, as well as on dedicated touchscreen hardware. Pharos Designer 2 is free to program with, but shows can only run on Pharos LPC hardware — so DMX Core 100 lets you program, evaluate, and even deploy entirely in software first.
DMX Core 100 supports up to 800 universes natively at 40 Hz. The Pharos controllers it is normally cross-shopped against are the LPC 1, LPC 2 and LPC 4, at 1, 2 and 4 universes per unit respectively, with more available by networking units. Pharos also makes the LPC X, VLC and VLC+ for landmark-scale architectural work, which reach far higher counts but sit in a different price bracket entirely.
DMX Core 100 software is $599 for up to 800 universes ($399 for up to 8), or $999 for the appliance. Pharos Designer 2 software is free, but you must buy an LPC controller to run a show — the single-universe LPC 1 starts around $2,000 new (EU list; US dealer pricing runs higher). The larger LPC X, VLC and VLC+ are quote-based through dealers and sit in a much higher bracket; they are aimed at landmark architectural projects rather than the installs DMX Core 100 competes for.
This is the usual reason to look. A Pharos LPC is specified for large, high-value architectural work and is priced and supported accordingly. On a boutique hotel, a single facade or a mid-size retail rollout, that can be more controller than the project needs. DMX Core 100 covers the same core jobs — scheduled playback, sunrise and sunset triggers, zones, recorded shows — starting at $399 as software or $999 as an appliance.
An LPC alternative. It is worth being precise, because the two are different things. Pharos Designer 2 is the free software you author a show in; the compiled show is then uploaded to an LPC or VLC controller, which runs it standalone. DMX Core 100 replaces the controller and the programming environment together — it is not a substitute front-end for Pharos hardware you already own, and it cannot author for or upload to an LPC. If you have LPCs in the rack and simply want a different way to program them, DMX Core 100 is not the right tool. If you are specifying a new install and choosing a platform, that is exactly the comparison this page is for.
Partly, and it is worth understanding the split. Pharos DMX Record is a free capture utility whose recordings import into Designer 2 for playback on Pharos LPC hardware. DMX Core 100 does the capture and the playback in one platform, on its own software or appliance, and converts protocols on output. What it does not attempt to match is Designer 2's depth for very large pixel-mapped architectural canvases, which remains a genuine Pharos strength. Worth knowing if you are cross-shopping: ETC's Unison Mosaic line is built on Pharos technology under license and is configured in the same Designer 2 software, so Pharos and Mosaic are closer to one option than two.
For most installations, yes — Art-Net, sACN (E1.31), KiNet v1/v2 and DMX-512, plus OSC, MQTT, REST, MIDI, Q-SYS, Symetrix and Stream Deck for system integration. The gap to check on your specific project is timecode and specialist protocol support, where Pharos has broader coverage. If the project depends on it, confirm before switching.
Plan for a rebuild rather than a conversion. There is no project-file import between the platforms, but the DMX content itself moves easily: recordings made with Pharos DMX Record (.pdrec files) import directly into DMX Core 100 as cues, and for everything else the fastest route is to record the existing Pharos output as live DMX, which captures the looks exactly. Then re-create schedules, triggers and zone logic in DMX Core. On a straightforward facade that is a day; on a complex multi-zone attraction, allow more.
Download the free demo and run DMX Core 100 on your own machine — no hardware required to evaluate it.