Most DMX recorders capture into their own manufacturer's ecosystem. DMX Core 100 records the DMX stream itself — Art-Net, sACN, DMX-512 or KiNet, from any desk — and replays it standalone, with automatic protocol conversion, synchronized audio and scheduling. Recording is free and unrestricted in the demo; you only need a license when you put the playback into production.
A designer programs the look on their own console. The venue keeps the show — not the console, not the operator, and not a dependency on one vendor's hardware.
Point any console at DMX Core 100 over Art-Net, sACN (E1.31), DMX-512 or KiNet and hit record. Because the capture happens at the protocol level, it works with grandMA, ETC Eos, Hog, ChamSys, Avolites, Onyx or anything else that puts DMX on a wire — no fixture library, no show-file import, no console plugin.
The capture becomes a cue alongside everything else you build in DMX Core — presets, timelines, effects. Nothing records the audio for you, but you can attach a track in the timeline editor afterwards and it stays locked to the lighting on every playback.
Recordings are stored protocol-neutrally and converted on output. A show captured over Art-Net in the shop can be replayed as sACN or DMX-512 on site, on desktop software or on a DMX Core appliance, without re-recording or re-patching.
Trigger playback on a schedule, at sunrise or sunset, from HTTP, OSC, MQTT, TCP, UDP or a DMX threshold. Loop it, fade between cues, scrub the timeline, and lock down who can change what with 24 permission-based roles.
Recording and playback are two different jobs, and every tool here prices them differently — so they are worth comparing separately. Capture is cheap or free almost everywhere. The real question is what you can do with the recording afterwards, and which hardware you are committed to once you have it.
Getting the DMX off the console and onto disk. This step is free or near-free across the board — including DMX Core 100, where capture is unrestricted in the free demo.
A note on ETC Mosaic: it is not listed separately because it is not a separate system. ETC's Unison Mosaic line is built on Pharos show-control technology under license, is configured in the same Designer 2 software, and its DMX Record utility is the same tool under another brand. Read the Pharos column as covering both.
| Recording | DMX Core 100 | Pharos DMX Record | Nicolaudie DMX Recorder | Lightjams Recorder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Records from any console | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Capture protocols | Art-Net, sACN, DMX-512, KiNet | Art-Net, sACN | DMX / Art-Net | Art-Net |
| Max universes captured | 800 | Controller-dependent | Interface-dependent | 512 |
| Captures audio alongside the DMX | — | — | — | — |
None of these tools record audio — they capture DMX only. DMX Core 100 lets you attach an audio track to the recording afterwards, in the timeline editor, and keeps it in sync on playback.
This is where the tools genuinely diverge, and where the money is. Each of the free utilities plays back only on its own manufacturer's controllers; DMX Core 100 plays back on its own software or appliance, from $399, and converts protocols on the way out.
| Playback | DMX Core 100 | Pharos DMX Record | Nicolaudie DMX Recorder | Lightjams Recorder |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What playback requires | A DMX Core license — software or appliance | A Pharos LPC controller | A Nicolaudie interface | A Lightjams license and a dedicated computer |
| Plays back on | Own software or appliance — not tied to one controller family | Pharos LPC controllers | Nicolaudie interfaces | Lightjams on a computer |
| Protocol conversion on playback | ✓ | — | — | — |
| Max universes played back | 800 (at 40 Hz) | Controller-dependent | Interface-dependent | 64 |
| Runs standalone without a computer | ✓ (appliance) | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Also runs as desktop software | ✓ (Win / Mac / Linux) | — | — | ✓ |
| Edit and re-sequence the recording | ✓ timeline editor | ✓ in Designer 2 | ✓ | ✓ |
| Add an audio track, synced to the cue | ✓ every model | — on entry models; needs a step up | ✓ software mode only | — |
| Scheduling & sunrise/sunset | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | — |
| Zones for multi-area venues | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
| Browser-based UI | ✓ | ✓ | — | — |
A note on audio, because the detail matters: Pharos and ETC do have synchronized timeline audio, but it is worth knowing exactly what you get. Designer 2 has two similarly-named features: Simulation Audio, available on every controller, which is a programming aid only — in Pharos's own words it "is not uploaded to the controller and won't start playing as your timeline is playing in the real world" — and Audio Out, the real thing, which Pharos limits to their rack-mount units, the LPC X, VLC and VLC+. On an LPC 1, 2 or 4 no audio row is created at all, and the RIO A accessory will not add one — it is an audio input for triggering. Even at the rack-mount tier, volume is a controller-level setting rather than a per-clip one, and Pharos advises against using audio on rate-adjusted timelines — including astronomical ones — because the engine skips beats rather than time-stretching. Nicolaudie's audio lives in the full software rather than in standalone microSD playback. Lightjams uses audio as a live input to drive effects, not as a playback track. On DMX Core 100 the audio track is part of the timeline on every model. Check the specific controller you are pricing, not the product family.
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.
We would rather be honest than oversell. If any of these describe you, buy the other tool — you will be happier.
If there is a Pharos LPC in the rack — or an ETC Mosaic, which is the same platform under another badge — the record utility is free and integrates directly with Designer 2. Adding a second platform to capture DMX you can already capture makes no sense.
Lightjams is built around live input — MIDI, OSC, audio, sensors driving generative effects in real time. If the installation needs to react rather than repeat, that is a different tool for a different job.
If the show must chase an external timecode clock, look at controllers that implement SMPTE/MTC directly — the Visual Productions CueCore3 is a good example.
Madrix, MadMapper and Resolume are design tools for building pixel and video content from scratch. DMX Core sits downstream of that, on the operations side — see how they work together below.
Design tools and operations tools solve different halves of the same install.
Madrix, MadMapper and Resolume are where generative pixel content, effects and video mapping get authored. That work is creative, iterative, and usually done by a designer on their own machine.
Capture the finished looks over Art-Net or sACN into DMX Core 100 and the venue can run them nightly on a schedule — without a designer's laptop, a dongle, or a per-seat license living in the rack.
Keep the design tool as a live source and let DMX Core 100 handle zones, scheduling, triggers, user permissions and the touchscreen the staff actually press. Each tool does what it is good at.
A volunteer team cannot re-programme a console every week. Record the looks once with someone who knows the desk, then let the team recall them from a touchscreen.
The commissioning designer leaves with their console. The building keeps the show, running on sunset triggers and seasonal schedules for years afterwards.
Different states for lunch, dinner and late night, per zone, without anyone touching a lighting desk.
Repeatable shows with synchronized audio, triggered by a button, a sensor or a show-control cue — the same every performance.
Honest, feature-by-feature comparisons against the products most often evaluated alongside DMX Core 100.
CueServer alternative · Enttec S-Play alternative · CueCore3 alternative · Pharos alternative · Full comparison
Download the free demo, point a console at it, and hit record. No hardware required to evaluate it.