Some issues that occur when using DMXControl 3 can be systematically resolved by the user at the end—especially when the software doesn't behave as expected, as it did previously. This article outlines the most frequently reported problems and describes how to troubleshoot them.
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If errors occur in the software or a function is missing, it would be appreciated if these could be reported as a new ticket in our Bugtracker. |
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Some of the issues mentioned below are known and will be addressed in a future version.
An overview of these points can be found under Known Bugs. |
Working "within" DMXControl 3
Devices Stay Dark
Problem In the Stage View, multiple Devices or even Device Groups are selected, and their functions are shown in the Device Control or the Control Panel. Regardless of how the devices are controlled in the project, whether through device control or various control windows, they remain dark in three places. This means there is no response:
- in the Stage View.
- in the Channel Overview, where the DMX channels for dimmers and/or the color of the respective devices remain at 0.
- in reality, even though the DMX Interfaces are activated and otherwise working properly.
The only time the devices respond is when manually controlled via the Channel Overview.
Cause In DMXControl 3, there are several factors that can cause a device to remain "dark," and multiple of the mentioned issues may occur simultaneously:
- The Blackout function
- The Freeze function, once activated, prevents the device from turning on again.
- The devices have both a dimmer and a shutter, and the shutter has not yet been opened.
- The Group Master.
- The Grand Master.
- Active Cuelists with a higher priority than the Programmer.
- The Blind function in the Programmer, which ensures that the values set in the programmer are not output to the DMX Interfaces or the Stage View.
- Various modules, including the DMX Interfaces, are disabled via the Main Switch.
Solution This issue typically occurs when programming a new lighting scene and less often when the show is running. To reset everything to 0, follow these steps:
- Stop all Cuelists using the [Stop all cuelists] button.
- Reactivate the DMX Interfaces using the Main Switch.
- Clear the Programmer using the [Clear] button.
- Open the Programmer and disable the [Blind] option. The default setting is [All].
- Check if the Blackout is disabled.
- In the window showing all Master, set both the Grand Master and the Group Master for the affected devices back to 100%. Be sure to observe the dependencies between group masters, as described in the relevant article.
- When trying a new lighting scene, both raise the dimmer and open the shutter if the devices have both functions. This can be done manually or by pressing the [Lumos] button in the Control Panel for intensity.
If these four steps do not resolve the issue, a restart (if possible) might help as it also resets everything to 0. After loading the project, check if the Group Master slider is set to a very low brightness value.
Cuelist Won't Start
Problem A properly programmed Cuelist doesn't start, despite multiple presses of the [Go] button or pressing a linked button in the Softdesk.
Cause For each Cuelist, the fade factor (Fade factor / Timing) can be individually set. Due to various external influences—whether intentional or unintentional—the value of the associated slider has been set to 0.
Solution Open the affected Cuelist(s) from the Project Explorer and set the fade factor (Fade factor / Timing) slider back to a value greater than 0. If the Cuelists are triggered via a Softdesk, a MIDI controller, or similar devices, you can also add a slider in the Input Assignment to centrally control the fade factor.
Last Softdesk Changes Disappear
Problem The custom design of a Softdesk is not saved, or the last changes disappear when the project is reloaded.
Cause The command to save the last changes to the Softdesk is only transmitted when the Softdesk Designer is closed.
Solution To ensure all changes to the Softdesk are properly saved, always close the Softdesk Designer before saving the project. For "pure" live operation with the Softdesk, it is recommended to open the Softdesk only in display mode. This also ensures that menu elements for selecting and adjusting the controls are completely hidden, preventing accidental changes.
Various Windows Not Displayed
Problem You receive a project from another user or switch PCs while working on the project. On the new PC, not all windows can be opened because the monitor size and resolution appear to differ.
Cause In each project, it is precisely recorded where each window was last displayed on the screen. This is based on the available screen resolution. When loading a project and confirming that the stored window layout should be used, the last local settings are overwritten.
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| Figure 1: Layout prompt when opening a project |
Solution To bring lost windows back into the main screen display area, go to the following menu entry: « Settings »⇒ « Layout »⇒ « Move floating windows to primary screen » (see also Figure 2). This function moves all windows back into the main screen display area. Alternatively, you can load a custom window layout you've created. This can be done through the main menu « Settings »⇒ « Layout »⇒ « Load... ». In the following example, two saved window layouts named Club-Setup and Programming-Setup are stored in the loaded project.
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| Figure 2: Reset window layout and load custom window layouts |
If this function doesn't yield the desired result, you can reset the current window layout through the entry « Settings »⇒ « Layout »⇒ « Reset window layout ». The default arrangement will be loaded as seen after the first start of DMXControl 3. This is also covered in the article User Interface.
DMX Output
Art-Net Output Not Working
Problem The Art-Net output cannot be activated. The corresponding rows in the DMX Interfaces table remain grayed out even though the checkboxes for "Interface enabled" and "DMX-Out enabled" are checked.
Cause The PC might be missing an updated version of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, and 2019.
Solution Manually install the 32-bit version (x86 version) of the Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable for Visual Studio 2015, 2017, and 2019. After installation, DMXControl 3 needs to be restarted.
Download link: https://support.microsoft.com/de-de/help/2977003/the-latest-supported-visual-c-downloads