Lightkey overview
Lightkey is a professional lighting control app for discos, nightclubs, live events, and more. Control moving heads, scanners, LED matrixes, lasers, or any fixture which supports the DMX protocol through an elegant, easy-to-use interface. Build a library of presets, sequences, and cues to create stunning light shows. Output up to four DMX universes though USB and Ethernet interfaces from various manufacturers, including DMXking, ENTTEC, Eurolite, Jese, Robe, Stage-Profi, or Velleman.
Highlights:
- Live preview shows current state of all fixtures
- Virtual beams simulate pan/tilt angles, intensity, color, gobo and gobo movement, focus, zoom, iris, shutter/strobe, prism
- Integrated graphics editor for arranging fixtures and adding images and shapes
- Build stunning light shows with an unlimited number of presets, sequences, and cues
- Synchronize sequence timing to music by tapping
- Create smooth movement paths for moving light thru arbitrary points
- Build a control panel with virtual keys for live operation
- Control virtually every feature thru a clever system of keyboard shortcuts
- Adjust dimmer, focus, zoom, and iris thru Multi-Touch gestures
- Output DMX thru a wide range of USB interfaces and any Art-Net, sACN, or ESP-Net-compatible device
- Up to 4 DMX512 universes, depending on edition
- User interface specially designed for low-light environments
- On-screen controls optimized for touch screens
- Full-screen view
- Optimized for Retina displays
- Advanced fixture profiles which "understand" the properties of most modern fixtures
- Support for multi-beam fixtures (e.g., LEDs)
- Support for fixtures with multiple color and gobo wheels
- Built-in fixture editor and library with over 200 fixture profiles
- Import thousands of existing SSL2 or FreeStyler profiles
What’s new in version 4.7
Updated on Feb 08 2024
This version simplifies working with fixture properties and copying them between fixtures and beams. We also improved the little bubbles showing defined properties.
Fixture Properties
- Simplified cut, copy and paste of fixture properties. These commands are now in the Edit menu, and their keyboard shortcuts changed to Command–X, Command–C and Command-V.
- The Preview shows notifications when you cut, copy, or paste fixture properties or undo/redo an action involving fixture properties. The notifications can be configured in the General pane of the Settings window.
- Lightkey uses a smarter placement algorithm for the bubbles indicating defined fixture properties, which avoids overlapping bubbles.
- To quickly inspect the fixture properties in a cue, press Command and Option and move the pointer over the cue. Click to permanently show the properties, as in previous versions.
Improvements & Bug Fixes
- Lightkey checks custom MIDI feedback SysEx messages for invalid bytes and no longer allows entering or sending invalid messages. Content bytes in SysEx messages must not exceed 127 (7F).
- Tuned the DMX output engine to make it even more efficient.
- Fixed a bug which prevented user-created movement paths from being deleted.
Information
App requirements
- Intel 64
- Apple Silicon
- macOS 13 or later
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User Ratings
Oct 6 2017
Version: 2.2.3
I've been using Lightkey 3-4 times a week for a bit over a year. It has grown to be very stable in my environment, and is very intuitive if you think ahead when setting up your presets (as with any DMX software, it's as easy or as difficult as your preparation makes it).
The MacUpdate page and previous comments are misleading on the price—there is a free mode, with all the features, the only limitation is it only works for 24 channels. No payment required. Then there are the different tiers of pricing which unlock additional DMX channels. Most people would probably go for the 512 which is $99 a year currently.
I would recommend this software to anyone where you need it to be simple and obvious for your operators. If you're a real LD, sure, go get a PC and run M-PC for free... but LightKey is filling a wide gap of user-friendly, intuitive, Mac-native, DMX software.
The fact that it works with so many interfaces and is regularly updated is a huge bonus.
I currently use a DMX King USB interface and have the 512 license. Would recommend.
If I could make any suggestion to the devs, it would be that an ability to OFFSET the HOME Pan/Tilt of fixtures by ±180 degrees would be amazing. And an ability to MIRROR the PAN and/or TILT of a fixture would be amazing. Both in the actual DMX values, and in the live preview.
Reason being, one venue I run shows has mounted their fixtures in directions that don't quite make sense and aren't consistent. So If I give 4 lights on a back truss a position of 0°/90° (p/t), 3 of them shoot straight out, and one of them shoots to the side. I want to offset that light be 90° pan, so it will be more properly in sync. I understand this is a band-aid to correcting the actualy physical position, but it's not my venue to go up and move fixtures.
Mar 23 2017
Version: 2.0
Developer has absolutely no intention of offering licenses that don't lock you out a year after you buy them. Worthless.
Go look at QLC+
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