Documentation

01 - DMX Network Configuration

Module: SuperDMX Configuration Panel (SSuperDMXConfigPanel)
Target Users: Lighting programmers, technical staff
Prerequisites: 00 - DMX System Overview
Last Updated: 2026-04-14

1. Opening the DMX Configuration Panel

Click the DMX button in the SuperStage toolbar at the bottom of the UE editor to open the DMX configuration panel. The panel docks into the editor and you can adjust its position at any time.

The configuration panel is divided into two main areas:

  1. Upper section — Input/Output configuration controls (single-row layout)
  2. Lower section — DMX Activity Monitor (real-time channel value display)

2. Network Topology Overview

┌──────────────────────┐          ┌──────────────────────┐
│   MA Console (MA3 onPC)│          │   Real Fixtures /      │
│   IP: 192.168.0.100    │          │   Art-Net Nodes /      │
│                        │          │   DMX Decoders         │
└──────────┬───────────┘          └──────────▲───────────┘
           │ Art-Net (UDP 6454)              │ Art-Net (UDP 6454)
           │ or sACN (UDP 5568)               │ or sACN (UDP 5568)
           │ Sending DMX data                 │ Receiving DMX data
           ▼                                 │
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  Ethernet Switch (Gigabit Recommended)     │
└──────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────┘
                           │
                           ▼
              ┌────────────────────────┐
              │   UE Editor (SuperStage) │
              │   IP: 192.168.0.50      │
              │                        │
              │   ┌─ Input ───────────┐│
              │   │ Receive console   ││
              │   │ DMX signals       ││
              │   └───────────────────┘│
              │   ┌─ Output ──────────┐│
              │   │ Send DMX to       ││
              │   │ fixtures           ││
              │   └───────────────────┘│
              └────────────────────────┘

Key Requirement: The console, UE editor, and fixtures/nodes must be on the same Ethernet subnet (e.g., 192.168.0.x, subnet mask 255.255.255.0). Use wired Gigabit connections; avoid WiFi.

3. Panel Layout Details

The upper section of the configuration panel is a compact row of controls, divided from left to right into the Input area and Output area, separated by a vertical line:

┌─ Input Area ─────────────────────────────────┬─── Output Area ───────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Input │ [Protocol▼] │ [LocalIP▼] │ ☑ Enable │ Start Universe [0] │ │ Output │ [Protocol▼] │ [LocalIP▼] │ ☑ Enable │ Start Universe [0] │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────┴──────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

4. Input Configuration (Receiving External DMX Signals)

“Input” is used for receiving DMX signals from external consoles (e.g., MA2, MA3, grandMA3 onPC).

4.1 Protocol Selection

Parameter Description
Dropdown Options Art-Net / sACN (E1.31)
Default Value Art-Net

The current version supports two DMX over Ethernet protocols:

Protocol Port Description
Art-Net UDP 6454 Most commonly used DMX network protocol, widely compatible with all brand consoles
sACN (E1.31) UDP 5568 ESTA standard protocol, multicast-based transmission, supports more Universes

Selection Advice: If both console and devices support it, sACN is recommended (more efficient multicast transmission, no need to configure IP subnet). For MA series consoles, both Art-Net and sACN work.

4.2 Local IP Address

Parameter Description
Dropdown Options All available NIC IP addresses on the current computer
Default Value Empty (means listen on all NICs, i.e., 0.0.0.0)

How to select the correct IP:

  • If your computer has only one NIC → leave blank or select the only IP
  • If your computer has multiple NICs (e.g., one connected to console, one to internet) → must select the NIC IP on the same subnet as the console
  • Selecting the wrong NIC IP will result in not receiving DMX signals

Example:

  • Console IP: 192.168.0.100
  • Your computer NIC 1: 192.168.0.50 (same subnet as console ✅)
  • Your computer NIC 2: 10.0.0.5 (different subnet ❌)
  • → Should select 192.168.0.50

4.3 Enable Switch

Parameter Description
Type Checkbox
Default Value Checked (Enabled)
  • Checked → SuperStage begins listening on network ports, receiving DMX packets (Art-Net UDP 6454 or sACN UDP 5568)
  • Unchecked → Stops receiving, saves network resources

Tip: If you temporarily don’t need to receive external DMX signals (e.g., only using Sequencer playback), you can uncheck this to reduce unnecessary network overhead.

4.4 Start Universe

Parameter Description
Type Integer input box (supports drag adjustment)
Range 0 - 32,767
Default Value 0

This is an offset used to map Art-Net Universe numbers from the network to SuperStage’s internal Universe numbers.

Mapping Formula:

SuperStage Internal Universe = Network Universe - Start Universe + 1

Common Settings:

Scenario Start Universe Effect
Default (MA2/MA3 standard) 0 Network Universe 0 → SuperStage Universe 1
MA2/MA3 (Universe starts from 1) 1 Network Universe 1 → SuperStage Universe 1
Skip first 10 Universes 10 Network Universe 10 → SuperStage Universe 1

In most cases, keep the default value of 0. Only adjust when your console’s Universe numbering doesn’t align with SuperStage.

How to determine if adjustment is needed:

  1. On the console, set Universe 1, Channel 1 to 255
  2. In SuperStage Activity Monitor, check Universe 1, Channel 1
  3. If it shows 255 → alignment correct, no adjustment needed
  4. If it shows 0 → need to adjust Start Universe value

5. Output Configuration (Sending DMX Signals to External Devices)

“Output” is used to send DMX data from SuperStage (typically from Sequencer playback) to external devices (e.g., real fixtures, Art-Net nodes).

5.1 Protocol Selection

Same as Input configuration, supporting both Art-Net and sACN (E1.31) protocols.

5.2 Local IP Address

Parameter Description
Dropdown Options All available NIC IP addresses on the current computer
Default Value Empty (uses default NIC)

Select the NIC for sending DMX packets. Should select the NIC on the same subnet as the target device.

5.3 Enable Switch

Parameter Description
Type Checkbox
Default Value Checked (Enabled)
  • Checked → SuperStage can send DMX data via Art-Net / sACN
  • Unchecked → No DMX data sent to the network

Note: Even with Output enabled, data is only actually sent during Sequencer playback or other active DMX transmission operations. Simply enabling the switch does not generate additional network traffic.

5.4 Start Universe

Parameter Description
Type Integer input box (supports drag adjustment)
Range 0 - 32,767
Default Value 0

Mapping Formula (opposite direction from Input):

Network Universe = SuperStage Internal Universe + Start Universe - 1

Examples:

SuperStage Universe Start Universe Sent to Network Universe
1 0 0
1 1 1
5 0 4
5 1 5

Tip: Input and output Start Universe should usually be set to the same value to ensure consistency.

6. Remote IP Address (Send Target)

The output remote IP address (where DMX packets are sent) defaults to 255.255.255.255 (broadcast mode), meaning sent to all devices on the same subnet. sACN uses multicast transmission; no remote IP configuration needed.

Mode Remote IP Description
Broadcast (default) 255.255.255.255 All devices on the same subnet can receive
Unicast e.g., 192.168.0.100 Only sent to the specified device

Note: Remote IP can be modified in the current version through the editor settings panel (Project Settings > Plugins > SuperDMX). Default broadcast works for most scenarios.

7. Port Settings

Protocol Port Modifiable
Art-Net 6454 Fixed (Art-Net standard port)
sACN (E1.31) 5568 Fixed (ESTA standard port)

The Art-Net protocol specifies UDP port 6454; input and output share this port. The sACN protocol specifies UDP port 5568.

8. Auto-Save Configuration

All settings in the DMX configuration panel are automatically saved to the project configuration file. You don’t need to save manually.

  • Save Location: Project’s EditorPerProjectUserSettings configuration
  • Save Timing: Immediately saved and applied whenever any parameter is modified
  • Load Timing: Automatically loads the last configuration when reopening the UE editor

9. Configuration Checklist

Before starting, check your configuration against the following checklist:

  • [ ] Computer and console are connected on the same Ethernet network (same switch or router)
  • [ ] Computer and console IPs are on the same subnet (e.g., both 192.168.0.x, subnet mask 255.255.255.0)
  • [ ] Input is enabled in the DMX configuration panel
  • [ ] Local IP has the correct NIC selected (the one on the same subnet as the console)
  • [ ] Start Universe is correctly set (default 0 usually works)
  • [ ] Windows Firewall allows UE editor UDP 6454 (Art-Net) or 5568 (sACN) port communication
  • [ ] Console’s Art-Net output is enabled and the target address includes your computer’s IP (or broadcast address)

10. Troubleshooting

Issue: Activity Monitor shows no data

Check in order:

  1. Physical connection: Confirm Ethernet cable is connected, NIC indicator light is on
  2. IP configuration: Run ipconfig in command prompt, confirm your IP is on the same subnet as the console
  3. Firewall: Temporarily disable Windows Firewall for testing. If it works after disabling, add UDP 6454 (Art-Net) or 5568 (sACN) firewall allow rules
  4. Console settings: Confirm console’s Art-Net output is enabled
  5. Protocol match: Confirm console output protocol matches the protocol selected in SuperStage configuration panel (Art-Net or sACN)
  6. Local IP selection: Try switching the local IP in the configuration panel, or leave it blank (listen on all NICs)

Issue: Receiving signals but fixtures don’t move

  1. Check Universe: Does the fixture’s Universe setting match the Universe receiving signals in the Activity Monitor
  2. Check Address: Does the fixture’s Start Address match the address in the console
  3. Check Fixture Library: Is the fixture correctly associated with a Fixture Library

Issue: Signal delays

  1. Confirm using wired Ethernet (do not use WiFi)
  2. Check if other software is heavily using network bandwidth
  3. Confirm using Gigabit switch (especially for multi-Universe scenarios)

11. Advanced Settings (Project Settings)

In addition to the quick settings in the DMX configuration panel, you can find more detailed settings in UE editor’s Project Settings > Plugins > SuperDMX:

Setting Description
Protocol Network protocol (Art-Net / sACN)
Input > bEnabled Input enable switch
Input > LocalIp Local IP for input listening
Input > RemoteIp Remote IP for input (usually broadcast address)
Input > Port Input port (Art-Net: 6454 / sACN: 5568)
Input > StartUniverse Input Start Universe offset
Output > bEnabled Output enable switch
Output > LocalIp Local IP for output
Output > RemoteIp Output target remote IP
Output > Port Output port (Art-Net: 6454 / sACN: 5568)
Output > StartUniverse Output Start Universe offset

These settings are fully synchronized with the controls in the DMX configuration panel; modifying either location automatically updates the other.

Next Steps: Read 02 - Fixture Library to learn how to create and configure fixture channel definitions.