VIRTUAL SFX LABModule 1 Wave Studio · Explo X2 Wave Flame
Back to Demo VISUAL ONLY
StageVISUAL REHEARSAL ONLY
F01 · Sequence 001
Preset playback · no live input
1 / 16
1 selectedCtrl-click to toggle · Drag empty stage to box-select
FRONT ELEVATIONPREVIEW
55%
sPreset 1.79 s
0.00 / 2.89 s
F01 emission
LOCAL VISUAL PLAYBACK

Playback bank 01–20

VISUAL ONLY

No console or USB required. Choose a cue/chase on any fader, or check its DMX box to drive the assigned virtual channel instead. Keep MASTER above zero. Live Input remains separate.

Local playback controls
Record targets: F01
MASTER
All local playbacks + flashes

User macros

0 / 64 cues

Select a fixture, then choose its preset.

All twenty faders accept cue or chase assignments. Check DMX to drive a virtual channel instead.

Type a whole value 0–255 in any fader’s value box, then press Enter or leave the box to apply. Escape cancels. 0 releases; 255 is full. The smaller readout shows the equivalent percentage. A held flash temporarily overrides the fader.

Multi-selection: the next fader or flash operation plays the same cue look / DMX parameter on every selected unit. Wheel over a fader to change level; wheel over a DMX number to browse unused channels. Live Input ignores selection.

Virtual DMX: no channels selected.

Console mapping disconnected. Physical DMX output is not implemented; this receiver remains visual-only.

Playback, chase & virtual DMX controls

All twenty faders have the same dropdown: Unassigned, Multi-unit chase, or a recorded cue. Faders 1 and 2 no longer have fixed roles. Use selected captures each selected unit’s preset, not its position, Invert or angle limits. A chase assignment exposes order, BPM, direction, width, gate and preset in Settings; chase settings are shared by chase assignments.

The checkbox next to each DMX channel selects priority. Unchecked: play the dropdown cue/chase. Checked: bypass that cue and write 0–255 to the assigned channel in the in-memory virtual universe. The readout shows the raw byte. No network or USB output is sent. Set Virtual U to the fixture’s universe (Virtual U1 corresponds to stored port-address 0). Channels without a checked fader are zero. If any checked channel overlaps a fixture’s six-channel patch, that entire fixture follows the virtual frame instead of cue playback; other fixtures keep cues. Switching priority or changing an active DMX address resets the fader to zero.

Virtual DMX uses the existing six-channel model, including mode/arm, program and trigger requirements; one channel alone does not make a complete fixture command. The monitor shows the active unit's six values. Initial high triggers are ignored until a low value is seen. The time-adjustment control does not retime virtual DMX, and cue Play/Pause does not freeze DMX-controlled fixtures. Release all sets every fader to zero.

Both play-symbol and white-sun buttons are momentary flashes at 100% by default: hold to output the assignment and release to restore the underlying level. In virtual DMX mode 100% writes 255 to that channel, which may be a mode or program byte rather than intensity. Settings changes the flash level. Cue flashes bypass cue delays/fades, not MASTER.

MASTER scales rendered brightness for all local cues, chases and virtual DMX, including flashes. It does not scale DMX control bytes, change Presets, or affect Live Input. F1–F12 run assignable local actions. Direct Live Input disables the local bank and continues to follow incoming Vista fixture data, independently of the priority checkboxes. Optional console mapping can still operate unchecked cue/chase faders from incoming sACN; it does not drive checked virtual-channel faders.

Save layout includes cues, timing, dropdown assignments, priority checkboxes, chase, macros and channel mappings. Loading starts released and disconnected. Hiding the tab releases playbacks. On narrow screens, scroll the fader bank sideways to reach up to twenty strips. No physical output or universal console compatibility is claimed.

Reference & rendering notes

VIRTUAL SFX LAB · MODULE 1 · WAVE STUDIO

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Thanks for rehearsing with Wave Studio. The free demo on the landing page stays open forever. The full studio — 40 units, 88 presets, virtual faders, cue stacks, layouts and the First Guide — is a one-time purchase.

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WINDOWS OR MAC APP

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Cue timing

Delay runs once when the fader starts. Fade in + hold + fade out form each loop. Preset motion repeats within that window. Lowering a cue fader to zero uses its fade-out; flash release and Release all remain immediate. Flash buttons bypass cue delays/fades. These are visual timing controls only.

Assign macro

Assigns one local playback action. This does not import or edit Vista macros. Physical EX buttons must be assigned in Vista to output the mapped control channels. Keyboard shortcuts work only while this page has focus.

Vista / grandMA console mapping

Configurable incoming sACN channels, not direct USB console detection. In Vista, assign faders/buttons to matching output channels on a dedicated rehearsal universe. Works only through the local receiver; no claim of universal console compatibility.

Set channel 0 to leave a control unmapped. Each mapped channel must be unique. Buttons: below 128 = released, 128–255 = pressed. Faders: 0–255 = 0–100%. After connect or signal loss, return controls to zero/low before bringing them up.

This mode replaces direct fixture-DMX visualization. Control data drives the local fader bank only. It does not send data to the Chroma-Q USB interface or physical fixtures.

Playback settings

New layouts: faders 1–6 default to DMX; 7–10 to Cue. Save applies these defaults now and releases this fader. Save layout keeps them; Load layout restores them at zero. The strip’s DMX checkbox is a temporary mode override. Renaming a strip label also updates its default label. A DMX default requires an assigned channel.

DMX Patch

Any address 1–512 in any universe 1–32768; 0 leaves the fader unassigned. An address may be used once per universe. Visual only: the fader drives the virtual unit patched at that universe/address — nothing is transmitted.

Per wheel event: default 1%. Shift uses one tenth of this step, with a 0.1% minimum. This fader only.

Each step retriggers the preset; the gate cuts visual emission at the chosen fraction of the step. Longer presets may be cut short. “All units” follows their current stage positions.

Live input receiver setup

Wave Studio listens for standard sACN (ANSI E1.31 Final and Draft, multicast or unicast) and Art-Net through the local receiver, so any console or software that outputs either protocol can drive the flamers. Pick your console for the output steps; the receiver sections below apply to all of them. The desktop receiver has the same choice — Console drop-down in the Windows app, numbered menu in the Mac launcher, --console on the command line — and this dialog opens on that console’s tab when the receiver is running.

Vista 3 show file

A ready-made Vista 3 show with the Explo X2 Wave Flame fixtures patched to match this layout: Vista 3 Explo Layout (.v3s, 0.6 MB). Open it in Vista 3 (File → Open), confirm the sACN output universes match the receiver below, and the cues you play in Vista will drive the flamers here. The same file is behind the Vista 3 Layout File button in the toolbar.

macOS receiver

Extract the Mac package and double-click Virtual SFX Lab.command. Requires Python 3.10+; no pip packages. Terminal shows a numbered menu: preview, sACN or Art-Net from Vista 3, sACN from grandMA3, sACN from grandMA2, Art-Net from a grandMA, or sACN from another console; Return keeps the same-computer Vista / sACN default, with universes 1,2,3,4. Choose this Mac’s local IPv4 interface matching Vista; the launcher cannot read Vista’s selection automatically. Use the local page it opens, then select Live sACN. The receiver leaves Art-Net UDP 6454 untouched. For other modes, explicitly launch python3 mac_launcher.py --menu. With Vista on another computer, use the receiving Mac’s IP, not the sender’s IP.

Manual-only preview: open the included Wave Studio Preview.html, without Python. All current fixture controls and saved layouts are included. This is a source package, not a signed/notarized app; native macOS and Vista testing is still required. See START-HERE.md in the ZIP. Keep real flame hardware disconnected from the rehearsal network.

macOS app · $29.99 CAD one-time plus applicable tax for one computer. Price subject to change as updates continue.

Windows receiver

Console software on the same PC (Vista, grandMA onPC): use sACN. In the Windows app choose the Console (Vista 3, grandMA3, grandMA2 or other), keep Input mode on sACN, pick the console’s interface IPv4 and press Start receiver; the status line names the console it is waiting for. The hosted preview and standalone HTML need the local Windows receiver for live input. Keep real flame hardware disconnected from the rehearsal network.

  1. Extract the updated package. Install Python 3.10+ for Windows if needed. No pip packages are required.
  2. Stop the old receiver with Ctrl+C. Double-click Start-Wave-Studio-sACN.cmd (Vista) or Start-Wave-Studio-grandMA.cmd (grandMA3 / grandMA2). Enter the IPv4 address the console software outputs on (Vista’s Network preferences, grandMA3 Menu → Network, grandMA2 Setup → Network); this chooses the multicast interface. Keep the console open.
  3. In Vista’s Connect Universes → Add Network Connection, choose Streaming ACN / sACN, universe 1, priority 100. Assign the intended Vista universe and enable that output. Do not wait for a discovered Wave Studio node: this mode has no Art-Net discovery.
  4. Use the local page at http://127.0.0.1:8765. Select Live sACN. Set each fixture’s sACN universe to 1 and its six-channel start address to match Vista.
  5. Allow Python’s UDP 5568 input on the trusted/private rehearsal network if prompted. The receiver leaves UDP 6454 untouched. If packets remain at zero, check the selected interface, universe and firewall; Windows/Vista acceptance testing is still required.

Windows app · $29.99 CAD one-time plus applicable tax for one computer. Price subject to change as updates continue.

sACN settings

Subscribes to universes 1, 2, 3, 4 by default. Custom example: py -3 receiver.py --protocol sacn --console grandma3 --interface 192.168.137.1 --universes 1,2,5 (--console vista | grandma3 | grandma2 | other). Replace the IP with your actual local Vista interface. Up to 16 subscriptions, in the supported range 1–32768. Existing layout slot 0 displays as sACN universe 1; fixture channels and positions stay unchanged. Changing a patch does not change subscriptions; relaunch for additional universes.

Art-Net on a separate PC

Start-Wave-Studio.cmd retains Art-Net input and discovery. Do not use it alongside Vista or grandMA onPC on the same Windows PC: both need UDP 6454. Art-Net port address is 15-bit (Net·256 + Sub-Net·16 + Universe = grandMA3 “Art-Net Absolute”); Wave Studio layout slot 0 is port address 0. A separate receiver PC can advertise Wave Studio on ports 0–3 for Vista to discover.

Supported profile

Standard Explo DMX512, six channels, CH5 “new”, carried over sACN or Art-Net. Channel order: angle, speed, trigger, opening time, program, mode. Not Easy DMX, legacy CH5 or Pyroemotions.

Visualization limits

Preset selection follows the published DMX ranges. Head speed between values 1–254 is approximate; 0 and 255 follow the received angle. Mechanical travel, pressure build-up, fuel, safety interlocks, ArtSync and multiple-source merging are not simulated. Sequence effects finish after a trigger; leaving the armed-value range or losing input cancels the visual effect. These are not guarantees of real-device behavior.

In sACN mode there are no outbound application UDP packets; Windows manages multicast membership traffic. In Art-Net mode, only ArtPollReply discovery responses are sent, never ArtDmx or firing commands. Remote ArtAddress reconfiguration is not supported.

Discovery replies are delayed slightly and unicast to the requesting controller. They identify this prototype as a virtual node, not an Explo or Chroma-Q device. Vista and grandMA interoperability still need testing on your installation. On connection or signal recovery, reset the trigger low before raising it.

See the included START-HERE.md for patching examples, troubleshooting and test limitations. Documentation: Explo manual §11, sequence values, and Vista setup documentation.