SoundMan-Server Sound to Light

[davidcoliver]

Will the SoundMan-Server do Sound to Light?
Thanks
Dave

[Mike Daniell]

Are you wanting to sync lighting cues to sound, eg by cue markers? Cue markers are not currently available when using SoundMan-Server, but I'm considering adding this functionality.

[davidcoliver]

No, I can do that by using a "control send cue" to trigger the lights.
We are starting to do some variety shows and would like to flash some lights in time with the music.

[Mike Daniell]

I achieved something like that in a recent production but with lighting controlled by SCS lighting cues (not by an external lighting board) and using BASS as the audio driver. I has a chase lighting cue set up which was triggered and stopped by cue markers in an audio file cue. I presume you would be able to set up a chase cue (if that's what you want) in your lighting board, but if using SoundMan-Server then you would have to use a relative start time for a control send sub-cue to activate the lighting board cue. SCS does not contain beat detection for audio tracks if that's what you had in mind. Hopefully the chase suggestion will help.

[davidcoliver]

Mike
I have used a  chase in the past but without some kind of synchronisation with the music it looks a bit odd. The cue marker idea is good but would need quite a few per track to look smooth and with over 20 backing tracks would be time consuming.
A que that would trigger on a certain range of frequencies would be ideal  but one that triggered on a volume level would give the beat detection you mentioned would be great?   
BTW I use SCS to control the lighting (although we do have a lighting board)
don't have the SoundMan-Server yet

[Mike Daniell]

You could try 'Monitor Tap Delay' with a chase lighting cue. See the information regarding this checkbox under Chase Lighting Cues in the SCS Help.

[davidcoliver]

Mike
Sorry I don't see how this will help.
Regards
Dave

[Mike Daniell]

I don't know everything you're trying to achieve, but with an individual track this would enable you to time the chase to match what you hear as the beat.

[davidcoliver]

The chase idea is good, can I make it advance with every beat of the music?

[BeigheyMW]

Dave,
If this is still a goal of yours, I'd like to recommend a tool that another member recommended to me recently: https://github.com/ETCLabs/Sound2Light
It's a quirky tool - I can't believe ETC put their name on it - but it's working great for my simple needs. It's specifically built to feed commands to ETC EOS/Hog consoles based on music content but you can set custom OSC command strings. I'm running it on the same laptop as SCS and they seem to get along fine. Sounds like it might work well in your situation too.
Good luck,
Mark