Light Stream Converter Parameters

A converter is a device that receives a network signal from the computer and distributes it across its ports to the actual fixtures. In a Light Stream project, the converter describes where and how the data is sent: at what network address, using which protocol, how many ports the device has, and which universes are assigned to each port.

This article covers the converter's parameters within Light Stream. Configuring the physical device itself (its own IP address, port modes, chip type) is done in a separate window and is described in the article Настройка Light Stream Converter.

The Converter in the Fixtures Window

All devices in the project live in the upper part of the Fixtures window. The structure is always the same: Light Stream Player → converters → converter ports → fixtures in ports. The lower part of the same window holds the list of fixtures that haven't been patched anywhere yet.

The converter row reads left to right:

• The arrow expands and collapses the list of ports.
• The converter icon — clicking it sends an identify command to the device: the real converter blinks its indicators for a few seconds. This makes it easier to find the right box in the rack. The command is sent to the address set in the parameters.
• The indicator next to the icon shows the sending status: it blinks while data is being sent to the converter, and goes out when sending is stopped.
• The converter's name. Changed by double-clicking or via right-click → Rename.
• The IP address the data is sent to. Clicking it selects all fixtures of this converter at once — handy when you need to quickly find them on the mapping.
• The checkbox on the right — the converter's visibility.

Right-clicking a converter gives access to Rename, Delete, Duplicate and Unpatch All.

If a converter has a lock icon, it is the Internal Converter — the built-in universes of the Player itself. It cannot be deleted, and it has fewer parameters, see the section below.

A red highlight on the converter's or port's name indicates an addressing error. There are three possible causes: the port's fixtures don't fit into the universes allotted to it, the channels of fixtures within the port overlap each other, or the port's universes coincide with the universes of another converter on the same player.

Adding a Converter to the Project

1. Open the Fixtures window.
2. Click the Add Device button (the plus sign on the window's bottom panel).
3. Select Light Stream and the model you need — Converter 2, Converter 6 or Converter 8 LITE. The number in the name is the number of ports on the physical device.
4. For equipment from other manufacturers, select Art-Net Converter and the number of ports: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 16. If you need a different number, set it afterwards with the Port Count parameter.

The new converter is added to the Player that is selected in the window (or to the first one, if nothing is selected), and immediately gets a unique name, an IP address one higher than the last converter of that player (or than the player itself, if there are no converters yet), and universes starting right after the universes of the previous converter. Thanks to this, several converters can be added one after another without universe overlaps, and edits usually come down to a single field — the IP address.

Light Stream converters are created with two universes per port, Art-Net Converter with one. If needed, this is changed with the Universes per Port parameter.

The second way is to find an already configured device on the network and add it together with its real network settings. This is described in the article Настройка Light Stream Converter.

The Duplicate item creates a copy of the converter together with all its settings and copies of the fixtures patched into it. The copy gets its own name, the next IP address and the next free universes. This is the fastest way to describe several identical devices on a site.

Where to Find the Parameters

Select a converter in the Fixtures window — its parameters will appear in the Properties window. There are no OK or Apply buttons: the value is applied immediately, and data sending restarts by itself if needed. The general layout of the Properties window is described in the article Properties.

The parameters are split into two sections: General and Universe Settings.

The "General" Section

Parameter	What it sets
Name	The converter's name in the project. Names of converters on the same Player must be different — identical names interfere with exporting settings to the Player. If the entered name is already taken, the program automatically appends a number to it. The characters / ? # [ ] @ ! $ & ' ( ) * + , ; " < > % { } ^ ` are not accepted in names
Protocol	ArtNet or sACN — which protocol the data is sent over. Chosen to match what the physical device understands
Controller Type	DMX or SPI. Determines how the port's fixtures are laid out across universes, see the section below
Broadcast	Data is sent to all devices on the network at once; the IP Address field is not used in this case
Multicast	The same mode under the name of group sending. The Broadcast and Multicast checkboxes control the same setting and are enabled together: with the ArtNet protocol this is broadcast sending, with sACN it is multicast
IP Address	The address of the device the data is sent to. Must match the address set in the converter itself. Used when broadcast is disabled
Port	The network port used for sending, 6454 by default — the standard Art-Net port. It should only be changed in special cases. With the sACN protocol the field is not used: this protocol works on its own standard port
Use Custom Network Interface	By default all converters send data through the project's shared network adapter. The checkbox allows this converter to work through its own
Network Adapter	Selecting the network adapter specifically for this converter. Active when the custom network interface is enabled

The project's shared network adapter and the shared Enable Art-Net button are located in the program settings, in the Network section (see Settings). There is no need to enable each converter separately: they all start and stop with a single button.

The "Universe Settings" Section

Parameter	What it sets
Start Universe	The universe number of the first port. The universes of the remaining ports are counted from it in order
Port Count	How many ports the converter has in the project. Set as many as the device physically has
Universes per Port	How many universes one port occupies. The higher the value, the more fixtures fit into a port. The upper limit is set by the Max Universes per Port setting in the Network section of the program settings (4 by default)
Send Empty Ports	Data is sent even over ports that have no fixtures in them. While the checkbox is off, an empty port sends nothing and takes up no space in exported composition files

Two settings change the addressing of an already assembled project, so they should be edited deliberately:

• Start Universe shifts the universes of all the converter's fixtures by the same amount. This is handy when you need to move an entire device within the overall addressing scheme, but after the shift the fixtures will end up in different universes.
• Decreasing Port Count removes the extra ports along with their patching: fixtures from the deleted ports return to the lower list of the Fixtures window unpatched. The fixtures themselves and their position on the mapping are not lost.

How Port Universes Are Calculated

A port's universe number is not set manually. It is calculated using the formula:

port universe = Start Universe + (port number − 1) × Universes per Port

For example, for a converter with a Start Universe of 1 and one universe per port, this gives: Port 1 — universe 1, Port 2 — universe 2, Port 3 — universe 3. If you set two universes per port, Port 1 will occupy universes 1 and 2, Port 2 — 3 and 4, Port 3 — 5 and 6.

The occupied universes are labeled right in the port's row in the Fixtures window: U1 if there is a single universe, and U1 U2, U3 U4 and so on — one label per universe of the port. The easiest place to check which universes you're actually using is right there — right after changing Start Universe or Universes per Port.

The number of universes in a project is limited by the license. If the total number of universes exceeds what the dongle allows, the program will report this right on the mapping field, and DMX data will not be sent.

Controller Type: DMX or SPI

The parameter answers a single question: what to do with a fixture that doesn't fit into the remainder of a universe.

• DMX — channels flow as a continuous stream. A fixture that starts at the end of a universe continues at the beginning of the next one. This is how regular DMX lines work.
• SPI — the fixture as a whole is moved to the next universe, and the remainder of the previous one is left unused. This is how pixel lines work: a single pixel cannot be split between two universes.

The value should be set before patching fixtures: changing the type recalculates the addresses of all the converter's fixtures. If the physical device's ports are switched to SPI mode, the converter in the project must also be set to SPI — otherwise the image on the venue will drift with an offset at universe boundaries.

Visibility and Data Sending

The checkbox to the right of the converter in the Fixtures window is its visibility. When a converter is disabled, all its ports output zeros: the fixtures on the venue go dark, but they don't go anywhere in the project and keep their addresses. This is handy when you need to temporarily disable a part of the venue without undoing the patching.

Visibility works as a chain, and any disabled link zeroes out the data:

1. the fixture's own visibility;
2. the port's visibility (the checkbox next to the port);
3. the converter's visibility;
4. the shared Enable Art-Net button.

If the animation is running in the program but the fixtures don't respond, check in exactly this order, and only then the network parameters: IP Address, Broadcast and Network Adapter.

The Player's Internal Converter

The Internal Converter is the built-in universes of the Light Stream Player itself. It appears in the list when the Use Internal Converter parameter is enabled in the player's properties, and is marked with a lock icon.

It differs from a regular converter in that:

• it cannot be deleted or duplicated — its context menu only has Rename left;
• it has no network parameters: data is sent over Art-Net to the player's own IP address, and that address cannot be edited;
• in the Properties window only Name, Start Universe and Port Count can be configured for it; a port always occupies exactly one universe and works in DMX mode;
• it can have no more than four ports. For Player the internal converter is created with one port, for Player V2 — with four right away.

The internal converter's universes take part in the overall numbering on equal footing with the rest and likewise must not overlap with the universes of other converters.

After Changing Parameters

The converters' network settings and universes are part of the settings that get sent to the Light Stream Player. As soon as you change something in them, an orange warning icon lights up next to the player's name in the Fixtures window. Clicking it offers to open the player's properties and send the settings again.

Until the settings are sent again, the player keeps the old universe scheme, and standalone playback will use the wrong addresses.

If Something Goes Wrong

A port or converter is highlighted red. The fixtures don't have enough universes on the port: their last address goes out of bounds. Increase Universes per Port or move some of the fixtures to a neighboring port. Fixtures whose channels overlap each other within the port are also highlighted red — here the Recalculate Fixture Addresses item in the port's context menu helps.

Universes are conflicting. Two converters on the same player claim the same universe numbers, and both are highlighted red. Shift the Start Universe of one of them so the ranges don't overlap; remember that a converter occupies Port Count × Universes per Port universes in a row.

The name changed by itself. That name is already taken by another converter — the program added a number to keep the names distinct.

No signal. Check the visibility along the whole chain, then the converter's IP Address (it must match the real device's address), the state of Broadcast, and the selected network adapter. Clicking the converter icon helps confirm that the program is reaching the right box — the device will blink its indicators.

The image on the venue drifts at universe boundaries. Most likely the Controller Type doesn't match: a pixel line needs SPI mode.

Fixtures have come out of their ports. Check whether you decreased Port Count — fixtures from deleted ports return to the lower list of the Fixtures window.

See Also

• Настройка Light Stream Converter
• Light Stream Player Settings
• Patching Fixtures
• Properties
• Settings
• Fixture Kinds and Types
• Exporting Compositions
• Terminology