Light Stream Converter Parameters
A converter is a device that receives a network signal from the computer and distributes it through its ports to the actual fixtures. Within a Light Stream project, the converter describes where and how the data goes: which network address, which protocol, how many ports the device has, and which universes are assigned to each port.
This article covers the converter's parameters inside Light Stream. Configuring the physical device itself (its own IP, port modes, chip type) is done in a separate window and is described in the article Light Stream Converter Setup.
Converter in the Fixtures Window
All devices of 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 the ports.
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 state: it blinks while data is being sent to the converter and goes dark 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.
- The checkbox on the right — the converter's visibility.
Right-clicking the converter gives access to Rename, Delete, Duplicate and Unpatch All.
If a converter has a lock icon, it is an Internal Converter — the Player’s own built-in universes. It cannot be deleted and has fewer parameters, see the section below.
Red highlighting of a converter's or port's name indicates an addressing error: the port's fixtures don't fit into the universes allotted to it.
Adding a Converter to the Project
- Open the Fixtures window.
- Click the Add Device button (the plus sign in the lower-left corner of the window).
- Select Light Stream and the desired model — Converter 2, Converter 6 or Converter 8 LITE. The number in the name is the number of ports on the physical device.
- For equipment from other manufacturers, select Art-Net Converter and specify the number of ports: from 1 to 16.
The new converter is added to the Player currently selected in the window (or to the first one, if nothing is selected), and immediately receives a unique name, the next free IP address, and universes starting right after the universes of the previous converter. This means several converters can be added in a row without universe overlap, and edits usually come down to a single field — the IP address.
The second way is to find an already configured device on the network and add it along with its real network settings. This is described in the article Light Stream Converter Setup.
The Duplicate item creates a copy of the converter along with all its settings and copies of the fixtures patched into it. The copy gets its own name, the next free IP, and the next free universes. This is the fastest way to describe several identical devices at a venue.
Where to View 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 automatically if needed. The general structure of the Properties window is described in the article Properties.
The parameters are split into two sections: General and Universe Settings.
"General" Section
| Parameter | What it defines |
|---|---|
| Name | The converter's name in the project. Converter names on the same Player must be unique — duplicates 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 as a broadcast — to all devices on the network at once, and the IP Address field is not used in this case. Shown for the ArtNet protocol |
| Multicast | Group sending. Shown for the sACN protocol |
| IP Address | The device address the data is sent to. Must match the address set in the converter itself. Used when broadcast is off |
| Port | The network port used for sending. For Art-Net it is 6454. It should only be changed in special cases |
| Use Custom Network Interface | By default, all converters send data through the project's shared network adapter. This checkbox allows this converter to use its own |
| Network Adapter | Selecting a network adapter specifically for this converter. Applies 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 are all started and stopped with a single button.
"Universe Settings" Section
| Parameter | What it defines |
|---|---|
| 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 it to the number physically present on the device |
| Universes per Port | How many universes a single port occupies. The higher the value, the more fixtures fit in a port. The upper limit is set by the Maximum Universes per Port setting in the program settings (4 by default) |
| Send Empty Ports | Data is sent even on ports that have no fixtures at all. While the checkbox is off, an empty port sends nothing |
Two settings change the addressing of an already built project, so they should be edited deliberately:
- Start Universe shifts the universes of all the converter's fixtures by the same amount. This is convenient 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 removed 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 Start Universe 1 and one universe per port, you get: 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 as U1, U1-U2, and so on. The easiest place to check which universes you are actually using is right there — immediately 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 key allows, the program will report this on the mapping field.
Controller Type: DMX or SPI
This parameter answers one question: what to do with a fixture that doesn't fit into the remainder of a universe.
- DMX — channels go 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 ordinary DMX lines work.
- SPI — the fixture is moved entirely 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 at the venue will drift at universe boundaries.
Visibility and Data Sending
The checkbox to the right of a converter in the Fixtures window is its visibility. A disabled converter has all its ports output zeros: the fixtures at the venue go dark, but they don't disappear from the project and keep their addresses. This is convenient when you need to temporarily disable part of a venue without undoing the patching.
Visibility works as a chain, and any disabled link zeroes out the data:
- the fixture's own visibility;
- the port's visibility (the checkbox next to the port);
- the converter's visibility;
- the shared Enable Art-Net button.
If the animation is running in the program but the fixtures don't respond, check things in exactly this order, and only then the network parameters: IP Address, Broadcast, and Network Adapter.
Player's Internal Converter
The Internal Converter is the Light Stream Player’s own built-in universes. 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;
- it has no network parameters — data isn't sent over the network anywhere, the address is taken from the player itself;
- in the Properties window only Name, Start Universe and Port Count can be configured for it.
The internal converter's universes take part in the overall numbering on equal terms 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 resend the settings.
Until the settings are resent, the player retains the old universe scheme, and standalone playback will use the wrong addresses.
If Something Goes Wrong
The port or converter is highlighted in red. The fixtures don't have enough universes on the port: their last address goes out of range. Increase Universes per Port or move some of the fixtures to a neighboring port.
Universes conflict. Two converters on the same player claim the same universe numbers. 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 appended a number so the names stay distinct.
No signal. Check 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. To confirm the program is actually reaching the right box, click the converter icon — the device will blink its indicators.
The image at the venue drifts at universe boundaries. The Controller Type is most likely mismatched: a pixel line needs SPI mode.
Fixtures fell out of their ports. Check whether you decreased Port Count — fixtures from removed ports return to the lower list of the Fixtures window.