live music programs

For that I would say compu show with a compu show SD interface. Compu show has a program called Easy show that lets you create a timeline with a audio track and/or video track and you simply place lighting cues/scenes or switches on the timeline at the spot you want them to play for.
Welcome to the forums.
Sincerely,

I agree. I am using Compu Show with an SD+ interface. I'm using it to create a light show that goes to a film, which is the background for a shadowcast/performance-cast group. Make your scenes, switches and cycles, drop them in and you're fine.

In my case, I'm taking it a step further. Playback video is generated by a workstation running Sony Vegas, which is also generated MTC. CompuShow's Easy Show program is reading the MTC and using that to sync things up. On top of that, Easy Show is also sending the MTC back out of the MIDI interface, that I hard loop to the other MIDI IN, so my MTCVideoSlave software can run an alternate projection program.

I could have Compu Show's Easy Show run the side projection at this point, but I use the monitor window to track things like when to call light cues so I can help direct the Spot OPs, check sync with a timecode display(hard burned into the video), and the other stuff I've embedded into the video. I'd prefer to have MTC's VideoSlave run the side projections, even if it's on the same machine.

What's also cool is you can have all your song in one timeline, tell Easy Show to STOP at marks, and your lighting guy can just bump around based on the order you want. I also thing there's some elements where you can assign hot-keys to trigger songs, which in turn drive your lighting show.

i need something affordable, the price seems to be a little over my budget

Well. what your trying to do is advanced and not cheap. I would say if your cost rises charge a little bit more each show you do.
Sincerely,

Well, there are other somewhat more affordable solutions. If you're willing to do extensive MIDI programming, you can bring a laptop to play your backing tracks with MID programming to control your lights and use the American DJ Product: MyDMX.

Been there, done that. It works, I don't recommend going that way. I do recommend the MyDMX product, but not for this application.

Now, on the other hand, if you can do things stop-watch style, you can hope you press PLAY on your chained scenes(or massive multi-step scene) and hope for the best.

Again, been there, done that, ran an almost 2 hour shadowcast/performance cast production with it. Yes, it CAN be done. It SHOULD not bedone. Again MyDMX.

Or, I can go with Compu Show. I redid the above mentioned show with Compu Show in about 5 days from zilch to complete. It took me really about 2 months to get the show right the first time using MyDMX, and even then, the show evolved. With Compu Show, it makde my life that much easier. Show is next week, by the way.

Yeah, it set me back quite a bit. I had to weigh that against what I do, how I do things, and how best to use my time including placing better vaule to my time.

Affordable? That's always a debatable question. Business justified the purchase. Sure, big ouch, but as I use Compu Show more and more every day(almost), I get better at it. And I want to just focus on the sound aspect for my company, because I am a sound, lighting, video and recording production company.

I have both MyDMX and Compu Show. I like both, but both have their unique niches. I also plan to learn the rest of Elation's product line as well. I'm not getting rid of MyDMX just because I now have and use Compu Show. But I feel that Compu Show is really what you need.

There might be some free or cheap products out there that can handle this for you, but keep in mind lack of support and you really will get what you pay for.

I really like the Compu Show product. A lot!

Forget MyDMX! I have used both that and the Compulive interface/software and there is no comparison IMO. SO many glitches and problems using midi with MyDMX and so far none with Compulive. Pay the extra money and you will NOT be sorry!

Well, I have both. Both have a place, as I said.

If I gotta thrust something upon an unfamiliar DJ, I can train them on MyDMX in 30 seconds. It works.

Right now I'm preparing for a show and using Compu Show. After the show April 30th, I'll start learning Compu Show. I won't argue the value. Compu Show has already proven it's worth.

Hi jno4shiz,

My band does what you're describing using Compu Live... I created the scenes/switches and assigned each one a MIDI trigger.

During the live show, I use Reaper to run the click track and any additional audio tracks (optional). I have a MIDI track aligned with it all that includes the lighting cues, and I use LoopBe1 (http://www.nerds.de/) to send the MIDI from Reaper to Compu Live.

It took quite a while to get it all figured out and dialed in, but now that our system is in place it works extremely well, and on an indie band budget!

Good luck with your projects!