What is DMXpressions?

DMXpressions is a state-of-the-art, browser-based stage lighting console and 3D visualizer. It runs entirely in your web browser, controlling up to 128 DMX-512 universes over Art-Net and sACN. You can patch fixtures, build cue stacks, program effects and pixel maps, generate looks with AI, preview your rig in the StageCraft3D WebGPU visualizer, and send real DMX to your lights — with no install and no dongle.

Do I need to install anything?

No. DMXpressions runs in any modern browser (Chrome and Edge recommended). You can optionally install it as a Progressive Web App for an offline-capable, app-like experience, but no drivers or downloads are required.

Which browsers and devices are supported?

DMXpressions works best in Chrome and Edge on Windows, macOS, ChromeOS and Android, and is supported on Safari and Firefox. The StageCraft3D visualizer uses WebGPU where available and falls back to WebGL2. It runs on laptops, desktops, tablets and phones.

What hardware do I need to control real lights?

Any USB-DMX interface that exposes a serial port works, such as the ENTTEC Open DMX and DMXKing. For network output you can send DMX to any standard Art-Net or sACN lighting node on your LAN — no extra software required.

How many universes can DMXpressions output?

Up to 128 universes of DMX input and output. The number you can send live depends on your license — the free demo outputs 1 universe, and paid licenses unlock 8, 16, 32, 64 or 128 universes.

Does it support Art-Net and sACN?

Yes. DMXpressions sends and receives genuine DMX-512 over your lighting network using both Art-Net and sACN (E1.31), so it works with the nodes, dimmers and moving lights you already have.

What is the StageCraft3D Visualizer?

StageCraft3D is a native WebGPU render engine that previews your rig in real time with volumetric raymarched beams, physically-based haze and fog, true photometric falloff, gobo wheels, framing shutters and prisms — pixel-accurate to the real fixtures.

Can the lights react to music?

Yes. AudioLens makes your rig respond to live sound with beat-, band- and energy-reactive effects driven by any audio input.

Does DMXpressions have AI features?

Yes. The AI Scene Builder turns a plain-language description into full scenes, colour palettes and cues in seconds, giving you a fast starting point you can refine by hand.

Is DMXpressions a subscription?

No. There is no subscription. Licenses are one-time payments for lifetime access, including all future updates. You own it once.

How does the free Demo work?

The free demo outputs 1 universe of live DMX for private use. The 3D visualizer and multi-universe output are reserved for paid licenses, but you can build and save a full show in demo mode before buying.

Can I use it at a venue with unreliable internet?

Yes. Once the page loads, the console works fully offline. Cloud sync and purchases require a connection, but live DMX output does not — your show keeps running even if the internet drops.

DMXpressions professional browser-based stage lighting console with a live stage of moving lights and haze

Reference · 11 min read

Stage Lighting Glossary

This glossary defines the essential stage-lighting and DMX vocabulary in plain language — the terms you'll meet in fixture manuals, on lighting desks and in the DMXpressions console — so you can read any lighting documentation with confidence.

A colourful stage lighting rig with crossing beams through haze

A–C

Address: the starting DMX channel a fixture listens from.
Art-Net: a protocol that carries DMX universes over Ethernet.
Attribute: a controllable property of a fixture (dimmer, pan, colour, gobo).
Blackout: instantly taking all output to zero.
Bump: momentarily flashing a look on while a button is held.
Busking: operating a show live and improvised, without a fixed cue stack.
Chase: a repeating sequence of steps, e.g. lights flashing in order.
CMY: subtractive colour mixing using cyan, magenta and yellow flags.
Colour temperature: the warmth/coolness of white light, in kelvin.
Cue: a recorded lighting state with fade times.
Cue stack: an ordered list of cues you step through with GO.

D–G

DMX-512: the standard protocol; 512 channels per universe.
Dimmer: the channel controlling a fixture's intensity.
Fade time: how long a cue takes to transition.
Fixture: any controllable lighting device.
Footprint: how many DMX channels a fixture uses.
Frost: a filter that softens a beam's edge.
Gobo: a patterned disc that projects a shape or texture.
GDTF: an open standard file format for fixture profiles.
Group: a saved selection of fixtures controlled together.

H–P

Haze / fog: atmospheric particles that make beams visible in air.
Highlight: temporarily bringing selected fixtures to full to find them.
Intensity: brightness, usually 0–100%.
Iris: a mechanism that shrinks or grows the beam diameter.
MVR: a file bundling GDTF fixtures with their positions and patch.
Node: a device converting network data to physical DMX.
OSC: Open Sound Control — a flexible protocol for remote triggering.
Pan / Tilt: horizontal and vertical movement of a moving head.
Par: a simple, punchy wash fixture.
Patch: assigning fixtures to addresses and universes.
Pixel mapping: controlling LEDs individually as a low-res screen.
Preset / palette: a stored single attribute (colour, position, gobo).
Prism: a beam-splitting effect that multiplies the beam.

Q–Z

RGBW: LED colour mixing adding a white emitter to red, green and blue.
sACN (E1.31): the ANSI standard for DMX over IP using multicast.
Shutter / strobe: rapid on/off flashing of a fixture.
SMPTE timecode: a time signal used to lock cues to media.
Snap: an instant (zero-time) change.
Terminator: a 120-ohm plug on the last device of a DMX line.
Tracking: a console mode where values hold until changed.
Universe: one DMX line of 512 channels.
Wash: a soft, wide beam for coverage.
Zoom: adjusting a fixture's beam angle from tight to wide.

Want the practical side? Start with What is DMX-512? or learn to program your first show.

Keep reading

What Is DMX-512? A Beginner's Guide Art-Net vs sACN: Which Should You Use?How Many DMX Universes Do You Need?How to Program Your First Lighting Show

← All guides