Outputs Dialog
Every control in the Outputs dialog, where DMX outputs are added and configured.
Open from Edit > Outputs. This is where you add, enable, and configure the Art-Net and sACN outputs a project transmits on. The left pane lists every configured output; the right pane edits the one you select. Outputs are stored per project inside the .slp file.
For the walkthrough of wiring a network and getting an output transmitting, see Set Up Art-Net and sACN Output.
Related concept: Output explains what an output does, the two protocols, and the universe model this dialog exposes. Read it for the why; this page is the what.
Outputs list
The left pane lists your outputs. Each row shows an enable switch, the output's name, its protocol, and edit and delete actions. Selecting a row opens that output in the editor on the right. With no output configured, the list reads No outputs and the editor prompts you to add one.
Adding an output
The list toolbar has two add buttons, Art-Net and sACN. Click one to create an output of that protocol, already set to sensible defaults and selected for editing. Add as many as you need; every enabled output transmits at once, which is how a rig runs on two protocols in parallel or feeds a primary and a backup path.
Enabled
The Enabled switch on each row turns transmission for that output on or off without deleting it. Disabling an output is how you park a path, or switch a rig between Art-Net and sACN by toggling one output off and another on.
Name and protocol columns
Name is the label you give the output. The Protocol column shows Art-Net or sACN, with an offline marker when the output's bound network interface is not currently present.
Editing and deleting
Use the pencil action on a row, or click the row, to edit. The trash action removes the output.
Output settings
Selecting an output fills the editor on the right. The top fields apply to both protocols; protocol-specific settings follow underneath.
Name
A free-text label for the output. It appears in the list and helps tell several outputs apart.
Protocol
Switches the output between Art-Net and sACN (E1.31). Changing the protocol replaces the protocol-specific settings below with that protocol's defaults, so switch before you fine-tune the lower fields.
Network Interface
The network card the output sends from. Default (System) lets the operating system choose, which is fine on a single-interface machine; on a multi-interface host, pick the exact interface so output leaves the right card and Art-Net broadcast uses that card's subnet. If the selected interface is offline, the editor says so and the output starts sending once it reconnects.
Universe Offset
A signed number that shifts every universe the output sends before it reaches the wire. A new output already carries the correct default for its protocol, so most shows leave it alone. The editor shows a live preview reading Patch universe N to (protocol) universe M, and flags a mapping the protocol cannot carry, for example an sACN universe below 1, with the value to use instead.
Change the offset only to align with a receiver that expects different universe numbers. It is not for converting between numbering bases; Spectralite does that automatically. The full model is in Output.
Universe range filter
Off by default, so the output sends every patched universe. Turn on Universe range filter to restrict output to a span, entered as 1-based patch universes (start and end). The filter is applied to the patch universe before the offset.
Art-Net settings
These fields appear when the output's protocol is Art-Net.
Network Mode
How the output reaches the network:
- Broadcast (default) sends to every device on the subnet in one burst per frame.
- Unicast sends directly to specific device IPs, set per fixture rather than on the output.
In unicast, destinations come from each fixture's Target IP in the Fixtures panel; the output has no receiver-IP field, and a fixture with no target set receives nothing.
ArtSync Frames
On by default. Sends an ArtSync packet after each frame so receivers commit multi-universe updates at the same instant. Leave it on unless a receiver misbehaves with sync.
Limited-broadcast ArtSync
A sub-option available when ArtSync Frames is on and the mode is Broadcast or Unicast. It sends the ArtSync packet to 255.255.255.255 for fixtures that ignore the standard sync broadcast. Only the sync packet is affected; the DMX data is unchanged.
sACN settings
These fields appear when the output's protocol is sACN.
Source Name
The name shown in sACN receivers, up to 64 characters.
Priority
A value from 0 to 200, default 100. When several sources target the same universe, the higher priority wins. The field caps at 200 because E1.31 does not allow a higher value.
Preview mode
Sets the E1.31 preview-data flag so receivers know the feed is a dry run and should not drive live output. Use it to program a look without lighting the rig.
Synchronisation universe
Off by default. When on, the output emits a sync packet on the chosen universe each frame so receivers commit multi-universe updates together, the sACN counterpart to ArtSync.
Component ID (CID)
A read-only, auto-generated identifier that persists across restarts. Receivers key off it to recognize the source as the same one over time, so it is shown for reference and cannot be edited.
Related
- Output - the universe model and protocol concepts
- Set Up Art-Net and sACN Output - the step-by-step setup
- Understanding DMX - channels, universes, and addresses
- Inputs - the receiving side, control surfaces and signal sources