Who else here uses Wolfmix for their live band?

[SimonS]

Hi everyone,

Who else here uses Wolfmix for their live band?

I use Wolfmix because I play the saxophone while controlling the lights at the same time. Beacause we are not using time code in our band, wolfmix is a really nice thing to put on the stage and is not using a lot of space. To make the controlling the lights for live bands with different setlist even more efficient – and since I work as an Embedded Engineer – I want to develop my own device, which is working with Wolfmix. Here are my two ideas:

- Foot pedal with a display for each button: Each button should be customizable with text or symbols, so you always know what function you’re triggering. Additionally, the button assignments should change per song, meaning each song has its own dedicated page. The control should work via DMX, MIDI, or directly through WLINK (I’m currently reverse-engineering it).

- Compact control device for song management: A small device that can be easily mounted and allows quick access to stored presets in the correct order for each song. It should enable stepping forward or back if needed. Songs should be easily rearrangeable according to the setlist. This should also be controllable to Wolfmix via DMX, MIDI, or WLINK.

What do you think of these ideas? Would this be useful for anyone else? Are there any engineers among you who would be interested in collaborating on such a project? How are you managing your lighting for each song on the wolfmix?

[nXt LeveL]

We do! With the footcontrol VC-Touch and OnSong with a midi command per song on the iPad. The iPad connect to the VC-Touch by Bluetooth. Bluetooth is build in, in the VC-Touch. Very easy and every song has it’s own presets, programmed in the Wolfmix.

[billy.schmidt3]

Keep me posted i would love to see where this goes

I have a production company and am looking to use the Wolfmix for events that we do with live bands, i posted recently about trying to connect multiple USB midi devices

I also play in a band that is looking to pick up some momentum by next year and I am currently building a system that will most likely include Wolmix as the brain, I play guitar but would love to be able to control the lights while Im playing, I would need a system just like your describing!!

[Laserbear]

Hi Bill. I use my wolfmix for lighting live music only. I’ve dabbled in music for years, understand it on a technical level, but never have experienced the flow and creativity to play lead or the ear training to play out. But I’ve transitioned into creating live light shows. I’ve been to hundreds of jam band shows and dozens of festivals and I find I really enjoy recreating that big fun stage environment in a small space.

I feel lucky to have gotten into it right as the wolfmix was becoming available, as it was the high end of my budget and I didn’t need to also buy a laptop. Turns out it’s the coolest little light board out there. So yeah, I use my wolfmix with a fader board, have my own mobile rig, and cater to bands that want more than a basic stage wash. I’m not running lights from the stage, however a buddy and were joking about doing just that with a midi enabled keytar.

[SimonS]

We do! With the footcontrol VC-Touch and OnSong with a midi command per song on the iPad. The iPad connect to the VC-Touch by Bluetooth. Bluetooth is build in, in the VC-Touch. Very easy and every song has it’s own presets, programmed in the Wolfmix.

Hi nXt LeveL!
Thanks a lot for the info and for sharing how you manage it. So, on the VC-Touch, there is one page per song, and you control it via OnSong on your iPad—did I get that right? That’s really smart! Thanks for the idea.

What I’ve found is that using more than four foot buttons isn’t that easy when playing and controlling the lights at the same time. How is that for you? Also, the display doesn’t seem very easy to read—do you find it big enough?

If you could change something about the foot pedal, what would it be?

[Phil0]

I play keyboards in my function band and also control the Wolfmix live. I use Mobile Sheets Pro on an android tablet to show me chord charts. Every time I load a song on my tablet, it transmits midi to change patches on my keyboards. The tablet goes through a CME U6 Midi Pro. On a separate midi port (this is important for me, not all tablets can send on multiple ports, I use a Lenovo M10 3rd Gen), my tablet also sends midi to the Wolfmix to change the lighting presets at the start of each song. Some songs also send timecode so the Wolfmix roughly knows the speed of the song for chases or fades. The Wolfmix is connected to the CME U6 via a CME U2MIDI Pro cable.

In certain songs I have "smart buttons" on Mobile Sheets Pro within the chord charts. The Smart Buttons are customisable so I can label them -i.e. "Chorus". Pressing one of these buttons transmits midi to change lighting presets on the Wolfmix. If I need both hands playing piano, I can use my midi foot pedal (Hotone Ampero Control) to trigger to these smart buttons and cycle through them. One footswitch is forward, one is back, cycling through. I'm looking forward to the new control in the firmware update so I can use Blackout and Blinder on the other footswitches.

Some of our lights are hard wired DMX and some use Chauvet DFI dongles. Our Freedom sticks have the DFI receivers built in. Having multiple DMX outs is really useful for a quick setup.

[CharlieG]

I use it live with both of my bands. I use an iPad with onsong to send video out to teleprompters
for lyrics and all of the midi changes to trigger presets on the wolfmix. I had to use two usb to midi
adapters to get it to work.. then I plug that into a j5create - USB-C to HDMI & USB 3.0 adapter on the iPad side.
As the song auto scrolls in onsong it will send out midi changes to the wolfmix (verse, chorus, bridge, etc..)
I use a bluetooth foot switch with a blackout button set to dim the master dimmer on the wolfmix to 0%
and the second tap switches back to 100%

IMG_3778a.jpg (391.82 KiB) Viewed 4078 times

[CharlieG]

I also use an iPhone with Touch OSC to have fader controls over the dimmers when I run lights
for other bands that I don't perform in.

IMG_3779a.jpg (362.9 KiB) Viewed 4077 times

[Marvin042]

I do so, using a simple MIDI foot controller, an in between outdated "MP-100" by Harley Benton (a Thomann brand). Programmed the Wolfmix in a way that eight of my presets have a dedicated switch on the MP-100 assigned each. First one is some kind of light setup for to use during breaks, the others are "everything on red", "everything on blue", music triggered color change etc. Works perfect for me, all I needed besides the foot controller was a cable from MIDI DIN to MIDI USB type A. Got it for 15 Euros. The only thing is that the Wolfmix currently "just" reacts to MIDI notes or Control Changes "CC". Asked the Wolfmix support for also including Patch/Program changes "PC", reply was "maybe contained in one of the future firmware updates".

[Simon]

Great to hear all these clever ways MIDI is being used with the Wolf. Getting close now with FW2.0, just a few more weeks to finish some important stuff… The new FW will come with MIDI on flash buttons, a dedicated MIDI mapping screen, and better MIDI port management.

I’ve recently been playing with this device, which allows for 4 USB MIDI devices and 6 MIDI DINs to be connected to the Wolfmix. FW 2.0 will be required to get full use out of it as it exposes itself as 10 MIDI ports which I realised wasn't working perfectly in the current FW, but I’ve been having fun playing with a MIDI clock device, a synth, and two APC MINIs simultaneously. I’ll make a video once the FW is available.

https://www.doremidi.cn/h-col-126.html