Here on Learn Stage Lighting, it is my goal to feature and teach the very best in lighting consoles and software, and Onyx (formerly M-PC) has become one of my favorites.
Onyx is a professional-grade lighting software that runs on a PC or Onyx consoles.
If you’re new to lighting or new to a pro-grade console, there is a bit of a learning curve to get programming in Onyx.
Because of that, we offer a variety of videos, webinars, and premium training to get you up to speed with Onyx as quickly as possible!
Step 1: Download The Software and Learn
It probably seems obvious, but I’m going to say it anyways! – Downloading the software and getting it installed is the first step.
You can download the latest version of the software here, which runs on Windows: http://support.obsidiancontrol.com/
Before you install, make sure your computer is fully updated with all security updates!
Once you’ve gotten that taken care of, it’s time to begin learning. Here is a series of videos I created (and I few I didn’t) to teach you how to program Onyx from the ground up.
Even if you’re used to professional-grade lighting consoles, I’d still suggest checking out the tutorials!
While Onyx is fairly intuitive, it also is different and unique from other consoles – and like anything, it will take some work to learn.
Step 2: Get DMX Output and a Control Surface
Get DMX Output
Getting DMX out of Onyx is one area where this software is quite generous.
You can get up to (4) total universes using Onyx/M-PC USB devices such as the NX-DMX or NX-Touch (formerly M-Touch), and/or Art-Net and sACN (Here’s my guide on Art-Net and sACN nodes).
Don’t have an interface yet? The NX-DMX is the simplest to set up out of the box.
Need more than 4 universes of DMX? There are a variety of ways to make that work, and you can check them out via this handy chart on the Onyx website!
Get a Control Surface
If you choose to go this route, the most cost-effective options is the NX-Touch (formerly M-Touch).
The NX-Touch/M-Touch is a really cool USB-controller with 1 universe output that gives you both a powerful programmer section and playback faders and buttons. I do a full review on the M-Touch here!
On the more expensive end, you can get the NX-Wing, which gives you 4 universes of DMX output and unlocks 128 universes. It’s got the look and feel of a traditional lighting console, all in a compact size!
Learn Stage Lighting Labs Member Extras:
Access the full action plans “Onyx for the Complete Newbie” and “Advanced Onyx” and learn Onyx (formerly M-PC) from my step-by-step video tutorials + tips and tricks to get the most of out your show.
Check out “Professional Lighting Console Basics” to learn about how concepts like groups, presets and cues work together inside of a lighting console. You’ll also learn how to program cool effects and run a show live!
Not a Labs Member? Click Here to Learn More about Learn Stage Lighting Labs!
