ADJ MyDMX 3.0

Summary: Worth every penny - hasn't failed me yet and still room to grow.

I was new to gig lighting and had been using a simple ADJ Hexcon controller to control simple light colours and strobes but had recently acquired some moving lights and some blinders and wanted to put together a more interesting performance.

Having researched all manner of dedicated lighting control boards - way over my budget and still unsure whether they would handle things, I found this ADJ MyDMX 3.0 box and decided the price was worth the risk.

Pros:
Small : easy to pack/unpack and easy to connect to PC (I'm using an old Apple Mini Mac but it works with Windows laptops/PCs etc. as well.
Rugged : It's taken bit of a bashing with various gig and rehearsal sessions - still looks and works as if new.
Flexible : In addition to the 3-pin and 5-pin DMX connections, it also has a connector for wiring up special switch triggers around the stage - I haven't used that yet but can't wait to give it a go (perhaps triggering foot switches to strobe scene triggers).
Loads of interfaces : In addition to the mini mac display interface, I also connected a simple (and cheap) midi controller so I could hit buttons to trigger particular effects and turn knobs to change blinder intensity etc.

Con:
Only one downside - and it's not too bad. The basic software is free and that works just fine - but if you want to stretch the unit then you have to buy an upgrade which is still worth the price.

In the last gig we had moving lights, lasers, strobes, blinders and various washes/spots - and it was a lot of fun to run the lights through the myDMX software. Recently I bought a couple of second-hand Robe Blinder units and was really pleased to find that this unit was included in the library of fixtures - so that's been added to the set.

I know a lot of professionals use things like GrandMa consoles etc - and I'm sure they have their place - but for small and medium performances I think the myDMX software and the ADJ MyDMX interface is the best option by far.

I took this over an actual dmx controller unit, simply because of the small factor and portability. Connecting and using with the PC is the easiest there can be, plug and play basically. The software features a ton of use-cases and it makes controlling lights fun rather than frustrating, as can sometimes be with a controller unit.

The product itself - the casing, does seem on the cheaper side though, plastic and light, so I would suggest to handle with care.