LMX Phone help

LMX Phone turns your iPhone into a DMX-controlled lighting fixture. Your lighting console sends ArtNet over WiFi, and the app turns the incoming channel values into screen colour, screen brightness, torch brightness and on-screen “gobos” (images and videos).

Getting started

1. Connect your phone to the same WiFi network as your lighting console or ArtNet node.
2. Set the console to output ArtNet on that network (broadcast or unicast to the phone’s IP address).
3. In LMX Phone, check the ArtNet Universe and Starting DMX Channel match the fixture you have patched on your console.
4. Tap Start. The app shows “Waiting for ArtNet signal…” until the first matching packet arrives, then follows your console.

Tip: patch the phone on your console as a 6-channel generic fixture starting at the same address you enter in the app.

ArtNet configuration

Setting	Range	Default
ArtNet Universe	0 to 254	0
Starting DMX Channel	1 to 507	1

• The app listens for UDP ArtNet packets on port 6454.
• Only ArtDmx packets for the selected universe are used. Other universes and other ArtNet packet types are ignored.
• The starting channel sets where the phone’s six channels begin. Every function in the channel map below is relative to it.

Changing the universe and starting channel requires the full version. The free version uses universe 0, starting channel 1.

Channel map

Channels are numbered relative to the starting channel (channel 1 is the starting channel itself).

Channel	Function	Notes
1	Screen brightness	0 = darkest, 255 = full brightness
2	Red intensity
3	Green intensity
4	Blue intensity
5	Gobo trigger	Selects an image or video (see Gobos)
6	Torch brightness	0 = off, 255 = full. Full version only

Channels 2 to 4 set the background colour of the screen and also tint any gobo being shown, so a white gobo with red at 255 and green and blue at 0 shows as red.

Gobos

A gobo is an image or video shown full screen when channel 5 is set to a particular value.

Built-in visuals

LMX Phone includes 17 built-in visuals: 16 still images and one seamless, looping candle video.

• DMX value 0 shows no gobo, just the open RGB background colour.
• DMX values 1 to 255 select the built-in visuals, spread evenly across the range (15 values per visual).
• Built-in visuals are tinted live by the RGB channels.
• The candle video loops continuously.

Assigning your own images and videos

1. On the main screen, tap Assign Gobos.
2. Choose Image or Video, then Choose Photo or Choose Video to pick from your photo library.
3. Pick a DMX Trigger Value (the channel 5 value that will show it).
4. Tap Assign to DMX.

Your assignments are listed under Assigned Gobos. Press and hold an assignment to delete it.

• A custom image or video assigned to a value takes priority over the built-in visual for that value.
• Custom gobos are tinted live by the RGB channels, just like the built-in ones.
• When channel 5 changes, any playing video stops instantly and the new gobo is shown.

Video playback mode

This setting decides what happens when a video assigned from your photo library reaches its end.

Mode	What happens
Hold Frame	The video freezes on its last frame, so the stage doesn’t go dark unexpectedly.
Loop	The video starts again from the beginning.
Fade to Black	The screen fades to black over one second.
Snap to Black	The screen goes black instantly.

Videos start playing automatically when their DMX value is selected. The built-in candle loop always repeats, whatever this setting is.

Running a show

• After you tap Start, the whole screen is given over to the output. The status bar and home indicator are hidden and auto-lock is turned off so the screen stays on.
• To exit: double-tap the screen to show the X button at the top right, then tap it. The button hides itself again after a few seconds.
• When you exit, the app turns the torch off, re-enables auto-lock and puts your screen brightness back to what it was before you tapped Start.
• If you leave the app while it is running (go to the home screen, open the app switcher, or close the app), your screen brightness is restored and the torch is turned off. When you come back to the app, DMX control resumes with the next frame from the console.

Diagnostics

Turn on Show Art-Net Frame Rate to display a small overlay while running. It shows, every second:

• ArtNet packets received per second
• Frames that changed the output
• Lost packets
• The longest gap between packets

This helps check your network: lost packets or long gaps usually point to WiFi congestion or a weak signal.

Free and full versions

The free version includes screen colour, screen brightness and all gobos, on universe 0 starting at channel 1, with an “Upgrade to remove this message” banner shown while running.

The full version is a one-time in-app purchase that:

• lets you choose your own ArtNet universe and starting channel
• enables torch control on channel 6
• removes the on-screen upgrade message

To buy, tap Unlock on the main screen. If you have bought it before (for example on a new device), tap Restore Purchases.

Troubleshooting

“Waiting for ArtNet signal…” never goes away

• Check the phone and console are on the same WiFi network, and that the network allows device-to-device traffic (some guest and venue networks block it).
• Check the console is outputting ArtNet on the universe set in the app.
• Check the phone has permission to use the local network: Settings > Privacy & Security > Local Network > LMX Phone.
• If you send unicast ArtNet, make sure it’s addressed to the phone’s current IP address.

“Can’t listen for ArtNet on port 6454”

Another app or process is using port 6454. Close other ArtNet apps and try again.

The phone responds, but to the wrong channels

The starting channel in the app must match the address the phone is patched at on your console.

The torch doesn’t respond

Torch control needs the full version.

Colours or gobos look wrong

Gobos are multiplied by the RGB channels. If red, green and blue are all 0, the screen is black whatever gobo is selected. Set them all to 255 to see a gobo in its natural colours.

Video stutters or the frame rate overlay shows lost packets

Move closer to the WiFi access point, use a less congested network or channel, or reduce the ArtNet refresh rate on the console.