Lanbox, High Sierra and MacBook Pro 2017

RodrigoFischer

Dear all,

I used to to do my show using LanBox connected with my old MacBook and it was great.

Now, with my new notebook, I can't connect my Lanbox. I am a little bit desperate because my show is coming and I don't know what to do.

Anyone have connected LanBox with the new MacBook (High Sierra)?

I'd appreciate if someone can give me any suggestion.

Yours sincerely,

Rodrigo Fischer

jhoepffner

I continue to use lanbox but I share the work between a 13" with el Capitan where I can program it and my 15" with High-Sierra where I just send command from Isadora to Lanbox, via midi or TCP/IP.

I am on the way to completely rewrite a software with TouchDesigner and TCP/IP able to change the patch, create a cue, change a step etc. Its quite a lot of work and I am at the beginning but I am playing a show tomorrow with devices used like that. LC-edit works not so bad on W10, it can be a good idea to buy a cheap PC just to program the lanbox and your expansive Mac to use Isadora for video and send command. The easiest way is to use midi because there is no problem of password, 16 bits etc. You cannot access all the functions but the most useful during the show, changing cue and step, changing transparency of layer, changing a chase.

Jacques

bonemap

@rodrigofischer said:

I used to to do my show using LanBox connected with my old MacBook and it was great

How did you connect your LanBox to the previous MacBook? Are you looking to use LCEdit or is the Lanbox just passing DMX from Isadora i.e. using Isadora's Lanbox actors in the patch?

The new MacBooks are USB-C have you tried a USB or ethernet converter dongle?

best wishes

bonemap

RodrigoFischer

@jhoepffner, first of all, thank you so much for your replying. Let't me see If I've understood you. You are saying I can still work with my Macbook (sierra) to control the Lanbox. The signal goes from the DMX through my Lanbox and Isadora can still work, right? The only problem is to work on Lcedit and your suggestion is to have a cheap notebook (macbook with El Captain or a W10) just to create projects with LCedit. That sounds good and it's definitely a good option.

Honestly, I am very pissed with Lanbox. They should fix this, don't you think? It's so expensive to not have an update.

Have you tried to contact the Lanbox support?

And what about this project you are developing? Please, let me know if you can finish it. It'd be great if you can share.

Best

Rodrigo

RodrigoFischer

@bonemap I was connecting through Ethernet in my previous MacBook. And I want to use LCEdit and lanbox passing DMX from Isadora.

I have tried USB and ethernet but I didn't have success.

I do not understand why Lanbox doesn't update to use with High Sierra.

Anyway, I think Iam going to need one computer just to program LCEdit.

Thank you!

bonemap

@rodrigofischer said:

I do not understand why Lanbox doesn't update to use with High Sierra.

Hi Rodrigo,

I have been using my Lanbox with High Sierra and also LCedit to access the configuration settings through a MacBook Pro 2015

I will have a look at what is possible on a MacBook that only has USB-c in terms of connecting in High Sierra and also Mojave.

I believe the issue with Lanbox enterprise is that the principal developer passed away some years ago now and the estate has continued the sale and maintenance of stock but not further development of the platform. I could be wrong, but this is my understanding.

Best Wishes

Bonemap

jhoepffner

@rodrigofischer

Dear Rodrigo, unfortunately Bonemap is right, since the dead of the lanbox creator (ap. 5 years ago) there is nobody in charge of the project, only a society selling the products and a depository for the documents and software. His son tried to continue but a think its was too difficult to improve because all is based on old and underpowered processor and written in some old code. We can dream about an entirely OSC driven lanbox but it will stay a dream.

Arrival of cheap dmx and artNet interface finished to kill it.

Personally I continue to appreciate the possibility to have an independent, light and reliable box, external to my computer and keeping all my cues from several shows inside it. I can even leave it for installation with only tangible buttons to start and stop it.

I begun to make in Isadora a User Actor able to command some things on it, changing cue, changing step etc. But to access deeper functions, as patching or recording cues, the only way is TCP/IP and Isadora is not the most user friendly programmer software for that. After trying with Max/Msp, I found TouchDesigner can do that. I have still integrated in my performance computer some elements able to do what I need, simple tasks as with midi plus some more complicated as repatching, recording steps with fade time and showing the state of the lanbox.

I know that someone can be interested to it, but developing something distributable is another task. I work on it and, reasonably, I think to post a first solution around february, but without any guaranty! It will run on the free version of TouchDesigner and could be interfaced with OSC, so you can use it from Isadora.

Long life to lanbox.

Jacques

CitizenJoe

This web site might be useful: http://dmxusb.com/

Cheers,

Hugh

Fred

maybe not the solution you want but you can check out this product as the lanbox seems dead.

https://www.visualproductions....

I have used them on a few productions and they were great.

fubbi

The slow death of the LanBox is very painful, especially since the problem is software (LCedit). The lanbox is still the best interface out there in my opinion.

I was hoping that maybe crowdfunding or open source or some other alternative could be considered. I have tried talking to them and there is just no response.

Please write to them if you are a Lanbox fan. Maybe with enough interest they will wake up.

info@lanbox.com

Fred

@fubbi did you see the cue core unit? It is really quite good and even accepts midi and OSC out of the box, also the company Visual productions are very nice and responsive and have a great team of active developers, they take suggestions quite seriously, I have asked for a feature before (ability to send WOL packets from the unit) and it was implemented pretty quickly. I have them deployed in a theme park under mission critical conditions and they never glitched once. Is there something the LANbox does that this does not (not sure, only used a lanbox once and was not a fan of LCEdit.

jhoepffner

@fred

Unfortunately its not the same thing, beside the crappy LCedit interface, the possibilities of lanBox itself are really incredible: layers, transparency, loop, chaser, electrical input/output, Serial + midi + TCP/IP + UDP + DMX in and out, patching, curves. If Fubi create a fan club, I am in and I know people who are interested. As I say before, I am working on a improvement/replacement but I need some free time, perhaps during Christmas/New year time. I hope to publish something in February.

Stay tuned.

Fred

@jhoepffner I know the cue core has layers, midi, loops, GPIO, TCP, UDP, OSC, Serial, Midi, Midi and SMPTE timecode, sACN, Artnet and DMX inputs, it supports POE, NTP time server sync and calendar scheduling out of the box too. It is not a lan box but I think it can do all the lanbox can (but I did not use a lanbox much) and if it cant there is a chance to expand functionality. You may be better of going with a product with a future than trying to revive a dead one, and the interface is actually pretty nice.

jhoepffner

@fred

I looked quickly at cue core and, yes, it doe what you say but not on the box and the bill is expanding very, very quickly. I will take a look more carefully and yes, is not question to resurrect a dead horse. But when you have it and you know how to do, its a perfect machine. cue core seems very proprietary in hardware and software.