DMXDesktop

Stream Deck Plugin: Setup and Connection

v1.0.52+

The DMXDesktop Stream Deck plugin puts 34 lighting actions on an Elgato Stream Deck, so you can run blackout, effect cues, cue stacks, colour and QuickShow from the keys instead of from the laptop. This article covers what you need, how to install it, the one DMXDesktop setting it depends on, and what to do when a key or a dropdown is not behaving. For what each action does, see the actions reference.

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What you need

  • DMXDesktop v1.0.52 or later, running, with its HTTP server switched on.
  • Stream Deck 7.1 or later, on Windows 10 or later, or macOS 12 or later.
  • The Stream Deck and DMXDesktop on the same network. They do not have to be on the same machine, which is useful if you run the desk from a rack and keep the Stream Deck at front of house.

The plugin itself is free. Most of its actions work on any DMXDesktop licence including Free; see Licence requirements below for the two groups that do not.

Turn on the HTTP server

The plugin talks to DMXDesktop's built-in HTTP server, and nothing works without it. In DMXDesktop, go to Settings and then DMX I/O, and switch the HTTP server on.

This is the same server that powers the mobile web interface, so if you already control lights from a phone or tablet it is almost certainly on already.

Install the plugin and add a key

  1. Install the DMXDesktop plugin from the Elgato Marketplace.
  2. Drag any DMXDesktop action onto a key.
  3. Open its settings and choose what it should drive. The dropdowns are filled from your own rig, by name, so you pick "Front Wash" rather than group 294.

Only the groups that can actually do the thing you picked are offered, so a key you can configure is a key that will work. Leave the title blank and the key names itself after whatever it drives; a title you type is never overwritten.

How the connection works

There is nothing to configure. The plugin tries the address it used last, and if that fails it looks for DMXDesktop on the network by itself. It remembers where it found it.

When DMXDesktop goes away, keys go neutral rather than pretending. When it comes back, they resume on their own without being pressed. You do not need to restart the Stream Deck or reconfigure anything after a desk restart.

Reading the marks on a key

The plugin distinguishes three kinds of wrong, and paints each one differently so you can tell at a glance which one you have.

  • Muted blue-grey circle-and-slash. DMXDesktop cannot be reached. Nobody's fault and pressing harder will not help. It clears itself when the desk returns.
  • Red warning triangle. The key is pointed at something that no longer exists, for example a cue stack or fader you deleted. A dial shows MISSING on its strip. It clears itself when the target comes back.
  • Padlock. The key drives a feature your DMXDesktop licence does not include. The padlock names the feature, and appears before you press the key rather than after.

A key is only ever marked on positive evidence. If DMXDesktop cannot be asked, nothing is marked, because not being able to ask is not the same as knowing something is gone.

Licence requirements

Most of the plugin works on any DMXDesktop licence, including Free: live control, special effects, effect cues, QuickShow, colour and position overrides, live edits, master dimmer, macro faders, and the audio and BPM keys.

  • DJ Mode, DJ Deck and the DJ Crossfader need Standard or above.
  • Programmer keys and cue stack keys need Pro. That covers Programmer: Cue, Cue Stack (GO), Cue Stack Flash, Programmer: Function, Programmer: Fader and Cue Stack Level.

One useful exception: the DJ Mode key can still follow the desk on a Free licence even though it cannot toggle it, so a row of status keys stays honest.

See pricing for what each plan includes.

An empty dropdown, and what it means

If a dropdown in a key's settings is empty, the panel says why. There are three causes and they are not the same.

  1. DMXDesktop is not reachable, or its HTTP server is switched off. The panel falls back to a plain text field so you can still configure the key by id if you know it, and the key will work once the desk is back.
  2. Your licence does not cover it. The Programmer and DJ panels say so and do not offer a text field, because a key for a feature you do not have cannot be made to work by typing the name correctly.
  3. Your rig genuinely has none. No cue stacks means no cue stacks to list.

When something is not working

Work through these in order.

  1. Is DMXDesktop running, and is its HTTP server on under Settings, DMX I/O?
  2. Are the Stream Deck machine and the DMXDesktop machine on the same network and subnet?
  3. Does the key show a mark? Match it against the list above before assuming a fault; a padlock is a licence answer, not a bug.
  4. Restart the Stream Deck application. It caches the plugin manifest, so a version upgrade sometimes needs it.

If it still is not right, the plugin's log is the fastest way to say what happened. It records which desk was found, whether state was seeded, and which features your licence covers. Get in touch and we will tell you where to find the newest log file for your platform.