Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you quickly set up a CrowdGlow system within a few minutes. If you require any assistance at all, please don’t hesitate to ask for help via email: hello@crowdglow.uk

REQUIRED EQUIPMENT

  • CrowdNet Transmitters

  • 1 x Mac or Macbook

  • 1 x Lighting Console (e.g. grandMA3)

  • 1 x USB to ethernet adapter for Mac

  • 1 x POE Network Switch

  • Ethercon cables to connect transmitters

  • 2 x Ethernet cables to connect laptop and lighting console into the network

Example Network Setup

STEP 1

  • Download the latest version of CrowdGlow Broadcast from the downloads section and copy it to your applications folder on your Mac.

  • Connect your Mac to the network switch via an ethernet adapter.

STEP 2

  • Connect the transmitters into the POE ports of the network switch.

  • NOTE: The max length of any ethernet or Ethercon cable is 100 meters including any patches. To go above this distance you will need to use an in-line network switch or powered repeater/extender.

  • The status LED will be red on power up.

STEP 3

  • All CrowdNet POE transmitters have a static address in the 10.224.120.x range with a subnet mask of 255.255.255.0.

  • You will need to add an IP address to your Mac in the 10.224.120.x to be able to communicate with them. To do this go to:

    • System Preference > Network

    • Click the + Icon at the bottom left of the window

    • Select the Apple USB Ethernet Adapter as the interface

    • Change Configure IPv4 to Manually

    • Enter 10.224.120.150 as the IP address

    • Enter 255.255.255.0 as the subnet mask

    • Click Apply

  • Open the CrowdGlow Broadcast app on your Mac.

  • The CrowdNet transmitters connected to the network will be automatically detected. The status LED on each transmitter will turn green.

  • Go to the CrowdNet tab in the Broadcast app to view the connected transmitters. You will also see your IP addresses available from your network adapters on the right side.

STEP 4

  • Confirm your setup by launching the CrowdGlow app on a phone.

  • Set the Master slider to full.

  • Click to change the screen mode to Stats which will display the current frames per second (fps) that the phone is receiving.

  • Click to change the colour on the Broadcast app and you will see the phone change colour.

  • Confirm you have good signal coverage in your venue by having someone walk round the perimeter of your venue with a phone while you toggle between different colours on the Stats screen. Each transmitter in the system adds roughly 120fps, a 3 transmitter setup would have 360fps. It is normal for the fps to fluctuate within this range and vary between phone models.

STEP 5

  • Download the appropriate fixture profile from our downloads page for your lighting console or create your own patch using the DMX Channel Definition.

  • On your console patch a single instance of the CrowdGlow Broadcast fixture.

  • Enable ArtNet output for the universe that you patched the fixture into.

  • Depending on your network setup, you may need to configure an additional 10.0.0.x IP address on your Mac to receive the ArtNet signal. Follow the same procedure as above in Step 3 to add one for your ethernet adapter interface.

  • ArtNet can be configured to Broadcast, however if CrowdGlow is the only system requiring it you can Unicast directly to the 10.0.0.x address of your Mac.

  • Once you are outputting ArtNet from your console, it is time to configure CrowdGlow Broadcast to receive it.

  • Click on the ArtNet menu item on the left menu.

  • Enter the Universe, Subnet, Net and Start channel that you patched the fixture into on your console.

  • Tap the green Enable ArtNet button.

  • If configured correctly, the red line on the ArtNet menu will change to green. If it changes to amber, this means the software is expecting ArtNet but isn’t receiving it yet. If this happens double check your network setup and the ArtNet output settings on your console.

You’re all set!

Congratulations, you’ve setup your CrowdGlow system and are now ready to light up your crowd.

For full documentation on the CrowdGlow Broadcast app, including examples of the effects available, check out the documentation linked below: