

Audience members are more likely to have a cell phone in their pocket than a MIDI device, after all. If your show network includes WiFi, it’s important to follow best practices for securing your WiFi network. The more we use networks, the more important it is to secure them. The Perils of OSCĭespite these advantages, OSC is not without its drawbacks. The set of commands that a given device can use is based on the exact need of that device. OSC is more flexible than MIDI, too, because each program or device defines its own set of OSC commands, rather than re-purposing MIDI messages such as Note On and Program Change. MIDI, on the other hand, requires a more carefully designed and laid out infrastructure, with “in” and “out” cables for each device, careful management of power, and a mere 16 channels for separation of messages. You can buy network equipment pretty much anywhere, whereas MIDI cables and devices are a bit harder to come by if you’re not in a large city.Ĭomplex networks of devices with bi-directional OSC control are fairly simple to set up: connect everything to a network switch and assign IP addresses in the same subnet range. It runs over standard networking infrastructure, including WiFi, which is fairly cheap and very easy to obtain. OSC’s two main strengths are it’s infrastructure requirements and its flexibility.

For example, /cue/oh hello/start is an invalid command, since there’s a space between oh and hello. Important: Spaces are not permitted in OSC addresses, so if you are using OSC to control your workspace, it’s a good idea to avoid spaces in cue numbers. These commands have the structure /cue/ with the cue ID of the cue you want to target. There are also a variety of commands that can be directed at cues themselves. So sending /go to QLab from an external device will cause the exact same thing to happen as sitting down in front of QLab and clicking on the GO button with the mouse. When QLab receives these messages, it behaves exactly as though the corresponding button, menu item, or keyboard shortcut occurred within QLab. QLab accepts commands like /go, /panic, and /save, which are referred to as workspace level commands because they are directed at a workspace. The long and short of it is that devices must be on the same network, on the same subnet, and use IP addresses that permit them to communicate with each other. A good, but rather dry, introduction to setting up devices on a network can be found here.
Qlab osc go mac#
The sending device must be on the same network, and both the Mac running QLab and the other device must be configured correctly to share network traffic.

QLab accepts incoming OSC messages via TCP and UDP over a local network.
Qlab osc go software#
You can use programs like Max/MSP, Medialon Manager, and TouchOSC, or hardware like ETC’s EOS family to send messages that exist in QLab 4’s OSC dictionary.Īlternately, if your software or hardware does not allow you to program your own messages, you can use the OSC controls in Workspace Settings to capture your device’s OSC messages, and map them to several of QLab’s workspace-level commands like GO, Panic, Load, and so on. Understanding OSCĪll software or devices which support OSC have their own dictionary of commands. OSC is a great way to control QLab from other software and hardware because it’s relatively simple to set up, requires no specialized hardware, and uses networking infrastructure that is often already in place, or easy to implement if not. QLab has extensive support for the Open Sound Control protocol, a network communication standard for computers and multimedia devices.
