Artnet Problems (?)

[tcgass]

Hi everyone,

this may be a rather basic lighting question — I’m mainly an audio person, not a lighting technician.

Theatre setup is:

ETC lighting console + QLab 5 + Bitfocus Companion → Showtec NET-2 → DMX fixtures

The ETC console is the main lighting controller, while QLab only controls lighting occasionally for timing reasons e.g.

Companion has only recently been added because I need it to control a few emergency scenarios independently via StreamDeck, even if ETC is not present.

Since adding Companion, I get constant unwanted behaviour whenever QLab and Companion are both active on the same Art-Net universe: moving heads make unexpected movements and other fixtures react as well, even though nothing is being triggered.

Companion normally refreshes its Art-Net output every 1000 ms via “Update interval when no fades are running.” If I set this to an extremely high value, the problem disappears completely: smooth fades, no flicker, no random movements.

So I’m wondering:

• Does QLab continuously transmit Art-Net even when idle?
• Is it safe for QLab and another Art-Net source to transmit the same universe simultaneously?
• Could this be a source switching/merging issue in the NET-2 rather than QLab itself?
• Is there a recommended way to handle this setup?

At the moment, effectively disabling Companion’s idle refresh solves the problem, but I’d like to understand what is actually happening.

Thanks — and apologies if this is Lighting 101.

Best,
Thomas

[Richard Williamson]

Hello

You should never have two devices on the same network sending artnet to the same universe at the same priority 

Is there a reason you are sending artnet from companion?

Richard 

Sent from my iPhone

On 14 Sep 2026, at 07:21, tcgass <tcg...@gmail.com> wrote:



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[tcgass]

Hi Richard,

thanks — yes, there is a specific reason.

Companion is intended to handle a few safety/emergency scenarios involving both sound and lighting. These need to be available immediately not only during performances, but also when there is no audience and only staff in the theatre — including situations where the ETC console is not switched on.

So the idea was to make these emergency functions independent of both QLab and the lighting console. That is why Companion is currently sending Art-Net directly to the NET-2.

If having two Art-Net sources on the same universe is fundamentally the wrong approach, I’d be very interested to hear what you would recommend for this kind of backup/emergency setup.

Best,
Thomas

[Sam Kusnetz]

On Sep 14, 2026 at 7:21:34 AM, tcgass <tcg...@gmail.com> wrote:

• Does QLab continuously transmit Art-Net even when idle?

That depends on what you mean by idle, but in general if there are lights patched to Art-net output in a QLab workspace and that workspace is open, then QLab is almost certainly transmitting Art-net.

• Is it safe for QLab and another Art-Net source to transmit the same universe simultaneously?

Yes.

• Could this be a source switching/merging issue in the NET-2 rather than QLab itself?

Yes.

• Is there a recommended way to handle this setup?

Use a device which can prioritize incoming Art-net traffic, and set each Art-net provider to a different priority.

Best

Sam

—

Sam Kusnetz (he/him) | Figure 53

s...@figure53.com

[Paul]

Like Richard says you can't have 2 ArtNet (transmitting) devices  on the same network, so that configuration is not going to work. (sACN - the alternative lighting network transport - can be configured with priority - but Qlab does not support sACN).

Best approach would be to stick to running all lighting from the EOS console; use OSC to trigger EOS over network (a different network to the one used for ArtNet!) I have never had timing issues from QLab - even with snaps timed to music from QLab.  (there is a setting you can turn off most of the EOS OSC messages to reduce the network traffic).

Otherwise you may be reduced to unplugging ethernet cables for the systems not in use. I have never tried Companion for ArtNet so don't know how reliable that is.

[Ian MacColl]

I agree sACN is a better solution, but I use networks with 2 or more devices transmitting ArtNet by using nodes that merge the streams as HTP or LTP

I use DMX King nodes and they merge ArtNet at sACN priority 100 so sACN transmitters on the network can be configured as higher or lower priority as required

At other venues I have used midimonster on the Mac running QLab to convert QLab's ArtNet output to sACN to give priority

[tcgass]

Hi, and thanks — that helps.

Just to make sure I understand this correctly:

As mentioned, we need to make sure our emergency lighting scenarios remain accessible through Companion, independently of the normal show operation.

We are using two universes. Normally they are controlled by an ETC lighting console, with QLab also sending Art-Net when needed.

If we replaced our current Art-Net node with a DMXKing node, would the DMXKing then be able to handle the merging/priorities automatically, even if the ETC console is switched off?

And have I understood the proposed setup correctly:

• the ETC console would ideally transmit sACN with its own priority,
• QLab could continue to transmit Art-Net,
• and the DMXKing node would merge/convert those streams and output the two DMX universes accordingly?

Or would the existing Art-Net node disappear completely from the setup, with the DMXKing taking over its role?

In other words, I’m not quite sure whether the DMXKing would sit behind the existing Art-Net node, or whether it would replace it entirely.

Once again, apologies if these are rather basic questions. My background is audio, not lighting, and I’m trying to understand the architecture properly before changing anything.

Best,
Thomas

[Maximilian Harleß]

Switch the artnet Merge Mode of your Artnet node to HTP then you can use your setup. if you can seperate the fixtures controlles by etc and qlab to different universes then do that. the reason you are expirencing these types of issus is that etc and qlab are sending out the full universe ( none patched adresses as 0 ) so the try to overwrite the other. 

[Maximilian Harleß]

if you want to use 3 sources then use a software calles midimonster in between disable qlab and etc artnet broadcast for this send etc and bitfocus companion to midimonster. qlab dosnt have a unicast feature so you still need to merge qlab and midimonster at the node. your node supports that but only 2 sources

[Maximilian Harleß]

ETC ───────┐
           ├─> MIDIMonster ─────┐
Companion ─┘                               │
                                                          ├─> Showtec NET-2 → DMX
QLab ────────────────  ┘

[Maximilian Harleß]

to answer your question 

1. qlab and etc always transmit artnet even when idle.

2. if you do the way i showed to you yes 

3. Its called artnet merging

4. see above

[tcgass]

Thanks to you all, I'll give blinde...@gmail.com's input a try as soon as I'll be back to the theater!

All the best, Thomas

[Ian MacColl]

Sorry, only just catching up on this thread...

Are there reasons for not using Companion sACN, and also sACN from the ETC console?

https://bitfocus.io/connections/generic-sacn

If you've applied the 2021 firmware update to the node, I think you could achieve what you want without using midimonster by:

- Sending sACN from Companion and ETC console(?), probably with Companion at higher priority

- Setting node ports as outputs with sACN as primary and Art-Net as secondary

https://www.highlite.com/en/news/base/firmware-update.html

I think this enables Companion to override the ETC console, and either of their outputs to merge with QLab's

I think the choice of HTP or LTP merge on the node ports depends on what Companion is sending/overriding and also on whether you have static or moving fixtures

I may be missing something though...

[Maximilian Harleß]

Theoreticly he can use midimonster as a middleman. artnet from qlab and etc to midimonster and sacn with hight priorety to node and the other via midimonster with low prioraty. it realy depends on the exact usecase here. because if he goes Sacn only then the idle sacn high prio stream will always override whatever the other device are sending.