showstack / software / millumin
Millumin
macOS media server for live video: layers, timeline and column-based cueing with soft-edge blending and projection mapping. Widely used for projection in theatre and dance, where one Mac drives the whole video rig.
Protocols it speaks
| Protocol | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| osc | bidirectional | Configurable OSC listeners and senders; an OSC API covers almost every feature. Docs also state Millumin supports OSCQuery, without specifying its server/client role. |
| midi | bidirectional | MIDI sources and destinations are enabled individually in the Devices tab; inputs can send feedback back to the controller (e.g. motorised faders). |
| midi-show-control | in | MSC GO with no Q-number advances to the next column or plays the timeline; GO with a Q-number launches the Nth column; GO with Q-number plus Q-list selects the board; STOP stops or pauses. |
| art-net | out | Art-Net output for Light Plot and LED Mapping; docs cite Artnet V1/V2 with V3/V4 said to be retro-compatible. Art-Net input is not documented. |
| sacn | out | sACN output alongside Art-Net; the manual warns sACN universe numbering starts at 1 whereas Art-Net starts at 0. |
| dmx512 | out | Direct USB-DMX output; docs list Enttec DMX USB Pro and Pro Mk2, DMXking ultraDMX Micro and ShowJockey interfaces. |
| ndi | bidirectional | NDI streams can be used as a layer source, and outputs can be sent as NDI with or without alpha, plus audio. |
| sdi | bidirectional | Via Blackmagic (Intensity, UltraStudio, DeckLink) and AJA cards, used both for capture and as outputs; Epiphan, Magewell, Inogeni and GigE cameras are also listed for capture. |
| ltc | in | LTC over an audio input; supported framerates are 24, 25, 29.97 DF and 30. Millumin also ships a free TimecodeClock app that generates LTC, MTC or its own network timecode. |
| mtc | in | MTC over MIDI, same framerate list as LTC. |
What to watch for
Art-Net universes are numbered from 0 but sACN universes from 1 in Millumin's own docs. Repatch the same rig between the two protocols and everything lands one universe out.
When the 30-day trial lapses Millumin still opens, saves, plays and exposes every feature. The only change is a watermark on the outputs. Nothing else tells you the licence has run out.
Vendor docs quote 60-120 ms latency on Blackmagic capture cards. Live camera composited against audio or a moving performer will need that budgeted for, not discovered in the tech.
Output count is a chip choice, not a GPU-speed choice: docs note base M1/M2/M3 Macs drive one external display, while M-series Max parts go to five. Buy the machine by display count.
Licences are sold as lifetime (with paid upgrades between major versions) or as 7-day, 30-day and 1-year rentals; each licence has a seat count and machines must be deactivated before being moved.
Typical use
- Video and projection playback for theatre and dance, cued column by column
- Projection mapping and soft-edge blending across multiple projectors from one Mac
- Taking GO from a lighting console or QLab over MSC or OSC
- Driving DMX fixtures from the same show file as the video, via Light Plot
- Live camera or NDI input processed and re-projected in the same document
Sources
- Millumin Help - Devices (MIDI, OSC, DMX, Art-Net, sACN, timecode) — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - Timecodes — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - Capture — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - Outputs — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - License — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - Recommendations (macOS versions, Apple Silicon display limits, codecs) — Anomes primary
- Millumin Help - Light Plot — Anomes primary
Understand the mechanism
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