showstack / software / onyx
ONYX
Obsidian Control Systems' Windows lighting control software, running on NX consoles and on any PC, carrying forward the Martin M-Series/M-PC licence lineage. The free tier outputs one universe; everything above that unlocks by plugging in Obsidian hardware.
Protocols it speaks
| Protocol | Direction | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| art-net | bidirectional | Each Art-Net universe can be set to output, input or both. Detected nodes are unicast their assigned universes, with an optional broadcast mode. Art-Net timecode can also be received. |
| sacn | bidirectional | Can be set to output, input or both, with a settable sACN priority in the 0-200 range. |
| dmx512 | out needs licence |
Direct DMX needs Obsidian USB hardware (NX-DMX, NX-Touch, NX-K, NX-P) or an NX console. Onyx USB output appears from the NOVA tier upwards, not in ONYX FREE. |
| citp | in | Media server thumbnails are pushed across the network into ONYX's parameter belts, and patch can be imported from compatible visualisers. Servers on the network are auto-detected. |
| osc | in needs licence |
Full control of main playbacks, playback buttons, F-keys and command keys. OSC is locked in FREE and NOVA mode; a free trial can be started from the licensing options. |
| midi | in needs licence |
MIDI notes and commands trigger Go, Pause, Release, Flash and similar. ONYX does not generate MIDI messages, it only passes them along. Fully enabled from the NOVA+ tier. |
| midi-show-control | in needs licence |
MSC format and device ID are set in I/O settings. Gated behind the same tier as MIDI and timecode. |
| ltc | in needs licence |
LTC via the SMPTE IN 3-pin connector on M6+ consoles, or audio LTC via an audio interface. Timecode is only fully enabled from the NOVA+ tier. |
| mtc | in needs licence |
MIDI timecode via MIDI ports or the SMPTE IN connector. Only fully enabled from the NOVA+ tier. |
What to watch for
The tier is set by whichever Obsidian device is plugged in, not by a software key file. FREE is universe 1 only; NOVA and NOVA+ give universes 1-4; the 8/16/32/64/128 tiers need the matching ONYX key or NX wing.
OSC, MIDI and all timecode protocols are locked in FREE and NOVA mode. NOVA+ (NX-Touch, NX-K, NX-P) is the first tier where they are fully enabled; below that you only get time-limited trials.
DyLOS is limited to 2 zones below the Onyx 16 tier, and extra zones render with a watermark.
ONYX never sends MIDI out. It does not generate MIDI messages, only passes them along, so anything downstream needing MIDI cues needs another device.
Legacy M-Series USB products stopped working under Windows 11 24H2 because of driver security changes, and legacy Martin keys (Maxxyz, M1, Ether2DMX8) are no longer recognised to unlock ONYX.
Windows only, Windows 10/11 64-bit. There is no macOS build.
255 universe slots are patchable but DMX processing is capped at up to 128 universes depending on licence, so patching a universe is not the same as outputting it.
Typical use
- Club, corporate and touring lighting control on NX consoles
- Free single-universe PC control for small rigs and learning
- Pixel mapping and media control with DyLOS
- Offline programming for an NX console show file
Sources
- Onyx PC Modes — Obsidian Control Systems primary
- EtherDMX Settings (Art-Net and sACN) — Obsidian Control Systems primary
- CITP - ONYX manual — Obsidian Control Systems primary
- OSC - ONYX manual — Obsidian Control Systems primary
- Timecode Settings - ONYX manual — Obsidian Control Systems primary
- ONYX supported hardware and license changes — Obsidian Control Systems primary
Understand the mechanism
Something wrong, or missing?
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