Onyx Lighting Software

The M-Series by Martin was extremely popular and that popularity is already transferring to the newly rebranded Obsidian Control Systems running the Onyx software. Obsidian Control Systems is now part of the Elation Professional family.

One thing that is super noticeable is the hardware! The hardware in each console is truly impressive and can handle enormous Universe counts! The software is free to download and there is a large number of training resources out there to learn the basics. So our recommendation would be to download the software and play around with it before making any purchases. An NX DMX interface with a Windows PC will give you two 5-pin DMX ports and the use of up to 4 Universes without even purchasing a license. So, that would be an inexpensive way to start.

Another thing that makes Onyx a great option is that it’s designed with multiple levels of users in mind. You find options for the beginner and veteran designer alike. What’s more is that the system is scalable so you can start small and expand as your needs grow. They have various sizes that accommodate any scale or budget.

Key Features of Onyx

• It Can Handle Up to 128 Universes of Internal DMX Processing
• 12,000 Fixture Library
• Multi-Touch User Interface
• Flexible DMX Output Options: USB, Art-Net, sACN, and integrated DMX ports
• Includes 2D Visualizer and Plot View
• It Supports Up to 8 Displays

Hardaware

NX2

NX4

Quick Hardware Comparison

	Price (MAP)	Click for Your Price	Universes	5-pin DMX Ports	Playback Faders	Touchscreen
Onyx Key	$640	–	128	NA	NA	NA
NX DMX	$299	Your Price?	4 Without License	2	NA	NA
NX Wing	$2,640	Your Price?	128	4	10	NA
NX2	$7,480	Your Price?	Up to 64	4	10	3.5”
NX4	$9,995	Your Price?	Up to 64	4	10	15.6”

Is Obsidian for you? We see Onyx being a solution for lighting designers to find a simple way to run complex lighting shows. Though designed to be intuitive, you will definitely find that it has a learning curve. This shouldn’t discourage learners though! If you want to learn Onyx, there are enough resources out there to point you in the right direction.

Operating Systems are such a preference. We love MagicQ and the simplicity of ChamSys’ QuickQ consoles. Yet Obsidian offers incredible hardware and larger Universe counts, but the real decision most likely wouldn’t be found in the specs. It will come down to preferred workflow and, like mentioned before, the best way is to download and play and see what you like. Both ChamSys and Obsidian software is free to download and both are powerful professional solutions.

Thanks for Reading!