MIDI / DMX controlled lighting?

my friend dj , asked me if can make lights flash, change colour etc when music tempo speeds up, different pitch etc.

i have been researching , can't determine best. plan use neopixels.

could advise best me?

thanks

midi music.   you can trigger lights midi file, djs play recorded audio not midi.

dmx 512 theatrical lighting standard , it's way control lights but that's in addition making lights react music.   if want make lights and/or lighting controller compatible existing systems, dmx way go.   

with neopixels, dmx mean hardware , software on controller-side , on lighting-side.   and there's limited number of dmx channels, might not able take full advantage of neopixels (which think has unlimited number of addressable leds).

so, you'll want control neopixel leds directly arduino , skip dmx.

i've done 3 sound activated lighting effects controlled arduino, none of them use dmx, , i've never used neopixels.  1 of projects uses shift-register type led drivers individually address 48 regular "high brightness' leds.  project uses 7 solid state relays, , 3rd project uses 4 "homemade" solid state relays (opto-isolators , triacs) control 4 pair of colored floodlights (or 16 smaller white floods).

i might dmx project @ time, buy couple of dmx controlled moving head lights , i'd build sound activated dmx controller around arduino.   (you can buy lights built-in mic , sound activated effects, i'd want program effects myself.)


if want make lights react different frequencies, msgeq7 chip.    frequency filtering , takes care of negative half of ac audio signal, arduino cannot directly handle.

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