Skip to main content

Beam 2

2.0.0​

November 15, 2024

New features and improvements​

Windows support​

Beam 2 is the first release for the Windows platform, offering a fully-featured application identical to its macOS counterpart.

Performance​

Beam for Live is now more efficient, allowing you to work with an even larger number fixtures, with a lower CPU load.

Fixture profiles​

Beam for Live now uses SBF v3 - a new fixture profile format with improved descriptiveness for various fixture properties. This unlocks support for a larger number of fixture types, and makes it possible to grow the fixture library faster.

Improved color handling​

  • Passing signals through multiple Live Chains or Groups no longer results in decreased intensities.
  • Improved color and intensity translation for fixtures with different fixture colorspaces.

Modes​

A single fixture profile can now contain multiple DMX modes within a single profile. This eliminates the need for a separate fixture profile for each mode.

Cells​

Added support for fixtures with cells and subcells of any level, such as pixel bars and fixtures with multiple fixture subgroups, with all the cell information stored within a single fixture profile. Eliminates the need for multiple fixture profile file for every fixture cell/child type to describe a single fixture profile, as is needed with v1 and v2 profiles with aggregates/children.

Test any attribute​

Beam's Test button in the Fixture Patch previously only had impact on intensity and color channels, but it is now possible to make it activate any channel of a fixture, such as shutter/strobe, strobe rate, and pan/tilt. This is done based on a fixture's channel highlight DMX values specified in the fixture profile.

Manufacturer and model info​

Fixtures now contain info about manufacturer and model, used to improved organisation in Fixture Patch.

Fixture profile library​

  • All existing profiles were converted to the new fixture profile format, to make use of improved color handling via colorspaces, highlight values, modes (separate fixture profiles for different modes of a given fixture were merged into common multi-mode fixture profile files) and cells.
  • Added new fixture profiles.

Support for older fixture profile versions​

Older Beam fixture profile formats continue to work, so any fixture patches made with Beam for Live 1.x can be still open in Beam for Live 2. However, they are now deprecated, and some of the newer features and improvements are not available.

Fixture Profiles folder location​

The Fixture Profiles are now found in Documents/Beam/Fixture Profiles.

Creating fixture profiles​

The built-in Fixture Editor has been removed. Users who want to create a profile for a fixture not in the factory library can instead use the web fixture editor, consult with the fixture profile schema or submit a fixture profile request.

Beam for Max cross-compatibility​

The new fixture profile format is already supported by Beam for Max, so any fixture patches made with Beam for Max can now be opened in Beam for Live and vice-versa.

Connectivity​

Enhanced connectivity and routing options:

  • Added support for Art-Net Input.
  • Route any number of DMX universes to/from any number of targets and sources.
  • Use Art-Net nodes and USB devices simultaneously.
  • Output DMX via CITP: effortless communication with visualizers like Capture. This eliminates concerns about the order in which the applications need to be started when running a visualizer on the same computer as Beam, as is the case with Art-Net unicast.

Inputs/Outputs​

Added a new dedicated application view for managing input and output DMX sources and targets.

External In device​

A new device for generating lighting signals from external input sources:

  • Introduce DMX input via Art-Net from lighting consoles or other lighting software and process it with Beam's Effects. Beam converts the incoming DMX values into modulation and color data according to the fixture profiles in the fixture patch.
  • Route lighting signals between Live Tracks.

User interface​

  • Beam's application user interface has been updated with a dark color scheme, an improved layout, and a more consistent design.
  • The second tab of the main window is now the Inputs/Outputs view.
  • Added embedded Monitor view, available as the third tab of the main window. Monitor can still be opened in an external window. Menu-bar options and keyboard shortcuts have been adjusted accordingly:
    • Window > Monitor or Cmd+3 / Ctrl+3 now toggles to the embedded Monitor view.
    • Window > External Monitor or Cmd+Option+3 / Ctrl+Alt+3 opens the external *Monitor window.
  • New Settings window, accessible via the button at the bottom of the left sidebar. This includes both application-wide settings previously found in the Preferences tab, and the Control Surface and License sections from the previous Settings window.
  • Added Console, a new window that logs all the important status updates, warnings or error alerts. Accessible via the button at the bottom of the left sidebar, opens automatically whenever Beam needs to display an error.
  • Improved input fields behavior and appearance:
    • Input fields now accept entries also when clicking outside of an input field, rather than only after Enter was pressed.
    • An input field is "blurred" if the value hasn't changed and Enter was pressed.
    • If an input value has been changed, pressing Esc reverts it to the previous value and keeps the focus, otherwise blurs the field.
    • Values of numeric input fields can now be set using increment/decrement arrows.
    • Labels are now above the input fields.
    • All input fields now have labels.
    • Input fields are combined into single rows wherever it was unnecessary for them to take full container width.
    • Improved appearance of input fields on hover, when focused, and when active.
  • Title bars of Beam's application windows now display Live-Beam connection status and whether Beam is in trial mode.
  • Updated User Library content installer:
    • The last step of the installer now offers to open the new Demo Project.
    • The time that each step of the installation takes has been reduced.
    • Updated the videos that show how to select the Control Surface in Live 12.

Fixture Patch​

  • Patch Editor is now everywhere referred to as "Fixture Patch".
  • "Add Fixtures" dialog window has been replaced by an expandable left-side panel. The panel remains open while its toggle is active and no longer closes after fixtures are added. This allows for interacting with other parts of the interface while adding items, making it faster to patch many fixtures.
  • Add/Remove/Test Fixtures buttons have been moved to the left sidebar. The bottom toolbar has been removed.
  • Each fixture can now have multiple modes.
  • Add Fixtures: profiles are now sorted by manufacturer.
  • DMX Address Ranges:
    • The Address column in the Patch Editor now displays the address range (start - end DMX addresses) for fixtures with more than one channel.
    • When adding fixtures, the Patching Range is now shown, with the end range turning red if it exceeds the DMX channel range.
    • Fixtures can no longer be added to the Patch if their addresses fall outside the valid range.
  • Fixtures now display their tags and MIDI notes in the patch list.
  • Fixtures in the patch list now display a lightbulb icon and yellow line now appears at the left border of a fixture when Test is active.
  • Fixtures with cells or children now display an arrow, to make it clear that they can be expanded.
  • Fixture names in the fixture list are now truncated with "..." instead of being wrapped into multiple lines, improving readability.
  • When the fixture patch is empty, an Add Fixtures button now appears, which opens the side panel. This button is hidden if the panel is already open.
  • The Inspector panel now displays No Selection when no items are selected.

Demo Content​

Beam for Live is now bundled with two demo packages for getting started without any external hardware. Each such package includes a lighting visualization application with a virtual lighting rig, a fixture patch to control it, and an Ableton Live Set.

  • Demo Project: an audiovisual composition "Hooked" by ZINK / Miro Bollen, accompanied by the virtual stage "Beam - Ampco Flashlight Studio 1", based on the setup used to record Beam for Live 2 Release Trailer. Accessible via Beam > Demo Project... menu bar option.
  • Playground: a virtual stage consisting of some common lighting fixtures, coupled with a simple Live Set that can be used as a template for sketches. Accessible via Beam > Open Playground... menu bar option. The virtual lighting rig is based on the one used by the Beam 1 Demo Project, which is now available as Beam Playground Example in the User Library folder.

Devices​

  • Devices now initialize faster.
  • Improved communication between Live and Beam.
  • Improved support for simultaneous use of Beam for Live and Videosync.
  • Updated the usage of dynamic colors across all instruments and effects, ensuring optimal readability of text and values in Live 11 and Live 12's light/dark mode.
  • Minimum required Live version for all instruments and effects is now Live 11.1.
  • Minimum required Max version for all instruments and effects is now Max 8.3.
  • Updated User Library folder structure:
User Library/
  Beam/
    2.0 Devices/
      Effects
      Instruments
    2.0 Demo Set
    2.0 Playground

Trial​

Instead of the trial period that would expire after 30 days, Beam's trial version now remains forever fully-functional, with periodic blackouts in DMX output.

Fixes​

  • Fixed an issue where Live would sometimes freeze after running a larger Live Set with Beam devices for extensive periods of time.
  • Fixed an issue causing Live to become unresponsive when running both Beam and Videosync simultaneously.
  • Fixed an issue resulting in confusing errors in the Max for Live window.
  • Fixed an issue where Live's Log.txt file incorrectly included messages from Showsync's Control Surface as errors, even though they were not actual errors.
  • Reduced the amount of informational logging from the Showsync Control Surface.
  • Fixed an issue where undo would sometimes bring devices into an unexpected state.
  • Fixed a bug that left a Beam device marked as Disconnected when undoing and redoing its creation.
  • Generic Instrument: fixed an issue where the chosen number of parameters to display would not be stored in a Live Set.
  • Generic Instrument: setting a slot or envelope to red, green or blue now behaves as expected.
  • Fixed an issue where modulation values were incorrectly translated to DMX values of attributes with coarse and fine channels.
  • Fixture Patch: fixed an issue where renaming a tag of a selection of multiple fixtures would also override the note values of their tags.
  • Fixture Patch: fixed a bug where editing tags for multiple cells/children incorrectly changed their note indexes.
  • Fixture Patch: Tag Trigger Notes are now incremented for each consecutive fixture when adding a new Tag to a selection of fixtures.
  • Fixture Patch: when updating Trigger Note of a Tag on a selection of fixtures, Trigger Notes are now incremented for each consecutive fixture.
  • Removed redundant Help > License… option.
  • Fixed a crash when attempting to read from a directory without read permissions.
  • Beam now shows a clearer error message in case misconfiguration of the computer's network settings causes the application not to be able to fully launch.