streamers haven

Did you know you can use Stream Alerts to control DMX Lights?

If you are a fan of RGB background lighting to accent your streaming setup, then you may be quite happy to learn about this awesome program. With it, you can control your RGB Hue, LIFX, Nanoleaf, TpLink, Elgato Key lights, and Yeelight smart lights, and make them do some pretty awesome things with stream alerts, or trigger them manually using an Elgato Stream Deck, and that is merely the beginning…

Heck, you can even use it to turn on or off a TPlink smart plug, if you have those. This essentially lets you control even something mundane…like a vacuum cleaner! Not sure why you would need to turn that on or off during a stream, but hey, you can! The possibilities are endless with those little plugs, and it is all thanks to Lumia Stream.

Recently, the company also released a new version, which is covered in the video linked below. With this release, a number of new features were added, which I’ll discuss in more detail as the article unfolds.

4.0 New Features

https://youtu.be/cJNgKLEr3Ag

With the release of 4.0, there are a number of notable features available for your setup. Specifically, it gains the ability to control Midi/DMX devices, which literally opens the doors wide open for stage-class lighting and effects control. When paired with an Elgato Stream Deck, you can create stunning light shows designed to hype up your audience with naught but a single tool.

With the release of 4.0, there are a number of notable features available for your setup. Specifically, it gains the ability to control Midi/DMX devices, which literally opens the doors wide open for stage-class lighting and effects control.

It does this by acting as a virtual Midi/DMX controller, which eliminates the need for a dedicated DMX controller in its entirety. For a one man media army like a streamer, using a piece of hardware that you may already have, this is extremely valuable.

Also mentioned within the video is that it can control smoke machines, Disco balls and music, but honestly, those aren’t nearly as cool as the stage lighting effects in my humble opinion. Plus, Smoke machines can obscure you from frame which isn’t necessarily ideal, unless you set up a fan to manage the flow away from your face.

That said, pairing music with the stage lighting can make for quality entertainment, but just be careful to not go too overboard and distract from your primary content.

Core Feature: Stream Alerts automation of Effects

At the very core of this program is the ability to trigger these devices from alerts generated by the following streaming tools:

Both of these alert systems offer Unique effects for Follows, Raids, Hosts, Donations, Merch purchases, and Subscribers. Each of these alerts can trigger separate effects, to switch things up. I personally enjoy seeing more than one lighting effect option for follows, as the same sequence can get boring each time.

That being said, You don’t need to have every single effect established immediately. The list of effects to choose from are built up over time. Little by little, as you learn to use the program more effectively, the effects will improve too.

Platforms that support chat commands

The following live streaming platforms support the full feature set of Lumia Stream:

  • Twitch
  • YouTube
  • and Facebook live.

I am heavily biased against Facebook, so much so that I actually refuse to allow their ads on my site, and I do not recommend streaming there. But if you do, the program does support it, allowing the use of chat commands like !blue, or !#333333. Hex commands are Pro only though, so bear that in mind. You could set this feature to be for subscribers only, giving people an incentive to subscribe to have more control over the stream. (Plus, it’s funny to watch when two people fight it out to make it !pink or !blue from my perspective.)

You have Manual control over effects

If you prefer to trigger some effects manually, then the Elgato Stream Deck integration will allow you to do so with ease. An example of such a use case is the ability to set up custom buttons that will perform an action with your lighting setup. The stream deck has assignable buttons that act as a virtual MIDI/DMX controller with this program.

Expanding the functionality of a device in such a way is a great way to increase the value in the device, and it was already worth it’s weight in gold.

What does the paid version of Lumia Stream include?

The biggest feature of Lumia Stream next to the stream alert integration is the MIDI/DMX support. But in order to use that feature, you need the Premium edition of the software. Coming in at just $3.99/mo, $20 per 6 months, or $38/year, it is fairly manageable. I’ve compiled a short list of premium features here that link to the documentation covering these features.

If you are interested in getting Lumia Stream Premium, then you can get it from the link in the button.

Compatible Smart lights

Prior to the 4.0 update, the only devices that were compatible were expensive smart RGB bulbs. This has now changed, but if you happen to have these bulbs laying about, then they are still totally usable.

That being said, the NanoLeaf system is very cool looking in my opinion, and fit well within a streaming setup. Tp-link outlets are also viable still, as they will give you control over non-smart devices that you would otherwise be unable to control using the MIDI/DMX or standard smart light controls.

ProductDescription
philips hue stream alert ready bulb Philips Hue The Phillips HUE Light is one of the more popular options available. It has a rich color, a long life-span, and is very reliable.
It is also fairly secure; though they still recommend using a Hub to control them.
LifX stream alert ready smart bulb LifX BulbThe LifX Light is the main competitor of Philips Hue. They tend to be a bit cheaper than the Hue system, and the colors still look pretty good.
Nanoleaf smart light panel, stream alert ready NanoLeaf This is the Nanoleaf Triangles Starter kit With audio. This is the most “elegant looking” of the options out there. You can connect them into any shape you like with the triangular kit, so that’s handy.
TPlink smart outlets, for controling the mundane TPLink TPlink Smart Outlets are handy. These things turn anything you plug into them into a smart device; sort of. They work as an on/off solution mainly. Very handy for Christmas lights!
Yeelight smart bulbs, for stream alert RGB on a budget. Yeelight The Yeelight smart bulb is the cheapest of the smart bulb offerings for those on a tight budget. The colors are a bit off, but they fuction as an RGB light all the same. And it’s compatible with Lumia Stream.

Potential issues with these light effects

If you happen to use a green screen, then these lights will most likely interfere with the chroma-key filter whenever your stream alerts trigger the flashy lights. This means that your green screen will lose its ability to properly make the screen transparent. Apart from that, Lumia Stream isn’t exactly novice friendly. While there is a lot of documentation that will help you along to understanding how to use it, there is a lot that is confusing to those who aren’t familiar with software like this. Luckily, as time goes on, and the program becomes more refined, this will be less of an issue.

If you happen to use a green screen, then these lights will most likely interfere with the chroma-key filter whenever your stream alerts trigger the flashy lights.

Expect to spend over half an hour or more in the initial setup of everything. For each light you add to the mix, slap on an extra 15 minutes. Luckily, once set up, it is a matter of simply turning it on, and it just works.

Unlike Logitech’s webcam settings…cough cough…

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