Disaster

DMX timeline programming and playback

Program lighting cues with timeline-level control.

Disaster is a cross-platform desktop app for building timed DMX cues, editing intensity and color, previewing fixtures on a 2D stage plot, and sending live output through USB DMX or Art-Net.

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512-channel preview One DMX universe USB DMX + Art-Net
Timeline Editor
Disaster timeline editor showing intensity curves, color blocks, strobe lanes, beatgrid markers, and audio waveform.

Features

Everything needed to build, preview, and run a DMX show from one editor.

01

Timeline cue editing

Edit intensity, color, strobe, color transitions, and cue timing directly on the timeline. Custom beatgrids let different parts of the same audio file snap to different BPM values.

02

Color and transition workflow

Pick colors quickly, drag transitions between looks, and copy cues across fixtures without rebuilding the same timing by hand.

03

Preset intensity effects

Create pulses, fades, rises, and custom intensity shapes with editable curves and presets instead of manually placing every control point.

04

2D stage view

Place fixtures on a stage plot, set their orientation, and preview how lights interact with each other before running the cue live.

AI

Space-aware AI cue assistant

Write plain-English instructions such as “pulse the right-side lights blue from 10s to 18s” or “fade the back lights to red on the chorus.” The assistant uses fixture location, timing, color, and effect language to create cues that match the stage layout.

06

Custom fixture profiles

Create fixture types with your own channel order for WRGB, RGBW, dimmer-first layouts, strobes, and custom DMX mappings.

07

Live DMX output view

Preview raw output across all 512 channels, see exactly what is being sent, and use active fixture sliders to adjust individual patched channels.

08

Hardware support

Supports one universe over USB DMX using OpenDMX-style transmitters and Art-Net output. Plug in the transmitter and start testing with auto-connect behavior.

09

Groups with individual control

Group fixtures to share cues across lights, then still add custom individual cues where a specific fixture needs its own timing or look.

10

Stage-safe playback

Blackout turns off all lights immediately. Lock mode protects live playback by requiring a deliberate mouse double-press so the show is not paused accidentally with the spacebar.

11

Flexible show files

Add multiple stages to test different cue setups. Show files and audio files stay separate, so audio can be changed without rebuilding the lighting project.

12

Fast everyday workflow

Use Ctrl shortcuts, copy/paste cue commands, reliable updates, and cross-platform show files that move cleanly between macOS and Windows.

Demo

Show the app in action.

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Video demonstration

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Expanded Disaster timeline editor interface.

Download

Download the latest release.

The buttons below load the newest Windows and macOS assets from the GitHub releases page. If a direct asset is not found, they open the latest release page instead.

v

Latest release

Release notes are pulled from GitHub when the page loads.

  • View the latest release for download files and notes.
View all releases
One universe USB DMX over OpenDMX Art-Net 512-channel live preview macOS + Windows show files

Install

Installation instructions

Disaster is distributed directly through GitHub releases. Windows and macOS may show a security prompt for new or unsigned apps. Download from the official release page, approve the app once, and you are ready to run the editor.

Win

Windows

  1. Download the Windows installer from the latest release.
  2. If SmartScreen says Windows protected your PC, click More info.
  3. Click Run anyway, then finish the installer.
  4. Open Disaster, plug in your DMX transmitter, and start testing output.

This warning is expected for a new app that Windows does not recognize yet. Disaster is not malware.

mac

macOS

  1. Download the macOS file from the latest release.
  2. Open the app once. If macOS blocks it, open System Settings.
  3. Go to Privacy & Security and choose Open Anyway or allow Disaster from the Security section.
  4. Confirm the prompt, reopen Disaster, and connect your DMX transmitter.

macOS shows this approval step for apps distributed outside the App Store. Disaster is not malware.