We released 2 updates in March, a new one will be released in April and we need your feedbacks for the future.
We’re starting new iterations of Photon and we want to make sure we’re building the right things for you.
We’ve read everything
Since the beginning of this community, you’ve shared tons of ideas, feature requests and feedback. We’ve compiled all of it. Nothing is lost, every thread has been reviewed.
But we need a fresh signal
Setups evolve, shows get more complex, your needs change. So here’s our question:
What’s the one feature that would change your experience with Photon right now?
It can be a small UI detail, a workflow improvement or a big dream feature, don’t hold back. There’s no wrong answer here.
We need you because you are using it!
This will help us prioritize and make sure we’re not building in a vacuum. Don’t hesitate to upvote others’ suggestions if they match yours.
I always at the beginning of every show need to set the spotlight positions and default positions of our band’s movers. It’s always different for different venues. Using the x-y control is tricky to get them just right and save to a scene. Perhaps if the x-y could accept midi cc input I could more quickly do this.
Having more than 1 Presets & sequences page. I have 300 entries on that page. My lights are split to have some on the audiance and some on the band on stage. So for me it would be good to have 3 pages, 1 for Audiance, 1 for stage and 1 for all lights control. That way I could quickly add or change presets knowing which page they are on instead of searching through 300.
I am using the multiple live dashboard which is absolutly fantastic and I have 3 pages 1 for audiance, 1 for stage and 1for all controlled together. It would be usefull to be able to split the presets & sequences page as well. Lets take an easy example, I have 200 presets in one sequence and 100 presets in another sequence. it would be usefull to have a preset page which is the sequence and its 300 presets and another preset page with the other sequence and its 100 presets. Or on the preset & sequence page have folders where you could drop the sequence and its presets into a folder, so that the folder contains related things. Maybe I am not explaining theis to well.
Agree, and have a similar wish. I don’t use Midi for this, but a FINE mode that would allow me to quickly adjust those lights would be great. I spend way to much time in setup trying to hit a mark with my light using the current XY screen and control. I would also like Photon to filter for Midi channels - I have it working fine because my other Midi devices do filter… just seems like Photon could avoid having to process all of that other Midi traffic if the first check was “Is this Midi instruction meant for my light channel”
I definitely need an effect engine (with for example: rainbow/ random strobe/ walk sequence/ etc) or a at least possibilty to copy/ paste a programming from one light to another. For example, if I have saved a three step fade red-blue-yellow, then I want to be able to copy exactly that to other light group.
Some kind of HomeKit interoperability, like Expose Live Dashboard items to HomeKit or even just the ability to trigger HomeKit scenes or automations within Photon, maybe via a button action.
And @zionplayer thanks for the detailed feedback!
For the MIDI channel filter, quick question for you: do you think it should be a global setting (in the app settings, you define which MIDI channels Photon listens to) or would you prefer it to be configured per button/slider trigger? Both approaches have pros and cons and we want to pick the one that fits real-world setups best.
Regarding the XY repositioning, we hear you on the precision issue. Do you find the XY pad itself not accurate enough (and if so, do you have ideas on what would work better for you?) or is it more about a quick “reconfigure” control when you start a show ?
We’d love more details on your workflow to nail this one. Don’t hesitate to share screenshots if that helps!
I wish I was the Midi expert, but offer what I have seen - my other devices respond to only the Channel they are assigned so its like the gatekeeper - if assigned channel 11 and messages are not on channel 11 for example, they ignore it. But they also recognize PC and CC changes so they have plenty of numbers to choose from.
On XY - I am often trying to position spotlights on performers, because light pole locations, height, performer’s locations etc change per setup. Even small movements on the XY grid move the spot significantly, so if there was a FINE button I could press temporarily on/off just to position the spots would be great. Many of my Mixer apps have this same type feature.
Clément here, co-founder of Photon
We’ve read everything
But we need a fresh signal
We need you because you are using it!