sACN (E1.31) Configuration

sACN vs Art-Net

Both sACN (E1.31) and Art-Net carry DMX512 data over Ethernet. Here's when to choose each:

| Consideration | sACN (E1.31) | Art-Net | |---------------|-------------|---------| | Standard body | ESTA (industry standard) | Artistic Licence (proprietary) | | Multicast support | Yes (native) | Limited | | Priority system | Yes (per-universe) | No | | Universe count | Up to 63,999 | Up to 32,768 | | Best for | Installations, large rigs | Club/festival integration with consoles |

For festival-scale rigs and architectural installations, sACN is generally preferred. For single-console club setups, Art-Net is more common.

Setting Up sACN in CueSync

1. Go to Protocols → sACN.
2. Click Add Universe.
3. Configure:

| Setting | Description | |---------|-------------| | Universe | 1–63,999 (match receiver) | | Multicast | Enable to use standard multicast address (recommended for most setups) | | Unicast IP | Only if multicast is blocked on your network | | Priority | 0–200 (default 100); higher value wins if multiple sources conflict | | Source Name | Label shown in receiver's source list |

Priority System

sACN's priority system allows multiple sources to output to the same universe. CueSync's output wins when its priority value is highest. Useful for:

• Backup/failover — set console at priority 100, CueSync at 110 to override during AutoPilot
• Manual override — temporarily lower CueSync's priority to allow manual console control

Multicast vs Unicast

Multicast (recommended): sACN uses 239.255.x.x addresses derived from the universe number. All devices on the network that subscribe to that universe receive the data. No per-device configuration needed.

Unicast: Sends directly to a specific IP. Use when your network blocks multicast or when you need to target a specific receiver without broadcasting to all.

Testing

Use CueSync's sACN Monitor (Protocols → sACN → Monitor) to confirm packets are transmitting. On the receiver side, most consoles and nodes show an sACN source list where CueSync will appear by its source name.