Aputure’s new Sidus Four lets you control eight lighting universes and beyond

The new Aputure Sidus Four simultaneously supports transmission of up to four CRMX universes and four wired DMX universes, for a massive total of eight lighting universes.

Sidus Four, Aputure’s all-in-one networking device, enables solid, interference-free control of up to eight CRMX/DMX lighting universes thanks to the ability to link multiple units together. It follows in the footsteps of Sidus One, an entry level CRMX transmitter, and Sidus Link Pro which brings wireless DMX control to the already popular lighting app.

“Everyone has been asking for a solution that brings wireless DMX to a film set, but makes it easy to use,” said Ted Sim, Aputure co-founder and President. “By itself, Sidus Four is now the most powerful wireless networking node. Paired with Sidus Link Pro, the Aputure ecosystem now leverages both CRMX and Bluetooth to make the most complicated lighting setups not only possible, but also simple to set up and manage. The result is latency-free and rock-solid wireless control for everyone. With this type of power in the hands of creatives and lighting professionals, we can’t wait to see what they achieve.”

Feature highlights of the system include:

4 wireless, 4 wired universes: With support of up to four CRMX universes and four wired DMX universes, Sidus Four can transmit up to eight DMX universes at the same time. Sidus Four’s has a whole host of networking protocol options too, featuring support for CRMX, DMX, Art-Net and sACN over EtherCon, and Sidus Bluetooth

Limitless network expansion: With the ability to link multiple Sidus Fours together via Ethernet, there’s virtually no cap on the number of universes a user can control. That means it can scale from a small-scale production to a massive event venue, and expand from four universes to eight, sixteen, and beyond.

Clear display: Clear, color-coded UI with iconography that can be seen from a distance on a bright TFT displays instant network vitals of the entire lighting network’s status, making system setup and troubleshooting quick and intuitive.

Weather resistance and battery backup: Sidus Four features an IP65 dust and water resistant rating and 800m long-range, dual-band antennas. Add to that a variety of power options – including a V-mount battery plate and 80-minute backup battery – and users should be sure their lighting network can withstand a full day’s work, regardless of the conditions. 

Console-Level Device Control: Aputure’s Sidus Link Pro, the professional version of Aputure’s popular lighting control app, takes the features of Sidus Four even further. Users can see and configure all the settings of their Sidus Four, with the ability to change output, choose the universe for each of the four wireless transmitters, send link commands to any universe, monitor and configure lighting networks, and much more. 

Hands-on demos will be on offer at IBC2024 of Sidus Four and the Sidus Link Pro iPad app (Stand 11.B22). Ahead of that, watch Aputure Director of Product, Ben Dynice, put Sidus Four to the test below alongside pro lighting programmer, David Slodki (an ICLS member and Local 728 lighting programmer) who has programmed such productions as Avengers: Infinity Wars, Star Trek, and Starship Troopers.