We’ve seen terrific iPhone / iPod Touch apps for MIDI and OpenSoundControl, including Mrmr running VJ apps, i3L outputing to MIDI, and free, cross-platform Pd tools. With these, you can run visual, music, and other apps. But the latest addition is a very polished-looking app dedicated entirely to DMX, the protocol of choice for automated lighting and certain motorized projectors we love so much.

Luminar is a DMX lighting control app for iPhone and Touch, running control data for DMX rigs over wifi. There’s a touch-enabled mixer, precise, per-channel control, and color manipulation with a Color Changer channel layout. It’s definitely geared for lights in a way that general-purpose control software is not. I feel slightly icky talking about “lights” on this site. (Hey, aren’t those the things that blow out our projections?) But on the other hand, this kind of control and better software is just the kind of tool that can help give us better control over live rigs – and it’ll certainly work for DMX-controlled visuals, too, or (if you’re lucky enough to be doing this) synced projected visuals and lights, not to mention the kind of lights we very much enjoy (like LED arrays).