Is Freestyler good for my needs?

[rksystems]

I'm very new to the whole world of lighting, and I have a few basic questions that I hope someone will be able to clarify for me.

Is freestyler a better option for me than a hardware DMX controller? I don't want to spend much money but I am looking to control maybe 8 lights or so. I found some PAR 64 lights on ebay that are chinese, are these easy to program? It says they come with a manual and it also mentions the DMX channel functions. Is this all I need?

If I go with the freestyler option, I gather there is a DMX to USB adapter I would need to purchase? Do I daisy chain all my lights together with that?

Some basic information on how DMX works with the lights and controllers would be appreciated. Thank you!

Ryan

[buttza]

http://www.freestylersupport.com/wiki/

Go to the wiki for more info about freestyler.

I think you should start on a cheap DMX controller first. If you are only controlling 8 LED pars. You can go with Freestyler if you want to build your rig up tho. FS has a sound to light function that you could use to start with then build more complicated shows as you learn more about DMX and lighting. IMHO. There is plenty of info at the DMX wiki too.

[Nathanrs93]

I agree with buttza.
It all depends on what you plan on using the lights for and if you're going to expand late down the line. It is important that you get as much information as possible from places like, DMX WIKI.

But remember what might work for someone else might not work for you!