SchwiftyEx · User Manual
Fire cues wirelessly.
SchwiftyEx turns button presses — on the device or on a hand-held remote — into OSC and MIDI messages your show software and consoles already understand. This is the full setup and operation guide.
Anatomy
Four function buttons, one setup/status ring under the antenna. Each function button has a fixed colour so you can tell them apart at a glance — the colours never change.
- B1Green · bottom-left
- B2Amber / yellow · bottom-right
- B3Blue · top-left
- B4Red · top-right
- SETSetup / status ring, under the antenna
Tip: click the buttons in the picture — the status ring blinks green just like the real device when a button fires.
Reading the setup ring
The ring under the antenna is both the setup button and the device’s status light. Its colour tells you which network mode you’re in and what just happened.
| LED | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Solid blue | Wi‑Fi mode — connected to your network and ready to send. |
| Breathing blue | Trying to connect to a saved Wi‑Fi network. |
| Solid purple | Access-Point mode — the device is broadcasting its own Wi‑Fi so you can connect directly. |
| Breathing purple | Access Point is starting up. |
| Blinking red / blue | Password-free login window is open (Wi‑Fi mode) — you have 10 seconds. |
| Blinking red / purple | Password-free login window is open (AP mode) — you have 10 seconds. |
| Green blink | A MIDI message was just sent. |
| Red blink | An OSC message was just sent. |
The setup ring does two things: hold it 5 seconds to switch between Wi‑Fi and Access-Point mode, or tap it 5 times to open a 10-second password-free login window (handy if you forget the code).
Getting connected
Everything is configured from a browser — there’s no app to install. The first time, you’ll connect to the device directly and set a name and password.
Power it up
Plug SchwiftyEx into a computer or USB power supply with a USB‑C cable.
Join its Wi‑Fi
If it hasn’t connected to a network before, it starts in Access-Point mode (solid purple) and broadcasts its own Wi‑Fi network. Join it from your phone or laptop.
Open the password-free window
Tap the setup ring 5 times. The LED blinks red/purple and you have 10 seconds of password-free access — open a browser and the setup page loads.
Name it & set a code
On the Settings page, set the device name and a UI password. The device name becomes its network name, and the UI password is also the Wi‑Fi password for its Access Point — one code to remember.
Add your Wi‑Fi networks
Add up to 4 networks. SchwiftyEx tries them in priority order. Once any Wi‑Fi is saved, the device boots straight into Wi‑Fi mode (solid blue) from then on.
Forgot the password? You don’t need to reset anything — just tap the setup ring 5× again to reopen the 10-second login window.
Wi‑Fi & Access Point
Two ways to reach the device. Use Wi‑Fi on a show network so OSC reaches your consoles; use Access Point anywhere there’s no network.
Switching modes
Hold the setup ring for 5 seconds to toggle between Wi‑Fi mode (blue) and Access-Point mode (purple). In Access-Point mode the device makes its own network so you can connect directly — perfect for a quick change on stage or in a venue you don’t control.
If you ever can’t reach the device, it also offers a recovery network named SchwiftyEx_Recovery. Combined with the 5-tap login window, you can always get back in.
Pairing & using remotes
SchwiftyRemote hand-held fobs come in 1-, 4- and 8-button versions. Pair one to SchwiftyEx and its buttons work exactly like the onboard buttons — from across the room.
Click a remote button — the indicator LED blinks, just like the real fob transmitting.
Pair the remote
Go to the Pairings page and click Add pairing, then press any button on the remote. Its serial number is saved to SchwiftyEx.
Give it a name
Type a name for the remote (e.g. “Thomas”) and click Save.
Bind its buttons to functions
In a function’s binding box, type the remote name and the button number joined by a dash. Button 4 on a remote named Thomas is
Thomas-4.Press & fire
Press the button on the remote — the function fires exactly as if you’d pressed the device.
Swap or back up a remote instantly: pair a new remote and give it the same name as an old one — every existing binding keeps working. Name several remotes the same way to have a spare, or to let multiple remotes fire the same cues.
What a function can send
Each press or release action sends one of four message types. Mix and match across functions — a single button can send MIDI to your DAW and OSC to a lighting console at the same time.
MIDI MIDI Note
A note on press and note off on release — the classic way to trigger QLab, Ableton Live, and most show software.
Fields: Channel · Note · Velocity
MIDI MIDI CC
A Control Change message — for faders, mutes, and any control mapped to a CC number.
Fields: Channel · CC number · Value
OSC OSC
An Open Sound Control message sent over the network — straight to grandMA3, ETC Eos, QLab, X32 and more.
Fields: IP · Port · Address
MIDI MIDI SysEx
Raw System-Exclusive data — for MMC/MSC and mixer scene recalls (Allen & Heath, and others).
Fields: Data (hex)
Not sure what to type? Use the free OSC & MIDI command generators — pick your console, build the message, and paste it straight into a function.
Presets, terminal & firmware
Presets
Save a complete set of functions and pairings as a preset, then reload it later — ideal for switching between shows, venues or setups.
Serial terminal
The built-in Serial Terminal shows every message as it’s sent, with a live log you can watch while you test bindings. You can download the log as a CSV for documentation.
Firmware updates
Firmware is updated over USB from the browser interface. New releases add features and console support — check the site for the latest.
Capacity & limits
SchwiftyEx scales from a single fob on stage to a whole building of triggers.