HitLight vs grandMA3: when to use each
grandMA3 is the industry-standard console for professional lighting design, and HitLight is not trying to replace it. HitLight is Mac software for building scenes fast without learning a console. When a show outgrows it, HitLight exports the rig as an MVR file with GDTF fixtures, plus a cue macro, for a grandMA3 to import.
Who is grandMA3 right for?
If your work needs grandMA3, buy grandMA3. It is the industry standard for professional lighting design and HitLight is not trying to replace it. It is built for professional lighting designers on touring and large-venue productions, and MA Lighting documents it far better than we can. If your production has a lighting designer who already programs one, stop reading here.
When is HitLight the better fit?
When nobody on the team is going to learn a professional console. A mobile DJ with a handful of PARs and moving heads, a bar with a rig somebody installed years ago, a school hall run by volunteers — those situations are not waiting for a more powerful desk. They are waiting for someone who can program one.
| Question | grandMA3 | HitLight |
|---|---|---|
| Who is it for? | Professional lighting designers on touring and large-venue productions. | Bars, venues, mobile DJs, bands, schools and theatres who need scenes before showtime. |
| What does it cost? | Consoles from €5,000+. | HitLight is in beta. Every account includes Venue / Install at no cost during the beta, with no credit card required. After beta, Hobby / Student stays free for non-commercial use. Pro costs USD 19 per month or USD 149 per year. Venue / Install costs USD 999 per site per year. |
| How do you build a look? | You program it on the console. | Describe it in plain English and the assistant programs it, build it by hand in the matrix editor, or let Auto Show follow the music. |
| What does it run on? | MA Lighting consoles and software. | A Mac: Apple Silicon Mac (M1 or later) with macOS 14 or later. The browser app authors and visualises but cannot output DMX. |
| How finished is it? | The established professional standard. | Public beta software. |
Can you move a HitLight show to a grandMA3?
HitLight exports a show for grandMA3: an MVR file with the patch, 3D positions and GDTF fixture files, plus a macro XML that recreates groups, colour presets and sequences with a cue for each scene step.
- The rig. The MVR file carries each fixture's patch, its 3D position, a layer for each truss or pipe, and the original GDTF fixture file. Re-exporting updates the same fixtures on the console instead of duplicating them, or you can import it as an additional rig.
- The programming. A macro XML recreates groups, colour presets and sequences, with one cue per scene step and its fade and follow timing.
- The paperwork. HitLight exports show paperwork: a lighting plot as PDF and a patch list as CSV, generated from the live rig.
Building the rig from the venue's own plot is quicker still: see importing a lighting plot.
Should you pick grandMA3 or HitLight?
Pick grandMA3 if
- You have, or are, a lighting designer who programs a professional console.
- The production tours, or the venue already runs grandMA3.
- You need a finished professional system rather than beta software.
Pick HitLight if
- You own lights but were never going to become a lighting programmer.
- You want the rig to follow the music with nothing programmed first.
- You want to start on a Mac today and keep the option of handing the show to a console later.
Last verified .
Try it on your own rig
Patch your fixtures, describe the look you want, and watch it on the 3D stage before you connect anything.
HitLight is in beta. Every account includes Venue / Install at no cost during the beta, with no credit card required. After beta, Hobby / Student stays free for non-commercial use. Pro costs USD 19 per month or USD 149 per year. Venue / Install costs USD 999 per site per year. Requires macOS 14 or later for hardware output.