Mid-sized live performances, such as bar gigs and university events, frequently struggle with static or pre-programmed lighting. This is primarily due to the high costs associated with professional lighting designers and the extensive setup times required. Furthermore, technical challenges affect approximately 45% of events, compelling organisers to opt for simpler solutions. This often diminishes audience immersion and artistic expression. At the same time, the global stage lighting market is projected to expand significantly and largely driven by automation trends.

Capitalising on this growth, Dazzler aims to provide real-time dynamic lighting that is synchronized with live music, offering a solution at a fraction of the traditional cost and time commitments. The Dazzler system addresses the challenge of creating affordable, adaptable, and musically responsive lighting by employing a hybrid strategy that integrates audio feature extraction with the DMX protocol for real-time control, thereby eliminating the need for manual configurations. This approach surpasses the limitations of existing tools like MaestroDMX, which often require complex setups.

Key to our system's efficacy are beat detection techniques, and sophisticated mood mapping models that capture elements such as tempo and valence. Through an iterative process of prototyping and user feedback, the system has been refined to achieve latencies below 50ms on standard hardware, enhancing its accessibility for non-expert users.