Starting from near zero, I went through the learning curve for this last year. FWIW, here's my take on controller software.
Addressable LEDs are kind of wild west right now -- to make them work, you'll need to be willing to dive in and work with both hardware and software. Commercial solutions are available, and are fine if you absolutely need turnkey equipment. But they're more expensive and likely a lot less flexible. No matter what you chose though, it's worthwhile. You can light things in ways that just aren't possible with other methods.
My two favorite LED controllers are these:
-
If you're comfortable with compiling and flashing Arduino/ESP hardware, but aren't as interested in programming your own effects and settings, WLED is excellent. It supports all popular LED types, has a large library of effects, and is fairly easy to configure. The integration's thread is here: (Aircoookie WLED integration to HE)
-
If you'd prefer ready-to-run hardware that lets you easily program your own effects without having to compile and reflash every time, Pixelblaze is a great choice. It also supports popular LEDs, has a large library of effects, a Web configuration UI, and a helpful user community. (I wrote the integration for Pixelblaze - the thread is here: ([RELEASE] Pixelblaze addressable LED Controller Driver v1.00)
