How it works
A lighting console sends a stream of numbers down a cable. Each universe has 512 channels, and each channel holds a value from 0 to 255. A fixture is given a start address and listens to a block of channels, one for each thing it can do, such as dimmer, colour, position or firing an effect.
Fixtures are linked one after another in a daisy chain, with a terminator at the end of the line. DMX only travels one way, from the console to the fixtures, and it repeats many times a second, so the rig follows every change in real time.
Good to know
- One universe fills up quickly. A rig with many moving heads or pixels needs several universes.
- Use proper DMX cable, not microphone cable, and always terminate the end of the line.
- Long runs and big rigs are usually carried over a network with Art-Net or sACN, then converted back to DMX near the fixtures.
- Lasers, hazers, CO2 jets and spark machines can all sit on the same console as the lights.
