Basic DMX setup

Using this guide

DMX carries values; the model’s manual defines each channel’s function. Changing personality may change function count and order.

Prepare your rental inquiry

• Date, city, venue and setup, event and pickup schedule.
• Intended use, area dimensions and equipment already supplied by the venue or production.
• Available controller or console and who will operate it; existing fixture models, quantities and modes if known. If details are missing, start with label or menu photos and a description of the use.
• Specify equipment only, advance setup or operation during the event; hours, planned scenes or changes, and the cue caller. The proposal confirms which tasks, equipment and accessories are included.

Specify equipment only or whether setup, programming, operation and strike are also needed. Scope is confirmed in the proposal.

You do not need a final equipment list: tell us the result you want and the part you need help with. Availability and scope are confirmed in the proposal.

Features and connections

A universe has 512 channels. Example: a 15-channel fixture starting at 1 occupies through 15; the next may start at 16. Last start without exceeding the universe: 498.

For equipment-only rental, establish who will connect and control it: they need the manual and DMX chart for the agreed mode, suitable control and signal equipment, and the planned patch. If you request setup, agree on what it includes: mode selection, addressing, patching, testing and handing over settings. For operation during the event, specify hours, scenes and who will call cues. Setup and operation are separate scopes; neither is assumed to be included when renting a fixture.

Prepare the system

1. Select the fixture personality and matching console profile; confirm address, universe and physical output.
2. Connect output to input using suitable DMX cable in a chain; branch through an appropriate active splitter rather than passive Y cables.
3. Terminate each branch at its final receiver with 120 Ω as instructed; check built-in termination before adding another. Test one unit with a known short cable.

Questions and troubleshooting

Precautions

• Do not connect XLR DMX to audio or assume any network connector is Ethernet.
• Confirm receiver loading and supported cable length per device; do not use a universal count without reviewing the line.
• Save patch and settings before changes. Test data loss safely according to documented behavior.

Terms on this page

DMX

A data protocol controlling lighting functions; each model defines what its channels mean.

Patch

Assignment of fixture, profile, address and universe in the control system.

Personality

A control mode defining the channels and functions used by a fixture.

Shutter

A fixture function opening or closing light output; distinct from the camera shutter.

Documentation and sources

• ETC — DMX information
• ENTTEC — DMX termination

Accessed: 2026-10-22. Calculated address example; no GLMedia physical testing.

Guides to plan your system

• Complete equipment and show recovery
• Lighting people for camera

Power is on: locate the break in the control path

An illuminated display confirms power to part of a fixture, not correct emitter operation, operating mode or DMX input. Record model, version, messages, mode and wiring before changing the show. Stop operational troubleshooting for damage, abnormal heat, odors or tripped protection and arrange an electrical assessment.

Compare the requested console value, calculated/transmitted output and receiver response. A software DMX viewer reports its output state; it does not independently measure the cable or prove the fixture receives the correct stream. A local fixture test permitted by its manual helps separate light generation from control.

1. Save a show copy and select one fixture with a known path; agree on a test area without exposing an audience to motion or flashes.
2. Check DMX mode against auto, sound or master/slave operation; verify model, personality, start address, footprint, universe and physical output.
3. Request a simple intensity, color and shutter state using the exact DMX table. Check blackout, grand master and playback masters; do not set every channel to 255, which may trigger strobe, reset or macros.
4. If the output viewer does not change, investigate control, patch and show state. If it changes, check output enable/interface and test source → known short cable → one correctly terminated fixture.
5. Record local and wired results. Add one segment at a time; if unresolved, collect show, profile, version and DMX chart for support. A global reset can erase evidence and does not prove a repair.

We can assess cables, a node, splitter or console, review patching and prepare an operator-led test. Start with date, venue, symptoms and label/menu photos; scope may cover equipment, configuration or troubleshooting alongside existing production equipment.

• ETC — DMX512 information
• MA — Quick Start Guide, version 2.3

Art-Net or sACN: document both ends

Choose according to documented senders, receivers and network design. Art-Net does not always mean broadcast, and sACN does not eliminate configuration. MagicQ, for example, assigns output type, destination and status. Network discovery does not prove receipt of the required universe.

Do not automatically subtract one. Some interfaces display one-based labels while transmitting a different address; others use literal values. Art-Net 4 revision 1.4dp also deprecates Port-Address zero for sACN compatibility, although existing equipment still supports it. Check both devices and releases.

For Net, Sub-Net and Universe fields, the Art-Net address is Net × 256 + Sub-Net × 16 + Universe. Art-Net Sub-Net is not the IP subnet mask. Literal address 0:1:0 equals 16; that does not decide its show-universe mapping. Document the assignment.

1. Make one row per path: show universe → protocol → transmitted number → interface/destination → received universe → DMX port. Record models, versions and numbering convention.
2. For a MagicQ example mapping show universe 1 to Art-Net 0, the receiver must expect that literal address. Switching to sACN 1 requires configuring receipt of sACN 1. This chosen translation is not a universal protocol equivalence.
3. Verify one source before combining consoles. With sACN, check priority and receiver behavior for equal sources and data loss. Higher priority alone is not a complete backup plan.

Start with your date, venue and approximate needs. We can assess equipment, configuration and operation within an agreed scope.

• Artistic Licence — Art-Net 4, revision 1.4dp (2025-10-23)
• ChamSys — MagicQ 1.9.7.x output configuration
• ENTTEC Support — networking troubleshooting