Complete equipment and show recovery

Using this guide

A fixture list does not describe the full system. Confirm supports, attachments, secondary retention, power distribution, cables, control, optics and required consumables.

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.
• Visual goal and problem to solve; venue plan or identified photos if available.
• Decisions already agreed with venue, production and video to assess a suitable solution.

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 show backup preserves data; it does not replace hardware, output permissions, networking or power. Redundancy must address and test the anticipated failure.

Prepare the system

1. Document models, versions, patch, addresses, network and connections. Agree with GLMedia on proposal inclusions and venue or production contributions.
2. Save show and configuration independently with identifiable name and version. Confirm the copy opens on a compatible system outside live operation.
3. Prepare a suitable recovery look and decision owners; rehearse source loss, replacement and return in a cleared area.

Questions and troubleshooting

Precautions

• Show-recovery face light does not replace venue emergency lighting.
• Competent personnel must size mounting and distribution; do not transfer loads or protection ratings from another proposal.
• Do not update, reset or change networks during recovery without a prepared, authorized procedure.

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.

Documentation and sources

• MA Lighting — Save a Show File
• CHAUVET — NET-X II loss and merge
• ETC — DMX cabling

Accessed: 2026-10-22. Proposed preparation plan; no GLMedia physical testing.

Guides to plan your system

• Basic DMX setup
• Lighting people for camera

Move a show while preserving a return version

Deliver an identified package rather than the first file found on a USB drive. Link filename, revision date, console/software, profiles, patch, network and responsible operator in a manifest. Include external media, macros or extensions used by the design, with versions and permissions; verify which dependencies actually travel inside the file.

The grandMA3 2.5 manual states that showfile versions move forward only: saving in newer software prevents that copy from reopening in the old release. Preserve the earlier file unchanged and save conversion under another name. Opening alone does not validate cues, media, users or real output.

1. Prepare two identified copies in independent locations. Confirm existence, size and opening; a partial-save warning is not an approved backup.
2. Away from active operation, open a copy in the destination software. Compare profiles, patch, users, media and critical cues; record completed and pending checks.
3. Agree who accepts delivery, how the approved file is recovered and how to return to the earlier system. Preserve the original and plan a targeted test if a dependency is missing.

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

• MA — Show File Handling 2.5
• MA — Save a Show File 2.3

Operator handover: checks to perform together

An operational handover needs an approved version and an agreed test path. Prepare an index covering patch, universes, modes, addresses, port/network map, cues, versions and recovery copy. Identify production and venue contributions and items the incoming operator must confirm.

Also record state missing from an equipment list: user/profile, masters, parks, external sources, triggers and loss behavior. In grandMA3, timecode slot settings need separate documentation from the showfile. Opening the file does not necessarily reproduce the station.

1. Before handover, identify one active control authority and the moment responsibility transfers. Another station must not start transmitting onto active universes outside the designed handover process.
2. Propose joint checks of a fixture per type or branch, a critical cue, recovery look and return to normal control. Mark each step pending, observed or accepted and record test conditions.
3. Save the final file with owner, revision and later changes. Leave a short list of open issues, operating contact and criteria for stopping a test that differs from expectations.

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

• MA — Show File Handling2.5
• MA — Timecode Slots2.5
• Luminex — MA-Net3 topology guidance

Rent, buy or use the venue console

Compare a system that can run the show rather than the control-surface price alone. Include enabling hardware, computer where required, licenses, outputs, nodes, cabling, transport, programming, training and recovery. Ask the proposal to identify inclusions and venue contributions.

Three examples help define scope: a grandMA3 onPC command wing needs an external computer; the current MQ70 Compact integrates processing; original NX1 and NX1-16 have different capacities. Patch, operator and continuity needs guide selection. A familiar model does not establish available stock or compatibility with your file.

1. Start with date, venue, duration, approximate equipment, operator and intended result. Identified photos and estimated distances can begin assessment without final plans.
2. Request comparable equipment/setup and prepared/operated-system scopes. Check enabled outputs, profiles, versions and who rehearses; rental does not automatically include programming.
3. For purchase, consider intended usage, support, maintenance, storage and training. For rental, confirm availability, accessories, preparation and return timing. Document show recovery in either case.

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

• MA — onPC solutions and parameter capacity
• ChamSys — MQ70 current Compact
• ONYX — model/license matrix