Simple Patchable LED Controller?

[jbaileypro]

We have an installation which includes 12 channels of dimming with then 10 LED RGB fixtures starting on 13, 16, 19, 22 etc. These are already patched and controller by a Zero88 desk (each LED fixture has its own address).

 

Now we want to just have a simple controller they can use on stage for other users of the venue. Something where they can just press the red fader and get all the LEDs red (they don't need to control each fixture individually). They do not need control of the dimmer channels.

 

We are used to the small LED controllers that are on the market but they are usually limited to 8 fixtures and have to be patch to what the controller wants with gaps (as most now allow for RGBW, RGBWUA etc). We still have the issue of having two of the fixtures what are then not controlled too. Unfortunately we need to have every fixture manually controllable from the larger (Zero 88) console so cannot address multiple fixtures to the same address.

 

I did some research and thought I found the answer in the Showtec LED Commander. From the manual it looks as though you can patch multiple DMX address to a function (e.g. fixture 1 red outputs on DMX 13, 16, 19, 22, fixture 2 green outputs on DMX 14, 17, 20, 23 etc). They even show this on the video but I just called Showtec and they said this doesn't work (see attached the manual and video as I think I'm going mad)!?

 

Does anyone have experience with this controller or know of one which can do the job?

 

The only other option we can see is a DMX recorder and settings scenes that can be recalled?

 

Video Link:

Manual: Manual

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

 

[alistermorton]

Could you program the red/green/blue faders as submasters so they control multiple channels?

 

It's how I'd do what you want with say a Strand GSX (that doens't really do intelligne tfixtures very well).

 

e.g. set the red fader to be a submaster on addresses 13, 16, 19, 22, the green fader as a submaster on 14, 17, 20, 23 and the blue fader as a submaster on 15, 18, 21, 24. Then you still have individually addressed fixtures bu they're grouped together on the red, green and blue faders only.

 

Depends on the desk you're using whether you can program subs, of course.

 

EDIT:

 

Sorry, misread. I thought you were asking how to program an existing desk to do what you want.

[jack2609]

We have an installation which includes 12 channels of dimming with then 10 LED RGB fixtures starting on 13, 16, 19, 22 etc. These are already patched and controller by a Zero88 desk (each LED fixture has its own address).

 

Now we want to just have a simple controller they can use on stage for other users of the venue. Something where they can just press the red fader and get all the LEDs red (they don't need to control each fixture individually). They do not need control of the dimmer channels.

 

We are used to the small LED controllers that are on the market but they are usually limited to 8 fixtures and have to be patch to what the controller wants with gaps (as most now allow for RGBW, RGBWUA etc). We still have the issue of having two of the fixtures what are then not controlled too. Unfortunately we need to have every fixture manually controllable from the larger (Zero 88) console so cannot address multiple fixtures to the same address.

 

I did some research and thought I found the answer in the Showtec LED Commander. From the manual it looks as though you can patch multiple DMX address to a function (e.g. fixture 1 red outputs on DMX 13, 16, 19, 22, fixture 2 green outputs on DMX 14, 17, 20, 23 etc). They even show this on the video but I just called Showtec and they said this doesn't work (see attached the manual and video as I think I'm going mad)!?

 

Does anyone have experience with this controller or know of one which can do the job?

 

The only other option we can see is a DMX recorder and settings scenes that can be recalled?

 

Video Link:

Manual: Manual

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hi,

 

Have you taken a look at the Jands Stage CL? A short video can be viewed here My link. The Stage CL is arguably one of the easiest professional LED controllers on the market. Each of your fixtures will have its own intensity control fader. Colour is created via the two encoders above each fixture fader or by using the colour picker on the touch screen. If you select multiple LEDs, with the simple select fixture buttons, all of the LEDs will do the exact same colour.

 

You could also program some scene faders if you really want to have "this is the red stage look fader, this is the green stage look fader".

 

Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or would like to try out a demo unit. Trying out a lighting console, whatever it is, is always the best way to see if it meets your requirements.

 

Best Regards

Jack

 

 

[Don Allen]

Not quite as compact but the LSC Atom desk will do this as any number of DMX channels can be assigned to each fader, so you can put all red channels under one fader. I bought a secondhand Atom12 for this use. It has gone into a Perth (WA) Fringe venue today, for controlling a mixed rig of conventional's and led's.

[kgallen]

One if the small Transcention/Showmaster SceneSetter controllers can do this by multi patching DMX addresses onto one fader. That's how our local primary school has it set up (they have a few generics too).

 

https://www.thomann.de/gb/showtec_showmaster_24_mkii.htm

[jonhole]

Which Zero 88 console do you have? If it has DMX In, could you use something like a Zero 88 Level 6 plugged into the main console and map the faders to submasters?

[jbaileypro]

Hi all,

 

I just wanted to update this thread with the news that the desk I bought (Showtec LED Controller) worked with soft patching multiple lighting fixtures to the same "fixture" on the desk.

 

We had 10 LED RGB Fixtures. I was able to patch 4 onto Fixture 1 (labelled Front), 4 onto Fixture 2 (labelled Mid) and 2 onto Fixture 3 (labelled Rear). I was also able to add the 12 dimmer channels but using fixture 5 and 6 for dimmer channels 1 to 12. It was very easy to patch actually. You select the DMX channel using the speed and fade faders (speed is a bank, eg 1, 33, 66 etc and fade was 1, 2, 3, 4...) and then just press the fixture and key you want to patch that channel to.

 

For example our first RGB fixture was channel 13 which was RED. Just press Fixture 1 choose channel 13 using the speed and bank faders then press Red. I then repeated this for channel 16 which was RED for fixture 2, just press Fixture 1, Red.

 

The Scenes also work quite nicely on this desk. Some smaller controllers will only let you run one scene at a time (eg only red, only green) but this desk allows you to mix scenes. So press red and green scenes to make Yellow etc.

 

Here attached is a photo:

 

 

Hope that makes sense. We are also looking at making an in-house product either using a Raspberry Pi and small touch screen or modifying a small 6 channel desk with an arduino as there are still quite a few options here to confuse people.

 

Cheers,

[sleah]

Hi all,

 

I just wanted to update this thread with the news that the desk I bought (Showtec LED Controller) worked with soft patching multiple lighting fixtures to the same "fixture" on the desk.

 

We had 10 LED RGB Fixtures. I was able to patch 4 onto Fixture 1 (labelled Front), 4 onto Fixture 2 (labelled Mid) and 2 onto Fixture 3 (labelled Rear). I was also able to add the 12 dimmer channels but using fixture 5 and 6 for dimmer channels 1 to 12. It was very easy to patch actually. You select the DMX channel using the speed and fade faders (speed is a bank, eg 1, 33, 66 etc and fade was 1, 2, 3, 4...) and then just press the fixture and key you want to patch that channel to.

 

For example our first RGB fixture was channel 13 which was RED. Just press Fixture 1 choose channel 13 using the speed and bank faders then press Red. I then repeated this for channel 16 which was RED for fixture 2, just press Fixture 1, Red.

 

The Scenes also work quite nicely on this desk. Some smaller controllers will only let you run one scene at a time (eg only red, only green) but this desk allows you to mix scenes. So press red and green scenes to make Yellow etc.

 

 

 

Hope that makes sense. We are also looking at making an in-house product either using a Raspberry Pi and small touch screen or modifying a small 6 channel desk with an arduino as there are still quite a few options here to confuse people.

 

Cheers,

 

I've done something very similar with the same desk. Except I left the dimmers on 1-24, which is fixtures 1 to 3 and addressed the LEDs higher up. I've not done it for anyone else, just for me to use for simple scenes to save lugging out a bigger desk or faffing with a laptop.

Works a treat like that. You can set fade speed too so you can select between scenes (on the buttons) and get a nice crossfade rather than snap :)