Just getting started with DMX

Howdy y'all.
I recently joined a band that has a decent collection of analog par cans and a couple non-dmx led fixtures, and since I have some experience programming lighting for a local church using MyDMX, I get to take on the responsibility of creating a program for lights that will synch with our music. (which will later be swapped for a click track that only the drummer (me) will be able to hear.

MyDmx is greatly lacking in this aspect, so I'm going to be using Chauvet Show Xpress as the timeline function is much more convenient than stopwatch/duration programming. At this point, due to the skepticism around the effectiveness of automated programming, I'm on a pretty tight budget- I've been told to keep it as low as possible and aim at around $500. Luckily, the software is free to download- and with 24 light fixtures, I'll need 3x 4 channell DMX dimmer packs (with 2 Edison plugs per channel). Elation DP-415s run about $140 each, which doesn't leave me a ton of money for a usb/dmx converter. As I already have the click track running on a laptop anyway, I'm leaning toward Chauvet's Xpress 100 as the converter, which puts me only slightly over target budget, but at the cheapest I can possibly get away with (assuming I have to buy everything new, I'll definitely be searching for used dimmers and even maybe the 100 dongle if I can find it).

My biggest concern is how the software/controller will recognize each dimmer. The Xpress 100 can only run 10 fixtures (with 10 channels each)- and if each dimmer is recognized as a single fixture, I'm fine and even have 7 fixtures open for future expansion- I'm concerned because I was told that each dimmer channel will be recognized as a separate fixture, in which case, I'm looking at a bunch more money.

My plan at present (assuming that each dimmer is a fixture regardless of channels) is to put 16 lights and 2 dimmers at the front of the stage, and 8/1 at the rear, so I have the ability to control stage left and right front, with one channel on a single dimmer dedicated to 2 cans with no gel to be used as front center spots, and the center rear control for drum illumination and maybe one channel of 2 cans for fill lighting.

So- is each dimmer a fixture? Is there a cheaper converter than the Xpress 100 that will work with a software that can run audio tracks (and possibly video for the future) with a timeline instead of start/duration time programming?

Thanks in advance! I'm looking forward to getting deeper into this realm of performance.

Redneck Jedi [great name BTW],

The Xpress-100 interface can control up to 10 fixtures or 100 DMX channels (whichever limitation comes first). You can load three, 4-channel dimmer packs into ShowXpress and the software will have 7 fixture remaining, OR you can load a single, 12-channel dimmer pack and the software will have 9 fixtures remaining! Just a little trick to save some space. Also, you should know that the Xpress-100 is not compatible with Apple computers so make sure you are running on a PC.

Let me know if you have any other questions!

Thanks! I can't claim the credit for the name- it's the name of the band I joined, but as my pursuits in the realm of lighting are directly related to the band, I thought it appropriate.

Ok... wait a sec... are you saying that I could buy a 12 channel dimmer and enter that, or that I could address each of the three 4ch dimmers to act as a single unit (ie set dimmer 1 to ch1-4, dimmer 2 to 5-9, and dimmer 3 to 10-12) and use a single fixture profile in the software to save 9 fixture spaces? ...and if I can just enter in a larger channel profile and fool the software into thinking there's just one fixture, what's the most channels in a single production dimmer that would have a software profile? I've got a friend that has a buttload of non-dmx led lights he has been trying to practically give away, but nobody wants non-dmx single color pars it seems.

I kind of need to have separate dimmers to avoid having extension cables running all over the place from a central 12 channel dimmer (although I looked up a 12 channel dimmer and haven't written it off as an option)

I spent WAY too much money on my Mac to ever take it into a club. Too much chance of theft or worse- spilled beverages. I've got an older HP craptop that I can use as a dedicated light/click controller.

Thanks for the info! It's looking like we might be able to expand this even further than I had originally thought possible!

Yes, you can make a single profile with 12-channels so you will have 9 fixtures remaining. See the pics below showing the difference. You can 'trick' the software into thinking there is only 1 fixture as long as you don't go above the 100-channel limitation. As another example, if you had 50 conventional pars, I could make you a 50-channel profile for a single dimmer pack and the software would think you only had 1 fixture connected. Therefore your balance is 9 fixtures and 50 DMX channels. I hope this makes sense!