RDM?

Very well said. I also second the idea that RDM is a fantastic config/diagnostic tool, but not quite appropriate for use during a show. I genuinely hope everything you said comes true, but in the mean time, I'd like to share my experience and how I made RDM work well for me.

So as an example, here is my system:
I distribute DMX via the network. I get DMX onto the network either thru our C21 rack or our Pathway node. Each listens to the network DMX, the C21 controlling its own dimmers, the node outputting to a ColorSource Relay wireless system controlling 19 LEDs hanging above the stage. There is also a Pathway eDIN module installed inside the C21 and connected inline with the DMX running into the rack.

It doesn't happen often, but I do occassionally have to adjust a setting on some of the LEDs or on the eDIN module. Without RDM, I would have to drag out a 30 foot A-frame ladder and carefully negotiate it around scenery to access the lights. Not impossible, but certainly slow and inconvenient. As for the eDIN, that would require shutting down and opening the rack, not exactly practical. RDM is a lifesaver for me.

That said, it does have flaws. When I first got the RDM capabilities, I played around with it for awhile before the first show. Over the wireless link, I had maybe a 40% success rate when using RDM alongside DMX. (There are some ways I could tweak the wireless that might help that, but as I'll mention in a moment, there's a better way.) Even when connected directly by cable, it would sometimes require a second refresh to fully populate all 19 fixtures while sending DMX. Also, I observed significant latency in the lighting fades anytime RDM communications were used. I verified the lights indeed properly handle RDM, it was simply the DMX being interrupted by large RDM exchanges. The exact same thing happened while accessing the eDIN module via RDM while passing DMX thru it to the C21 rack. Yes, I realize this could be an issue with the way my node implements RDM (I don't have other equipment to test with), but in reality it highlights the many issues with using RDM during a show.

I have a simple solution though:
I always have easy and quick access to the node, which has a spare port. So I simply disable RDM on all the ports I normally use, and turn it on for the spare port. When I need RDM, I go to the node and move the appropriate cable over to the RDM port, configure what i need, and move it back. I have never had an issue using RDM in this manner (without transmitting DMX along with it), even across the wireless ColorSource Relays.

Just my little adventure into RDM-land. I honestly love it, but you have to understand that it isn't appropriate everywhere.
 
So as Ford has to figure out both sides, now :) consoles and instruments (to be fair, so do I), can we get some comments as to what you’all would like to be able to do with RDM. I’m with Ford in that I can’t think right now where I would use it in a show, except perhaps in dire emergency to reconfigure some sort of backup instrument or system. But then I plot my “money” specials in numbers of more than one.
 
I actually don't think it's necessary in a show, only for configuration before (and perhaps in an emergency, as you said, although that comes back to configuration, not running a show). As I deal with a system large enough to require manual configuration, I can't really speak about the auto-patch type of use cases, but there is one thing I think needs improvement: cross-compatibility between manufacturers for passing RDM over ethernet. In my case, the link from my Pathway node, thru the ETC wireless system, finally reaching my ETC and Altman lights, works reasonably well even with the different brands involved. The problem is I have to use Pathway's software to communicate with the node, but it would be nice to be able to talk to my fixtures via RDM thru my Pathway node straight from my MagicQ system.

Right now, I only have 19 LEDs, so if I want to check if there's a problem, I can just take a quick glance above the stage. But as our system grows, it will become more difficult to spot problems that way. In the future, it would be nice to simply click a button in MagicQ before I start a show and have it check that all my lights are online, functioning, and patched correctly. It's just an idea, I don't really like having 3 separate programs open to configure/test my system. I realize I will always require separate software to program the node, but just as the node is a (relatively) transparent transport for delivering DMX from MagicQ to the lights, I think RDM could eventually function the same.
 

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