I've got two venues where I need to
build "good"
EOS show files this summer. I'm looking for advice for how to
lay out
EOS channel numbers for both and for one how to plan the
DMX address/
universe assignment. I not much of a
programmer but am the closest we have to an expert "in
house".
One is an existing space with ~120 sensor dimmers of which perhaps half are used regularly.
House,
stage and "
orchestra shell" lights are all in that count. Most but not all and in some places the
channel assignments make no sense (ex
FOH 2
catwalk DMX address are HR to HL 1,2,16,17,3,18. We also have ~6-12 S4LED's that
bounce between
FOH 1 and a backlight position. We commonly use an
Element here and
DMX distribution is mostly via traditional splitters using only one
universe.
The second
venue is also an existing
venue but is getting 100% relight. Will have ~16
ETC LED10 dimmers, lots of IQ + Foundry relays for
power control of
DMX controlled fixtures, 4 Solaframe 1000's, 25-30 CS Linear1's, 15-20 S4LED's, 8 Arri L7/L10's. All
DMX distribution will be
node based with 20+ channels of
node outputs. I've attached a PDF of the light locations superimposed onto an architectural plan but it doesn't show the grouping of non-DMX fixtures though I do have that information.
Thoughts, suggestions, other questions I should be asking my self?
Thanks
Philip
@rphilip A few archaic thoughts from an old, long retired, geezer while you're waiting for someone younger to post.
Organize your
channel assignments in a manner that makes sense to you, then patch your
DMX addresses to accommodate your equipment.
I'll begin with a few bits of archaic logic and possibly some may still be applicable.
For example:
Possibly you think of your
stage in 15 areas; 5 across by 3 deep.
Maybe you think of your
down stage areas as: DSR, DSCR, DSC, DSCL, DSL.
Maybe you think of your mid
stage areas as: MSR, MSCR,
MSC, MSCL, MSL.
Possibly you think of your
up stage areas as: USR, USCR, USC, USCL, USL.
You may have 15 down lights, 1 directly above your 15 areas.
You may have 15 back lights, 1 directly US of your 15 areas.
Alternately you may have 30 back lights positioned as two diagonal back lights per each of your 15 areas.
In my century, we'd double and triple hang the entire rig in two or three different colors.
In our present era we're transitioning to
LED fixtures each capable of (in theory) creating any color in the known rainbow and a flawless white with a desirable
color temperature and terrific
CRI.
Back to choosing control
channel numbers.
Think of the five areas across your
apron as #'s 1 through 5, regardless of where the fixtures are hung, possibly in a second
FOH catwalk.
Think of the five areas across your mid
stage as #'s 6 through 10, again regardless of where they're hung, possibly a first
FOH catwalk.
Think of the five areas across your
up stage as #'s 11 through 15, regardless of where they're hung, possibly on LX 1, your first on
stage LX pipe.
Apply similar logic to numbering your down lights, back lights, diagonal back lights, cross lights,
cyclorama tops,
cyclorama foots, yada, yada, etcetera.
Assign control
channel numbers that make sense to you, number them how YOU think; soon
channel numbers will be second nature to you rather than having to look up endless lists of numbers with zero sense of organization.
If your
console includes groups, number your groups sensibly as well. When you number groups your first group doesn't have to #1, followed by #2 and #3 in strict numerical order.
If it were me; my DS areas would be 1 through 5 and they'd be group 1.
My mid
stage areas would be 6 through 10 and they'd be group 6.
My
up stage areas would be 11 through 15 and they'd be group 11.
Groups are basically submasters without handles, in my century my
console accommodated groups from 1 through 999.
Most lighting designers never used more than 100 groups. In my free time I'd create 3 or 4 groups that were useful to me as the
programmer.
Group 333 would contain all lamps hung
down stage of the
house curtain EXCEPT the curtain
wash and the
conductor's special.
Group 666 would contain all lamps hung behind the
house curtain and focused
downstage of the mid
stage traveller.
Group 999 would contain all lamps hung behind the mid
stage traveller and focused on the
cyc' (or sky cloth if you're a purest.)
Designers would scoff at me with most saying: "That's a total waste of time, I'll NEVER want to turn all of those on together!"
Agreed, they'll never want to turn them all on together but what they're missing is: Groups also can be great ERASERS.
The first time the
house curtain flies in for interval and one or two diagonal blotches have been inadvertently tracked through; that's when the conversation on the head set goes something like: "118 at zero,
return. 123 at zero,
return. 147 at zero,
return." Right about then the director's growling at the LD impatiently waiting for the blemishes on the
house curtain to disappear and the LD's sitting next to she / he frantically stammering out an endless stream of numbers. If the LD's been a snarky anal orifice who's treated you abysmally for days on end, you let she / he sit there embarrassing themselves.
When it's opening night, the final curtain is flying in, an inadvertently tracked blotch appears and you suddenly make it vanish
BEFORE the curtain hits the
deck, that's when you enjoy your revenge. One night I watched the motor driven
house curtain hurtling down, saw an unwanted stripe on it and extinguished the stripe BEFORE the curtain hit the
deck. I doubt anyone other than the LD and myself saw the
momentary stripe.
Up in the booth, my left
hand on the curtain control, my right
hand quickly pummeled: "Group 333 @ 0 *" Seven keystrokes and the blemish was gone leaving the curtain
wash washing the curtain as the
house lights faded up. Later, at the opening night soiree, the LD, between accepting accolades and gratis drinks, quietly asked me: "Did you notice something on the
house curtain as it fell, I thought for moment I saw something but it was gone, did you happen to see it?" Yep, I took care of it. "What
channel was it?" asked the LD. Danged if I know, it was one of the channels
in one of the groups you said I was wasting time creating. LD Paul Mathieson never criticized my three or four bonus groups again. Paul Mathieson had forgotten more about color selection than I'll ever know but I had the
edge on programming an LP90. More than enough said. With today's consoles "Magic sheets" are a whole new ballgame, and extremely useful. In my century, "magic sheets' were sheets of
clear acetate and / or sheets of paper with seemingly random numbers on them organized into physical groups that meant the world to the LD. Optimistically there's something of use to you in my novella.
EDIT: Inadvertently misspelled you're.
Toodleoo!
Ron Hebbard