Control/Dimming DMX Recorders

[cbrandt]

What is everyone's recommendation for dmx recorders? In the wonderful covid world, we're doing more and more setups with a few fixtures that we walk away from. What's out there that you love, hate, are indifferent towards?

Currently I use a Fleenor preset 10 portable. It does a great job! But I'd love to see what else is out there.

 

[RonHebbard]

What is everyone's recommendation for dmx recorders? In the wonderful covid world, we're doing more and more setups with a few fixtures that we walk away from. What's out there that you love, hate, are indifferent towards?

Currently I use a Fleenor preset 10 portable. It does a great job! But I'd love to see what else is out there.

Alcorn McBride, if your pockets are deeper than your pants.
Installed 7 of theirs as part of an installation in 'Vegas in 1999.
I suspect the world has moved on in the past two decades.
Toodleoo!
Ron (Yes, I'll crawl back in my cave) Hebbard

 

[RickR]

Interactive Technology has 'Scene Station' that is also a wall box device that focuses on presets. It can also do some sequences and a few other tricks. Their 'Cue Server' is a giant leap up to a whole architectural system. It can do DMX stream recordings. That's like recording a show rather than just one cue, and is far less common.

Pathway, Nico Laudie, Visual Productions, and many others make a huge variety of playback devices that usually have some sort of recording. But note that snapshot recording is not the only way to set these things.

 

[cbrandt]

Right now I'm just trying to widen my horizons. The Preset 10 is way overkill for some applications, and way not enough for others. Which means it is the right item to have in a rental inventory most of the time. But having other options is always good.

 

[RickR]

For rental I might go for the fader version of the P10. Or the Baxter pocket console.
Many DMX testers have preset functions. Dual purpose gear is always nice!

Anything more complex should probably be a full console.

 

[DrewE]

I haven't used one personally, but the Leviton N1000-6 has long seemed to me a nifty little console/controller--and it has static scene recording from an external DMX512 source, scenes that can be assigned to and controlled by its six submaster faders. The Fleenor boxes seem to me to be mostly intended for use by untrained personnel, say in a meeting room sort of configuration, while this Leviton box seems more aimed at use by lighting designers/technicians/operators who have a little more technical understanding of what is going on above "press one for room lights, press two for the lectern lights only, press three for the full stage lit..."

 

[DBL]

I've been using the Interactive Technologies Cue Server for years (the original version) and carry a CS Mini in my backpack for monitoring / generating DMX test patterns. You can write static cues directly or record snapshots or streaming cues from a console. I've even used it to start a generator, strike up/ initialize, run cues and then shut down using the internal timer. It can be controlled via front panel buttons, contact closures, Ethernet network or serial commands as well as it's web interface.
The log feature can be handy for trouble shooting as well.

I haven't had a chance to use the new CS 2 but it has a lot more horsepower and can handle multiple universes.