Terminology

Fixture Profile Database/Library

Where the fixture profiles are stored.

Fixture Profile

The template of a specific fixture’s DMX channel profile mode(s). For example:

•  Channel 1: Dimmer
•  Channel 2: Pan
•  Channel 3: Tilt
•  Etc...

Mode

A specific template of control for a given fixture. Typically fixtures have several templates or modes that provide different levels of control of the fixture

For example, a moving-head light could have:

•  Mode 1: 9 channels. Mode 2: 16 channels, and Mode 3: 32 channels.

Increasing channels allows for a greater level of control over the fixture. These templates are also known
as personalities.

Fixture Attribute

Controllable parameter types of a fixture.

For example:

•  PAN, TILT, RGBW, Dimmer, Color Wheel etc.

Attribute Properties

Beyond the standard attribute defined in the DMX specification, MaestroDMX™ has additional controls.

For example:

•  Output Range, Invert, and Smoothing across all channels
•  Offset and Width for PAN and TILT channels

Fixture

The real-world physical manifestation of a DMX controllable piece of hardware.

For example:

•  A moving head DMX light or flood light, LED pixels, etc
•  A DMX controllable laser, haze machine, or flame effect

A live show typically has many fixtures on a given stage.

Stage

A MaestroDMX™ stage contains the Patcher, Layout, and Control pages. 

Patcher

This is where the fixtures are placed into the DMX universe based on their base addresses and assigned to fixture groups. 

Layout

Set the mapping (linear or grid) for the fixtures in each fixture group.

Controls

Set default values for DMX channels in each fixture. 

Fixture Group

A group of fixtures. This can be useful to control the parameters of many fixtures at once, such as brightness, color palettes, pattern, parameters, pixel mapping, etc. 

FX Palette

A stored set of attribute values that map to a specific set of fixtures.

For example:

•  A color wheel palette may be set for 4 moving head lights, setting them all to the color red

When this color wheel palette is recalled, the specific fixtures will show the color red.

Another example:

•  An FX palette collection setting all moving heads to point to the wedding cake 

When this palette is recalled, all the moving heads will modulate their pan/tilt attributes to point at the wedding cake.

NOTE: FX Palettes will be released in a future software update

Show Control

A Show is a ‘playlist’ of cues with a specified run length. You can play, pause, stop, go back, and go forward on the sequence. 

Live Control

Live Mode gives the user the ability to modify patterns, palettes, parameters, etc., in real time. At any time, a snapshot of Live Control Mode can be saved as a cue for Show Control Mode.

Trigger Buttons

On the Show page there are global effects buttons that can be controlled via the WebApp or Midi input: Strobe, Blackout, Blinder, Fog, and Effect.

Color Palettes

These are the built-in palettes that control the color channel types,
such as RGBWAUV, of fixtures on the stage.

Individual Palettes define a single color palette of either a color gradient or a single color.

Example:

•  Royal: mix of amber, purple, etc.
•  Hawaii: blues and greens

While Grouped Palettes define any number of individual color palettes.

Patterns

These are the lighting patterns and effects at the core of the MaestroDMX™ system. There are Core patterns and Maestro patterns.

Parameters

Depending on the specific lighting pattern, each cue has a variety of parameters that can be modified to customize the lighting output.

Cue

A cue controls the fixtures on the stage for each fixture group for a specified duration.

•  A Cue has the following properties that can be configured by the user:
•  Which Patterns are playing along with Parameters to control how the pattern behaves
•  Color Palettes (individual or grouped)
•  Blackout on/off
•  Length of cue in minutes & seconds (or infinite)
•  Fade time to the next cue
•  FX Palette (coming in a future update)