Glossary

Device a device is every kind of light controlled by the console via DMX
Step a saved state for all devices in a sequence
Memory a saved state for all device
Sequence a list of steps saved in the order they will be played
Crossfader two faders for fading between steps
Moving Lights generic term for Moving Heads and Scanners; Devices can position the light beam in different directions. This movement is generated by a motor.
Vendor a local company selling the console and providing you with support
Owner the person or organisation owning the console, they bought the console and administrate users as well as purchase modules
User person using the console, a student, a janitor, light technician

DMX512

DMX512 is the communication standard used to control stage lighting systems. Each universe of DMX has 512 channels of control. These channels are used to control attributes of a device (intensity, pan, strobe, haze, etc... ) by sending a value between 0 and 255. A device can use one or more DMX channels however all a device’s channels must be on one universe. The first channel of a device is the starting address, and must be set on the device (see your devices manual).
History of DMX512: DMX was created in 1986 for lighting control in show and stage use and combined the wishes of different manufacturers and users. DMX spread quickly and is now used all over the world.

What is universe? The DMX protocol defines 512 channels per universe of DMX. In order to control many devices, especially if each have a lot of channels, you need more  universes.
It is standard professional practice to group devices by type and/or location cross the DMX universes. This makes it possible to add a couple of devices, without repatching your entire theatre. Some rules of thumb are:

The dimmer should be patched to DMX address 1
Hazer / Smoke machine should be at the end of the universe (512)
Start each new block of devices at each 50th or 100th address

See more detailed information on DMX512 Protocol on Wikipedia

Devices

Which kind of devices are on the market and what is possible?

A Device is a lightsource whose light beam is formed by a reflector or a lens.
There are a lot of different types of devices. Here we introduce the most important ones: Dimmer, Color Changer, Flower, Scanner, Moving Head

There are devices with one channel or multichannel devices. 

One channel devices can be set as Generic Dimmer 1ch. So every device is on one fader. Please make sure, that the DMX-Address is set correctly at the device.

A simple example of multichannel is e.g. a RGBW-Device. You can handle this like above, or choose the right device in the device library. Please be aware that the device template library may contains mistakes. These are templates build with the device manufacturers datasheets and manuals. If you have problems to control your device, please contact info@rayconsole.com

 

Colour Space

Not all devices can go the same colour. Devices with a fixed set of colours, e.g. colour wheels, can only change to the colours available. Devices with an RGB colour source are more restricted than those with a RGBW colour source. Ray console changes the device to the nearest possible colour to the colour you select on the colour picker. For this reason, the colour the device actually goes could be somewhat different from the colour chosen on the Colour Picker. This also means that if you select different devices at the same time and select a colour, it could be that they do not output exactly the same colour. Avoid these problems by always editing the colour of one type of device at a time and using the Colour Tiles dialogue for devices with a fixed set of colours.

Beam Explained

In Ray Console it is possible to control some standard beam attributes of your Moving Light:

Iris - Controls the size of the hole through light is emmited. Changing this will reduce the amount of light your device produces and may also make the beam appear narrower.

Zoom - Controls how narrow the beam is. When zoomed out the beam will be wide and your device will cover a large area on the stage. When zoomed in the beam will be narrow and only shine on a small area.

Focus - Controls how sharp the edges of the light is. Changing this can make edges of the circle of light cast by your device either sharp or blury. If you are using gobos, we recommend that you make the edges of your beam sharp.

Strobe - Makes your device flash quickly. Setting a strobe makes your device flash slowly or quickly.

Shutter - The shutter is a mechanical component used to create strobe effects. It is a piece of metal that is moved briefly in front of the light source. We do not recommend setting the shutter to closed, as it is easy to forget that you have done this. Please use the intensity fader.

What is Media

Instead of using a separate laptop or phone, you can use Ray Console to play audio tracks during your show. On the Media View you can add, organise and play back audio tracks as an integrated part of your show. Tracks can be added via USB and are played from the 3.5mm Audio OUT connector on the back of the console. Tracks in the Media View can also be started and stopped by a Memory or Step and thereby integrating audio seamlessly into your lighting show.

In the future you will also be able to intergrate images and videos into your show and play them directly from the consoles DVI-D connector. To add audio tracks you must have the module Media Control.