

It is worth remembering that, on a lighting desk with intelligent lighting control, the Master control faders only actually adjusts lighting intensity level channels. The SubMasters can control different groups of lighting channels while the Grand Master adjusts the intensity of every channels as it leaves the lighting desk. The master control faders on a stage lighting desk adjust the output channels levels on a global scale.

Where lighting intensity is controlled by faders, an additional “flash button” is useful for quick flashes of each channel. These wheels give the operator the ability to adjust parameters and levels, particularly in the control of intelligent lighting. A modern lighting desk controls these “channels” using different input methods such as faders/sliders for intensity, numeric keypad (where you type in a value) and other weird wheels and dials. A lighting desk controls this channel which can be used to adjust a range of lighting equipment, traditionally the intensity of a stage light via a stage lighting dimmer. This enables the operator to adjust the “level” (sometime expresses as a percentage – 0% – 100%) of a “control channel”. There are very few things that you have to understand about DMX512 and using it in lighting control and they are detailed in DMX Lighting Systems? Channel ControlsĮven the most basic lighting desk has a degree of channel control. The standard in stage lighting control is the DMX512 protocol which means that that many lighting desks, big and small, output one or more DMX signals. Some basic dimmers use different analogue voltages to interpret their channel “levels” and some top notch professional kit uses an ethernet network like a PC. How a lighting desk controls your rig depends on what kind signal it outputs to the various bits or equipment that it “talks” to. Check out our Stage Lighting Courses page and look at the online courses currently available. Update: You can learn modern stage lighting control and busking moving light systems with me. Although there are many different types of lighting control, a great deal of the features are common to most and On Stage Lighting explains these features in the first part of beginner’s guide to the lighting desk. This can range from adjusting the “levels” on stage lighting dimmers to controlling complex intelligent lighting systems and media servers. The lighting control, “board” or “desk” is the a key part of any stage lighting set up and it is using the lighting desk that an operator is able to control the equipment.
