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    SJohnson
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CS AV universes

Question about the ColorSource AV console I know there are 2 dmx ports but I want to confirm that they are Universes 1 & 2 and not an in and out like the Smartfade.

  • Yes, they are DMX Outputs, Universes 1 and 2.
  • in reply to Richard
    I know this may seem petty, but the datasheet and the manual are very vague. I was about to ask the same question. So thanks for the previous reply. It would be a little more reassuring if the web-site, datasheet and manual would say explicitly 1024 dimmer addresses.
  • in reply to AlfSauve
    ColorSource AV has 5 Universes in total.

    The two DMX ports on the back are Universe 1 and 2, labelled DMX 1 and 2.
    Both are outputs.

    Universes 1 thru 5 are sent out over the network, either Art-Net or sACN depending on your setup.
  • in reply to Richard
    5 universes with total channels 2560 ch ?
  • in reply to Alaa34043

    ColorSource limits work the same way as other ETC consoles.

    ColorSource consoles have 40 or 80 "Desk Channels", patchable anywhere through the one (standard) or five (AV) universes.

    Desk channels can be a single dimmer, or the latest moving light - or anything in between.

  • in reply to Richard
    Hi, Richard!
    I spent 1h of my time searching for 40AV control ch/parameter count, in home page and user manual it is impossible. Then I found this forum and read your first answer and at that moment i get really happy because I finally found the information what I was looking for. But then I read next your answer and everything suddenly falls a part. How this is working in my case I need info about 40AV so you are saying that with 40AV i will be able to control only 80 channels in any part of five universes? So if I have 100 DIM ch I can control individually only 80 of them?
    Why ETC cant write down the information about control channels in home page?

    Thanks!
  • in reply to JanisT
    I think maybe the terminology is throwing some off.

    The CS-40AV will handle 80 DEVICES. The term "channels" from traditional consoles really doesn't apply. To confuse things ETC uses the term "Channels" when they really mean "Devices". The number of dimmer assignments (DMX addresses) is still 512 per universe. You could have 80 intelligent fixtures, each having 12 DMX addresses spread over 2 universes. Just forget "channels" and if you do see it on the CS think "device".

    The CS console has it's limitations and drawbacks, and I wouldn't want to run moving head fixtures on it, but it works quite well in certain venues and situations. The "Playbacks" are easy to assign as "looks" and then simple to explain to volunteer operators how to use.
  • in reply to AlfSauve
    Thanks, your comment explains everything.
    ETC should give you a "gold coin" about your answer!
  • in reply to AlfSauve
    Channel is the correct terminology.
    - A Channel is a user definable number that can be patched to a single or multiple Devices via a DMX Address.
    - Multiple Devices can be addressed to the same DMX Address.

    Meaning a single Channel can control multiple lights either by a soft patch within the desk, or fixtures addressed the same, all from a single user interface end point.

    In JanisT's scenario where the desk may only have 40 or 80 channels. It is very easy to group fixtures doing the same look, a Cyc for example, by giving all Devices the same DMX Address and then controlling them all from a single Channel.
  • in reply to Sammy
    Yes you can patch single or multiply fixtures with the same DMX address, but you cant tell that AV 80 have 80 desk channels its automatically 80 dimmer channels or 1 pixel fixture what use 80 dmx channels (of course you can duplicate them with the same address)

    And again you are saying that with AV 80 I will be able to individually control fixture channels so I will be able to control 5pcs Mac Aura 14ch mode and 10pcs of dimmer channels and my "desk channels are gone"
  • in reply to JanisT

    One Desk Channel is One (Independently-controlled) Luminaire.

    5 Mac Auras + 10 Dimmers = 15 Luminaires
    80 Desk Channels - 15 Luminaires = 65

    So you have 65 desk channels remaining, which is another 65 fixtures.

    It does not matter how many DMX slots a fixture consumes.
    Even if you had a fixture that used 100 DMX slots, it would still be 1 (one) Desk Channel.

  • in reply to Richard
    "ETC uses the term "Channels" when they really mean "Devices"" text from AlfSauve you shuld put this in AV web page.
    Hope that programming on AV desk will be more logical than this desk chanel/device ideology.
    Thanks!
  • in reply to Sammy
    The problem with this "Channel" terminology is that coming from the "classic" (think ETC Express) world is all DMX addresses assigned to a channel move in concert. If the channel is at zero then all addresses are at zero.

    Take a CS PAR set up for 5 dimmer addresses, on an Express board you need to use 5 Channels to fully control the PAR.
    But on newer boards, like the CS Console, you assign the PAR to a DEVICE, which knows the "definition" of the CS PAR and uses 5 DMX addresses to control all the features/functions of the fixture. Forget the word Channel.

    To add to the confusion in the CS PAR datasheet uses the word Channel as a synonym for DMX Address, which is okay for traditional (Express) boards, but adds to the confusion in the new world.

  • Why does ETC limit the CS 40 to 80 devices and the CS 20 to 40 devices? Other consoles in this price range such as the Chamsys Quick Q line gives you a full 512 control chanels. 

  • in reply to Mark Mathews

    Current release of software supports 80 Channels on all ColorSource Consoles regardless of physical fader count.  This is Channels of control and not DMX Addresses as noted in the above conversations.  CSAV can make use of up to 5 sACN Universes.

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