Unique MIDI Question

Just took out the rig over the weekend, and I discovered that the console is not the Smartfade ML . . . it is the Smartfade 1248 . . . does the same Midi configuration work with this console?

Also, can this board control DMX Scanners? 

Thanks!

Yes, the MIDI configuration should be the same, but some commands may be different.  I've only used MIDI on a 1248, actually.

Sure, you can control DMX Scanners -- it's just not as easy as with the SFML.  You'll just use one channel for pan, one for tilt, etc.  Programming can be a bit confusing due to the HTP nature of the console, but as long as you understand that, it's not too hard to get by.

Are there any tutorials or videos on how to configure & program shows for Midi control on the Smartfade?

Also since I am a Nube, when controling a pair of scanners and say . . . 6 LED Par Washes, would each fader on the board control a specific parameter of each light . . . effectively leaving me with only 48 channels of DMX to use?  For instance Scanner (1) would take up fader channels 1-5, #2 would take up fader channels 6-10, then the rest of the LED fixtures would take up fader channels 11 & 12 (Intensity & color), 13 & 14, 15 & 16, 16 & 17, 18 & 19, 20 & 21?  This would technically leave 27 open DMX channels available for other fixtures since there are (technically) 48 channels to use on the board?

If I am walking down the wrong path, please let me know!

larzdj323 said:

Are there any tutorials or videos on how to configure & program shows for Midi control on the Smartfade?

I'm afraid not, as MIDI control is highly dependant on exactly which device you're going to use to send the MIDI commands - they're all different, and most people have one or two MIDI devices they really love.

However, SmartFade outputs the same MIDI it listens to, so the easiest way to do it is to run it 'backwards' to start with:

• Set the SmartFade to output the kind of MIDI you want (MSC, General MIDI or both)
• Connect the SmartFade MIIDI Out to the controller's MIDI In.
• Set the controller to 'record' the MIDI input to a track/snippet or whatever.
• Manually run the section of the show on the SmartFade
• Stop recording.

Repeat for each 'section' of the show you want a MIDI track for.

Then turn swap the cables and settings so that the controller is outputting MIDI and the SmartFade is receiving, and play back the snippets you recorded.

You may want to tweak each snippet to get the timings exactly right, but the commands you need to adjust should be pretty clear by that stage.

larzdj323 said:

Also since I am a Nube, when controling a pair of scanners and say . . . 6 LED Par Washes, would each fader on the board control a specific parameter of each light . . . effectively leaving me with only 48 channels of DMX to use?

Yes, that's exactly right.

larzdj323 said:

For instance Scanner (1) would take up fader channels 1-5, #2 would take up fader channels 6-10, then the rest of the LED fixtures would take up fader channels 11 & 12 (Intensity & color), 13 & 14, 15 & 16, 16 & 17, 18 & 19, 20 & 21?

Assuming your scanners take 5 DMX channels, the first half of your statement is accurate.  I'm not so sure about the part about the LED fixtures... I'm assuming these are RGB fixtures?  Most of these take either 3 or 4 channels (one each for red, green, & blue, and sometimes a fourth for overall intensity).  So this would make your math a bit off :-).

larzdj323 said:

For instance Scanner (1) would take up fader channels 1-5, #2 would take up fader channels 6-10, then the rest of the LED fixtures would take up fader channels 11 & 12 (Intensity & color), 13 & 14, 15 & 16, 16 & 17, 18 & 19, 20 & 21?

Assuming your scanners take 5 DMX channels, the first half of your statement is accurate.  I'm not so sure about the part about the LED fixtures... I'm assuming these are RGB fixtures?  Most of these take either 3 or 4 channels (one each for red, green, & blue, and sometimes a fourth for overall intensity).  So this would make your math a bit off :-).