If you're dealing with a fixture for which the color wheel information is missing from the manufacturer's manual, don't worry; you can still troubleshoot and determine the necessary details to create your fixture profile in SoundSwitch. This guide will walk you through the steps to manually figure out the color wheel information.
Sometimes, when dealing with generic lighting fixtures, the official user manual may not include essential details about the color wheel. This can leave you without the necessary information to configure the color wheel in your fixture.
What Can You Do?
In such situations, you have two options:
1. Contact the Manufacturer: You can reach out to the manufacturer of the fixture and ask them directly for the missing color wheel information. They might be able to provide you with the details you need.
2. Manual Investigation: Alternatively, you can manually figure out the color wheel information yourself. This involves experimenting with the fixture to discover the colors and their corresponding settings.
Example Scenario
Here's an example to illustrate the issue:
Imagine you have a moving head lighting fixture, but the user manual doesn't provide any information about the colors in its color wheel. This lack of information makes it challenging to accurately configure the color wheel when creating your fixture profile.
Step 1: Identify the Missing Color Information
In some cases, the manufacturer's manual may not provide essential details about the color wheel of the fixture. For example, you may know that the color wheel is controlled by a specific DMX channel (e.g., Channel 8), but you don't have information about the individual colors it contains.
Step 2: Assign the Color Wheel as an Attribute Cue
To work out the color information, you can assign the color wheel channel (in this example, Channel 8) as an Attribute Cue in your Fixture Profile within SoundSwitch.
1. When creating your fixture profile, select the "Attribute" Attribute Type.
2. Use the description "Color Wheel" for this attribute.
Step 3: Save or Upload the Profile
Once you've added the Color Wheel Attribute to the fixture profile, you can save it to your workspace or upload it to SoundSwitch.
Step 4: Configure Your Fixture in SoundSwitch
In SoundSwitch, add the created fixture profile to your venue, and ensure you set the correct DMX address both on the physical fixture and in SoundSwitch, just as you would when adding any other fixture.
Step 5: Navigate to the Attribute Cues Feature
Now, navigate to the Attribute Cues feature in SoundSwitch. This is where you will work with the Color Wheel Attribute to identify the missing color information.
Step 6: Activate the Color Wheel
With the Attribute Cues feature open, set the intensity to activate the color wheel on your fixture. This step will allow you to cycle through the color wheel.
Step 7: Observe and Record
As you activate the color wheel, observe your physical fixture closely. The color wheel will rotate and produce different colors as it changes values. Use the "Color Wheel" attribute slider in SoundSwitch to control the DMX value for Channel 8.
Step 8: Determine Color Values
While monitoring the physical fixture, take note of the color produced at each DMX value. Here's an example:
- 0 - 15 = White
- 16 - 31 = Red
- 32 - 47 = Green
- 48 - 63 = Blue
Using the Color Wheel Attribute Slider and observing the physical fixture, you will be able to determine the DMX values associated with each color on the color wheel. This information will allow you to create an accurate color wheel for your fixture profile in the Fixture Manager.
By following these steps, you can work out the missing color information for your fixture, ensuring that you have all the necessary details to control and create your fixture profile effectively in SoundSwitch.
Access the complete Fixture Manager manual below: