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In live production, a great stage show is hard to imagine without a well-planned lighting concept. As modern LED fixtures and effects become more advanced, keeping full control of your stage lighting is essential. Professional lighting control ensures the stage or dancefloor is lit exactly the way you want. To put today’s fixtures and effects centre stage at an event, they are controlled via DMX technology.
Anyone who has seen a lighting controller will notice it looks a lot like an audio mixing console. Professional lighting control also comes with buttons and faders. However, “mixing” light is not only about intensity (brightness/dimming). Timing is just as important in a light show. Good timing is crucial, which is why stored show programmes are a huge help—provided the music and performers are perfectly in time.
DMX is a protocol that allows lighting devices—such as fixtures and moving lights—to communicate. Each device needs a fixed assignment, because you rarely want to switch all stage lights on or off simultaneously. Instead, you want direct access to each individual light, laser or effect. This works similarly to MIDI control, where start addresses are assigned to reach one or multiple devices. The simplest setup is one system with a connected DMX controller—though that usually isn’t enough for an event. Larger productions can use multiple DMX universes, each controlling up to 512 channels.
Alongside the 5-pin DMX cable—which is the official standard—in practice a 3-pin connector is often used. It looks exactly like a microphone cable, as it also uses a 3-pin XLR connector. When cables are scarce, people sometimes even use standard mic cables.
Using microphone cables as DMX cables?
Even though they can look identical (in the case of 3-pin DMX), it’s best not to repurpose microphone cables as DMX lines. They have different electrical characteristics and typically don’t meet the specified impedance, which can affect reliable DMX signal transmission. The risk increases with longer cable runs.
If you come from the audio world, you might wonder why many DMX devices only have one DMX connector. The reason is simple: DMX devices are wired in series. The control signal runs through a chain until it reaches the addressed fixture/effect. That makes cabling much easier. However, if a device fails within the chain, all fixtures “downstream” may stop responding because the signal path is interrupted.
This is where DMX splitters help: they distribute the DMX data signal into multiple paths. That way, your entire stage won’t go dark just because one fixture has an issue.
Once all fixtures and the controller are connected, each fixture must be assigned a DMX address—usually set directly on the device.
When buying a lighting desk, keep in mind that some consoles can only control a limited number of DMX devices. For small events and stages, compact controllers are often sufficient—and some are even battery-powered. Typically, each DMX channel has a fader channel, but many controllers use a “layer” system where faders operate across multiple banks. For example, a controller with 6 faders may control 18 DMX channels via three layers. Otherwise, a desk with hundreds of faders would be hard to operate. Buttons or joysticks are used for navigation and for controlling specific channels. More advanced systems can store scenes or full shows and can also receive control data via MIDI.
Today, control software with matching hardware controllers is available that integrates smoothly with DJ software or a DAW—so your lighting hits the music right on time. With just a few clicks, you can create fully automated lighting looks that are preconfigured by the manufacturer for certain genres or moods. To send DMX from a computer, you’ll need a DMX interface—either a dedicated controller or, in the simplest case, a DMX USB interface.
If you need a device to recall pre-programmed light shows without actively operating them, DMX recorders are a great solution. They can, for example, read show sequences from a USB stick via USB—without a lighting operator. These devices are often used as permanent installations in bars, hospitality venues, trade shows or retail spaces and offer limited options for editing an existing show.
DMX signals can also be transmitted wirelessly via transmitter and receiver. This eliminates cabling between the controller and the lighting, which is especially useful when the distance from the lighting desk to the stage is large. Wireless systems can provide reliable operation even alongside Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals—at ranges of up to several hundred metres.
If you don’t necessarily need full DMX control, simple switching panels may be enough to turn certain lamps on or off. The basic idea is similar to a switchable power strip where every socket has its own switch. Special dimmers are also available, allowing you to set the brightness of a (non-LED) lamp to a fixed level.
