5 Things I Wish I Knew Before Using ENTTEC DMXISLighting Console Layout for Events with Camera (A.K.A Every Event)

Here at Learn Stage Lighting I’ve mentioned and worked with ENTTEC DMXIS very often. It’s a great program for those that are just starting out in lighting, especially for bands.

As I worked with DMXIS more there are some functions I discovered later that I wish I had known about much earlier. In this post and video I’m going to share with you 5 things I wish I knew before using ENTTEC DMXIS.

Selecting Multiple Channels

One of the very first things on the list is if you have multiple channels of the same type, such as red or green, on the same type of fixtures you can just “double click” and it’s going to load all of those channels.

Let’s say you want to load multiple channels and more than one color. Not a problem! Just “double click” the first color, hold “shift”, and “double click” your next color.

This method will not work with different types of fixtures but it’s a very handy tool if you want to gain control over more than one fixture.

X/Y Axis Control

The next piece I wish I had known when I got started is the X/Y Axis Control located on the lower left corner of the program screen.

For the longest time I thought that the X/Y axis control was just a cool graphic. It’s actually a X/Y coordinate for controlling moving lights.

If you do have moving lights you can select the “Pan” and “Tilt” channels (don’t forget the “double click” trick) and using the X/Y axis control you can move vertically the tilt channel and horizontally the pan channel.

What this does is allow you to work with both axis of movements at the same time with your moving lights.

Shapes Macros

This next tip is also for if you have moving lights. The Macros menu located on the top of the screen has a Shapes menu. In this menu you have the options of Adjust Shape and Basic Shapes.

Now this option is not for patterns in lights or anything like that. This is actually for movement with your moving lights.

To use this feature you’ll want to select your “Pan” and “Tilt” channels, select one of the shapes you want to work with, and then it goes. Once you have moving lights and the shape going you can then go to “Adjust Shape”. Here you will have the option to adjust the “Size” and “Phase”.

Create Your Own Library Folder

The next tip on the list is creating your own library folder. To do this you just go to a blank page, “right click”, and select “fixture library”. If you have worked with DMXIS you may notice that not all of the lights are in the library.

To add your fixtures to the library you can go online to http://fixtures.dmxis.com/ and add the fixtures you need. I have a complete set of instructions on how to do this.

How Do I Create and Install My Own Fixture Library for DMXIS?

If you find that you are adding your own lights to the fixture library it actually makes sense to create your own library folder. To do this just go into the DMXIS Library Folder and create your own folder with your own name. I would recommend putting a special character in front or even a number to make sure it’s on the top of the list.

Just add the fixtures to your new folder and when you go to add them to DMXIS you will see your new folder under “Fixture Library”. Another tip is if your fixture is already in the library you can copy that file and move it to your new folder.

DMX Channels

The last piece is very simple but it’s about the DMX Channels. If there is a certain fixture that you don’t have a fixture library profile for, you can still control it via DMXIS.

Even if you don’t have a label (patch) on the DMX channel that you need to control, the channel still outputs DMX.

With this method you can simply go to that fader and have quick control of that specific fixture, even if you don’t have that fixture patched into DMXIS.