How To Connect Consoles

A (lighting) console is a dmxcontroller with a human interface, like the more expensive conventional boards as ETC, Pearl, etc. But there are also cheap (and limited) consoles like e.g. the Behringer Eurolight LC2412.
The LanBox-LCX comes with a DMX input which can be used to process exernal DMX sources.

Connect via DMX-in

With the LanBox-LCX it is very easy to controll the show or a part of the show with a conventional desk.

Step 1 - Connect the console

Connect the dmx output of your conventional console to the DMX input of the lanbox. It may be needed to use a 3pin-5pin converter if you use a low-budget console with a 3pin dmx connection.

Step 2 - Create a layer

In LCedit+ create a new layer (e.g. layer AE). For now set the layer a the top layer.
Now create a cuelist with one single cue with all zero's for the channels you want to controll with the console.
For example, if you want to controll channel 1 to 10:

// Cuelist 999 (1 steps), stored 8/6/2007 1:15 PM
  show d01 for ever

:d01
    1[000]    2[000]    3[000]    4[000]    5[000]    6[000]    7[000]    8[000]    9[000]    10[000]

Run this cue in layer AE.

Step 3 - Assign the console-output to the layer

Now that we have a layer that can handle the external dmx-data, we need to tell the LanBox to send the wanted incoming channels to that layer.

Therefore, go to 'Tools' --> 'Global Settings' --> 'DMX'
Here you see the 'DMX input settings'.

In this example, fill in '1-10' in both 'Input DMX channels' and 'to light channels'.
In the field 'of layer' fill in 'AE'.

As you can see there is also the possibility to assign input DMX-channels from the console to other channels on the Lanbox. For example, you can assign channel 1 to 10 to Lanbox channel 51-60. So you can use the first 10 faders on your cheap console to control channels 51-60 in the Lanbox.

Step 4 - Blend control

Now we have a control over 10 channels using the console, but we cannot use the lanbox to controll the same lights at this point.
The layer AE is in copy-mode and on top of all the other layers, so has the highest priority to the mixer (see HowToUseLayers). How can we combine the power of the lanbox with the ease of the console?

One option is to drag the layer down and use the top layer to controll the lights with the Lanbox when needed and disconnect the channels when not in use.
This will not be very nice because it makes it impossible to fade in from a set value. That is because if you have a channel on the console set on e.g. 50%, and you run a chase on that channel in the top layer that fades from 0% to 100%, the channel will jump to 0% as soon as you start the chase. After all, it is in the top layer.

So there is a better option.
You can set Layer AE to mix HTP (Highest Takes Precedence).
Now the mixer will look at the value in Layer AE and compare it with the values in the other layers, as soon as an other layer has a higher value then layer AE, that value will be shown.

So when we now run the same chase in any other layer, the mixer will pick-up the fade from 50%, because it then exceeds the value from layer AE.

Now you have full controll over the channels, both from the lanbox and from the console.

-- PeterK - 12 Aug 2007