DMX Channel Priorities
When you trigger effects or live (flash) controls simultaneously, multiple commands might be sent to the same channels. Without prioritization, this could cause conflicts. This is where the Queue Stack comes in. Messages sent to the DMX Engine are assigned a 'type', and based on this type, they are prioritized.
For example, if you have Beam Effects, Move Effects, Strobe, Blackout, Blinder, or other effects running at the same time, they are sorted into 'Queues'. The priority of each Queue determines which command gets sent to the lighting fixture.
The queues are arranged in a specific order, with DMX Input being the highest priority and Default Values the lowest.
Each channel is evaluated separately. For instance, if Fixture A has a default value of 255 on Channel 1 of Universe 1, and no other Queue contains a value for that channel, the default value will be used. Even though it has the lowest priority, it wins in this case because nothing overrides it. Typically, channels operate independently, so conflicts are rare. However, some channels—like RGB or Dimmer—could be affected by multiple types of effects, such as Beam Effects, Color Effects, Strobe, Blinder, or Blackout.
If a channel isn't behaving as expected, it could be due to a static manual override set in Live Controls, which would supersede all other instructions except for MIDI or DMX Input (reserved for future use).
Priority Order (Highest to Lowest)
- DMX Input (Reserved for future Use)
- Midi/OSC Input
- Manual Overrides
- Live edits
- Blackout
- Blinder
- Effects
- Strobe
- Fog
- Position
- Color
- Beam
- Gobo
- Prism
- Default Values