Fixture definitions in your Finale 3D show must match the physical fixtures that you are using as they are configured.  If they don’t match, all bets are off.  So if you are just getting started or if you test your show and the fixture behavior doesn’t match your design, the first thing to confirm is that the fixtures in your show are an exact match.  So what does an exact match mean?

          “Exact match” means the channel map of the fixture as it is configured matches the channel map in Finale 3D

Practically speaking, confirming exact means three different things at three phases of your development: getting started; days or weeks before the show; and just before the show.

 

Getting started: Determine if Finale 3D supports your fixture

1. Look at the page Supported DMX fixtures (and Standard Fixture IDs) to find your fixture by name.  This page is a comprehensive list of all fixtures supported by Finale 3D.  From your browser, press control-F to search the entire page for the name or brand of your fixture.  If you find an exact match, you’re done!
2. If you don’t find your fixture listed, there’s a chance it is in the list as “Anonymous” (near the top of the list, under “ANO”).   When you purchase a fixture on Amazon or Alibaba, what appears to be the brand may just be the name of the seller.  The true brand name might not exist or may be hidden; and the name of the fixture may be more of a description than a specific product name or model number.  Visually inspect the anonymous items in the list to see if any appear to match your item.
3. If you don’t find an exact match by name on the list, it is possible that one of the items on the list is a match by a different name or brand name.  Multiple names and brands for identical fixtures are common for flames and special effects fixtures, and for low to mid-price DMX lights.  Search the list (control-F) for the matching number of DMX channels (e.g., search for “6CH” or “12CH”) and visually inspect any plausible matching candidates.
4. If you don’t find your fixture in steps 1-3, fill out the request form DMX Fixture Request Form for the Finale support team to add your fixture.  The support team will add your fixture for free in one to two weeks.
5. If you find a plausible match for your fixture in step 2 or 3, then you need to confirm it is an exact match by comparing the channel map (also called “DMX personality”) of your fixture’s user’s manual with the channel map of the plausible match’s user’s manual, which you can download directly from the list.  Obviously the number of channels must be the same.  Also, the meaning of every channel must be the same.  Read through the two channel maps and compare the descriptions of each channel to confirm they are the same.  If they aren’t, then fill out a request form.

 

Figure 1 – DMX channel map for an 8CH DMX personality.

 

Days or weeks before the show: Test your fixture to confirm it matches the user’s manual

1. If you don’t have one, purchase a DMX controller for $100-$300 from Amazon.   Choose one with as many faders as your fixture has channels.  While it isn’t strictly necessary to test your fixture if it is an exact match for a supported fixture on the list, it is still a good idea to have a DMX controller because if anything doesn’t work quite right you’ll need the DMX controller to determine if the problem is with your physical fixture or the DMX script.
2. Using the fixture’s configuration panel (the LED screen with four tiny buttons), set the channel map to the number of channels matching the fixture definition in your show, e.g., 6CH or 12CH in the fixture from the list.
3. Prove the fixture works.  Using the DMX controller, set the DMX channel values on the fixture to make it turn on, which is not always as trivial as it sounds.  Some fixtures are enabled automatically when powered on; others require adjusting the configuration to turn “Lamp ON” or “Heater ON” from the panel, or alternatively holding a DMX channel to a specific value for 5 seconds to issue the command to do the same.  Some light fixtures will be in “blackout” mode when the strobe/shutter channel has value 0; other fixtures are in “shutter open” mode with that value.  Seeing your fixture work is an important step.
4. If your fixture is a moving head, manipulate the Pan or Tilt channel to witness the angle range and direction of rotation of the head.  Some fixtures have configuration options for different angle ranges, like Tilt 270 versus Tilt 180.  If yours has those options, ensure the angle range matches the fixture definition from the list.  Many moving head fixtures have configuration options to invert/reverse/mirror the pan or tilt angles.  Make sure the configurations have those options off.

 

Figure 2 – If you don’t already have a DMX controller, buy one from Amazon for $100-$300 to confirm your fixtures work.

 

Just before the show: Confirm your fixture is properly configured at the performance site

1. From Finale 3D, print a DMX setup report from “File > Reports > Special reports > DMX Fixture Setup”.
2. From your fixture’s configuration panel, re-confirm the DMX Channel Base and number of channels, comparing to the report you printed.  From the report’s channel range the number of channels is the difference between the “from” and “to” numbers plus 1, e.g., 84 – 79 + 1 = 6.
3. From your fixture’s configuration panel, re-confirm the invert/reverse/mirror options are off unless you explicitly intended them to be on, which would be indicated in the “Position Flags” column of the report.

 

Figure 3 – Re-confirm the DMX Channel Base and number of channels matches the report.

 

Safety channels counting or not counting

The fixture definition name in Finale 3D from the list specifies: a) the name of the fixture and b) the number of channels in the channel map, and c) optionally a channel map variation if the fixture supports multiple channel maps with the same number of channels.  For example, “SHO [12] uFlamer Flame Machine 6CH (Showven)” implements the 6 channel map of the Showven uFlamer fixture. “SHO [13] uFlamer Flame Machine 2CH-N (Showven)” implements the 2 channel map, “N” version.  The number in brackets is a unique identifier for the specific fixture definition — including the specifications of its channel map.

In some fixture user’s manuals for flames or special effects, the channel map includes a safety channel that is not actually part of the block of channels allocated to the fixture.  Finale 3D‘s terminology standardizes the policy that the number of channels shown in the fixture definition name includes only the channels in the block of channels allocated to the fixture, i.e., does not include safety channels configured to separate channel addresses.  In these cases, the channel map variation in the name clues you in to the equivalence.  The 1-channel channel map of the uFlamer fixture is named, “SHO [11] uFlamer Flame Machine 1CH-P (Showven)” in Finale 3D, but is referred to as 2CH-P in the fixture’s user manual.  You have to figure out those are the same thing.

 

Troubleshooting fixture angles

Almost always if you have problems with the angles, the root cause is that the fixture is configured with a mismatching channel map, or its “Pan Invert” or “Tilt Invert” options are set to ON.  Less common but still possible, the fixture may be configured with a different channel range like “Tilt 180” instead of “Tilt 270”, as discussed above.

If you’ve confirmed all the configuration options match and the angles still aren’t right, the next step is to confirm your fixture is behaving as defined by the user’s manual channel map.  Using a DMX controller, test the tilt channel to confirm what beam angle corresponds to DMX value 0 and DMX value 255.  “Normal” for lights means that if pan and tilt are both 0 and the fixture is in front of you facing up, the head should be aiming at your feet.  As you change the tilt channel, the head should rotate up and away from you.  At tilt channel value = 255 it should be aiming away from you at or below horizontal.  The total angle difference between the start and end tilt angles should match what it says in the user’s manual.  Do the same for pan, which is trickier because pan usually rotates 540 degrees, which is a full rotation and a half.  Measure what the total angle is, and confirm it matches what the manual says.

Scanning laser fixture angles are typically labeled Horizontal or X, and Vertical or Y.   They correspond to orthogonal mirror angles rather than angles of a rotating platter or head.  If you imagine the laser sitting on its back in front of you facing upwards, Y = 0 angles back toward you, and Y = 255 angles away; X = 0 angles to the right.  Thus if the laser is facing forwards as if projecting onto a screen, Y = 0 corresponds to the top of the projection, and X = 0 corresponds to the right.