Patching & the DMX Map

Updated

Mar 2025

The DMX Map

The DMX Map is where fixtures are added to a project, patched to a Connection, and managed.

The center shows a scrollable list of all Connections, the address space available, and the fixtures patched within. A mini-map of the current Connection is on the right side for easy navigation, and to quickly find open address space.

Fixture Details Panel

Tapping on a patched fixture expands the Fixture Details panel on the right. The top shows the manufacturer, fixture model, and profile of the selected fixture. Below are several editable properties that include:

Fixture ID- A numerical name for the fixture, similar to a fixture’s channel number in other lighting software. Fixtures are sorted by Fixture ID on the Scratchpad. No two fixtures can have the same ID.

Name - A fixture name can be anything to help remember the fixture’s purpose. Multiple fixtures can have the same name, which can help with organization. By default, the name is populated with the fixture model when adding new fixtures.

Icon - An Icon that represents the fixture on the Scratchpad and in Looks. The choice has no function outside of being a quick visual reminder, so feel free to select any icon.

Connection - The Connection the fixture is patched to. Each connection contains 1 universe of DMX data. Connections are created on the Settings tab of the Setup screen. More information on Connections is available in the Project Settings and App Settings article.

DMX Start Address - The starting address the fixture is patched to. The start address can be changed numerically here, or by dragging and dropping on the DMX Map.

Fixture Details — Fixture details can also be seen for unpatched fixtures

Unpatched Fixtures Panel

The Unpatched Fixtures panel is where newly added fixtures show up before they are patched into the project, and where existing fixtures are staged when they are not in use. Placing a fixture in the Unpatched panel preserves all Look data for the fixture but removes it from Slyyd’s DMX output. This is particularly useful when it is necessary to temporarily free up address space in a Connection for new fixtures by unpatching fixtures not currently in use.

Fixtures can be moved to the Unpatched panel by dragging and dropping from the DMX Map, by selecting the “Unpatch” button within the Fixture Details, or by choosing the “Unpatch” option from the three dots menu on a patched fixture.

Fixtures can be patched by dragging and dropping from the Unpatched panel, or by selecting “Edit” from the three dots menu and entering a Connection and a DMX start address on the Fixture Details panel.

Unpatched Fixtures Panel — The Unpatched Fixtures panel is a safe staging area for your fixtures

Adding and Patching New Fixtures

To add new fixtures to a project, press the + button in the upper right corner of the DMX Map. The + button brings up the Add Fixtures screen.

Slyyd Go has a limit of 3 fixtures per project. More than 3 fixtures cannot be added without upgrading to Slyyd Plus. To add new fixtures while using Slyyd Go, existing fixtures need to be deleted until there are less than 3.

Add Fixtures Screen

A list of manufacturers lives on the left side of the Add Fixtures screen. Tapping the manufacturer reveals a list of fixtures. Tapping on the desired fixture brings up a list of available profiles for the fixture to the right, which are sorted by firmware version (when available). Only Recommended profiles are shown by default. To show all available profiles, tap the ‘Show all profiles’ text. To search for a profile or for a fixture, drag the respective list down to expose the search field at the top.

Recommended profiles are profiles that work best with Slyyd. The Recommended profiles will always be 16bit xy profiles when available. Slyyd’s color engine works best with xy profiles, and 16bit profiles can produce smoother transitions.

If it is necessary to use an RGB profile, make sure that color is set to “uncalibrated” on the fixture for best color matching.

Choose the number of fixtures to add to a project by tapping the + or - buttons on the right side of the profile, or by entering a value in the text field. Fixtures with different profiles, models, and manufacturers can be added at the same time by setting quantities on different profiles. Press the “Next” button in the upper right corner after the desired quantities are entered, which opens the Setup Fixtures screen.

Setup Fixtures Screen

The Setup Fixtures screen lists all the profiles selected on the Add Fixtures screen individually. Here fixtures can be given Names, Fixture IDs, and icons. These settings can also be changed later on the Fixture Details panel after patching. There are two options for patching the selected fixtures found in the upper right corner of the Setup Fixtures screen: Multi Patch or Add Manually.

Multi Patch - Opens the DMX Map where the connection, starting address and spacing can be defined before patching. Pressing the “Patch” button patches all fixtures that were on the Setup Fixtures screen in order of their Fixture IDs starting at the defined starting address with the defined spacing between each fixture. Pressing cancel presents two options: deleting the new fixtures entirely by pressing “Delete”, or moving the new fixtures to the Unpatched panel by pressing “Keep Unpatched”, where they can be manually patched one by one.

Add Manually - Moves all fixtures on the Setup Fixtures screen to the Unpatched panel, where they can be patched one by one, either by dragging and dropping them onto the DMX map, or by choosing “Edit” from the fixture’s three dots menu and selecting a connection and starting address on the Fixture Details panel.