Ready… GO

This is Part 2 of the series written by Michael Adenau of MA Lighting regarding parameter, channel and universe calculation on grandMA and grandMA2 consoles.

A grandMA1 session has a limitation of 64 patchable DMX universes. As mentioned before, this is handled separately from the parameter count. The user is welcome to patch instruments as desired to any of the 64 available universes. For another extreme example, imagine a show with only 64 standard dimmers patched, but with only one dimmer patched to each of the 64 universes. From a cabling standpoint, there will be 64 universes of data snaking around. But from the console’s perspective, this show only has 64 parameters; well within the 2048 parameter capability.

Once again, the grandMA2 goes a few steps farther by offering 256 patchable universes.

Adding NSP’s (Network Processing Units) to a grandMA1 session increases the parameter limit. There’s an upper limit of 16,384 parameters per session, which can’t be exceeded, no matter how many NSP’s are added. In addition to adding processing power, each NSP has four XLR ports on the back; each can be configured from the console to output any desired DMX universe. Also, any grandMA 2-Port Node added to the network provides two more XLR ports, which can also be configured from the console as any DMX universe output or input. 2-Port Nodes don’t add any parameter calculation, just ports.

The network communication in a grandMA2 session has advanced to the point where a NSP can no longer aid in parameter calculation. Instead, expansion is accomplished with the addition of NPU’s (Network Processing Unit). Each NPU adds 4,096 parameters and eight XLR ports to the network (twice the capability of a NSP at less than twice the price). The grandMA2 can also take advantage of 2-Port Nodes. And even though NSP’s can’t add parameter calculation, they can actually work as 4-Port Nodes in a grandMA2 session.

All of the above provides the user with the flexibility to patch a show however it best makes sense while maintaining reliably frame-synchronous DMX output. This frame-sync becomes ever more important with lots of LED fixtures running any snap change or quick chase.

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