DMX Addressing Guide: DIP Switches and Digital Displays

Addressing is the single most misunderstood subject in DMX. When lights respond to the wrong cue, or several fixtures move together when only one should, the cause is nearly always a wrong DMX address. This guide covers both ways of setting one: DIP switches and digital displays.

What a DMX address is

A DMX address is simply the starting channel a fixture listens from. The controller transmits all 512 channels; a fixture reads its own block and ignores the rest.

How large that block is depends on the fixture and the mode it is in. A 4-channel RGBW par set to address 10 reads channels 10, 11, 12 and 13.

The addressing logic

Addresses are assigned back to back, each fixture starting where the previous one ended:

Fixture	Channels used	Address	Reads
Fixture 1	4	1	1–4
Fixture 2	4	5	5–8
Fixture 3	4	9	9–12
Fixture 4	4	13	13–16

Give fixture 3 an address of 8 instead of 9 and it overlaps fixture 2, so the two behave as one. That is the classic symptom of an addressing error.

If you deliberately want two fixtures to behave identically, giving them the same address is the correct and simplest way to do it.

Setting an address with DIP switches

DIP switches work in binary. Each switch has a fixed value, and the address is the sum of the switches that are ON:

Switch	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9
Value	1	2	4	8	16	32	64	128	256

Example: setting address 13

13 = 8 + 4 + 1

Switch 1 (value 1)   -> ON
Switch 3 (value 4)   -> ON
Switch 4 (value 8)   -> ON
All other switches   -> OFF

If you would rather not do the arithmetic, the DIP switch calculator on this site works it out for you — and works in reverse too.

Setting an address on a digital display

Most modern fixtures have a small display and a few buttons. The address usually appears as A001, d001 or CH01 depending on the manufacturer. Navigate to the address menu, set the number, and confirm.

Two things to watch. First, some fixtures require you to confirm with Enter — leaving the menu without confirming discards the change. Second, check the fixture’s mode at the same time; changing mode changes how many channels it occupies and shifts everything that follows.

The most common addressing mistakes

• Not counting channels correctly. Read how many channels the fixture uses in the mode you selected, not in its default mode.
• Overlapping addresses. Leaving too small a gap makes two fixtures share channels.
• Forgetting the mode change. Switching one fixture from 4 to 8 channels invalidates every address after it.
• Starting at 0. DMX addresses begin at 1.
• Exceeding 512. A 10-channel fixture cannot start at 510; it needs the next universe.
• Reversed DIP switch numbering. Some fixtures number their switches the other way round — check the manual if the address is not what you expect.

Address planning on professional installations

1. Leave gaps. Instead of packing fixtures back to back, start groups at round numbers: 1, 21, 41, 61. Adding a fixture later then costs nothing.
2. Group by physical position. Front truss 1–100, back truss 101–200, floor 201–300. Fault-finding becomes much faster.
3. Write it down. Fixture, position, model, mode, channel count, address.
4. Label the fixtures. A small label on the yoke with the address saves climbing later.
5. Use RDM where possible. Reading and changing addresses from the console removes most of this work.

In conclusion

Addressing is arithmetic, not electronics. Count the channels correctly, leave sensible gaps, keep a written map, and most of the mysterious behaviour people blame on cables or fixtures simply never happens.

Related articles

• DMX Channel Charts and Fixture Profiles
• DMX Universes