Relackout

Patching and the address map

Patch fixtures, pick a start address, catch address conflicts and read the address map step by step with the Demo Venue rig.

Chapters

Your library already has at least one fixture model, but you haven’t patched any of them yet — you haven’t told Relackout which DMX address they start at or which channels they use. This guide walks you to the Patch & address map screen and shows every step with the Demo Venue rig: patching a single fixture, patching several at once, spotting and fixing an address conflict, reading the map, renaming a patch and removing one.

What a universe and a start address are (quick refresher)

A universe is a single line of 512 DMX channels. Each fixture takes up as many consecutive channels as it has: a 5-channel PAR with its Start address set to 1 uses channels 1 through 5, so the next fixture can start no earlier than channel 6. We cover the full DMX, universe, channel and address picture on its own page; here you only get what you need to understand this screen.

Opening the patch screen

  1. Click Settings on the home screen.

    Home screen, Settings button not yet clicked

  2. Click Patch & address map in Settings.

    Settings screen, Patch & address map button not yet clicked

Patching a fixture

  1. Click the Demo Venue category on the left to expand it.

    Demo Venue category expanded in the left panel, three fixture models listed

  2. Click LED PAR RGBW.

    LED PAR RGBW selected, patch form and a five-row channel table open on the right

  3. Type over “LED PAR RGBW” in Patch name: Front.

    Patch name field reads Front

Mode: fixtures with more than one channel order

If a fixture model has more than one mode — for example variants with a different channel count or order — a Mode dropdown appears between Patch name and Start address; each option is listed as “name (N ch)”. The mode you pick decides how many channels get patched — if the mode on the device’s own menu doesn’t match the mode you patched, every control shifts. All three Demo Venue models (LED PAR RGBW, Moving Head Spot, LED Strobe) ship with a single mode, so you won’t see the Mode dropdown in this guide.

Patching several fixtures at once

  1. Type 4 in Quantity. Next to the field, the computed line now reads 5 channel(s) × 4 item(s) — you’re about to create four separate patches, each covering the LED PAR RGBW’s 5 channels.

    Quantity field reads 4, with the 5 channel(s) × 4 item(s) line next to it

  2. Click Add to patch.

    Map filled blue from 1 to 20, four patches auto-named Front 1 through Front 4

Picking an address by clicking an empty map cell

  1. Click LED PAR RGBW again. The form reopens and Patch name fills with “LED PAR RGBW” again, but Quantity keeps its previous value of 4 instead of resetting — this doesn’t stand out on screen, but it’s worth knowing.

    LED PAR RGBW selected again, form open, Quantity field still reads 4

  2. Type Back in Patch name.

    Patch name field reads Back

  3. Click empty map cell 21; Start address automatically becomes 21.

    Empty cell 21 on the map, Start address field now reads 21

  4. Read the hint line below the fields: Click an empty cell to set address; patches use consecutive addresses.

    Hint line below the form fields, readable

  5. Set Quantity to 2.

    Quantity field reads 2

  6. Click Add to patch.

    Map filled from 21 to 30, Patch details box opened with Back 1

Catching an address conflict

  1. Click Moving Head Spot. Patch name switches to the model name, but Start address and Quantity keep the values from the previous patch (21 and 2 here); you’ll change them in the next step.

    Moving Head Spot selected, an eight-row channel table open on the right; Start address still 21, Quantity still 2

  2. Type Spot Left in Patch name; type 101 in Start address; set Quantity to 1.

    Patch name Spot Left, Start address 101, Quantity 1 filled in

  3. Click Add to patch.

    Map filled from 101 to 108

  4. Click Moving Head Spot again; type Spot Right in Patch name and, this time on purpose, try a conflicting address: type 105 in Start address — right in the middle of the 101–108 range Spot Left already uses.

    Patch name Spot Right, Start address 105, Add to patch button highlighted, map still filled from 101 to 108

  1. Change Start address to 109 — right after Spot Left ends.

    Start address field now reads 109

  2. Click Add to patch.

    Map filled from 109 to 116, no conflict

The map’s pages

  1. Click LED Strobe; type Strobe in Patch name. Start address still shows 109 from the previous patch; you’ll pick a new address on the map next.

    LED Strobe selected, a two-row channel table open, Patch name reads Strobe

  2. Click page 2 above the map.

    Page 2 shown, Address 129 – 256 label visible, cells empty

  3. On page 2, click cell 201; Start address becomes 201.

    Empty cell 201 selected on page 2

  4. Click Add to patch.

    Map filled from 201 to 202, Patch details box updated to Strobe (201-202)

  5. Click page 1.

    Page 1 shown, blue cells from 1 to 30 and from 101 to 116

Reading the address map

  1. On page 1, click filled cell 13.

    Front 3's cells 11-15 highlighted in orange, Patch details box switched to Front 3

  2. See the Patch name, Address range and Channel count rows in Patch details.

    Patch details box showing Patch name, Address range and Channel count rows

Editing a patch’s name

  1. Click the pencil icon next to the name. The name turns into an editable text box, with Save and Cancel buttons next to it.

    Patch name turned into an editable text box, Save and Cancel buttons visible

  2. Click at the end of the name in the box so the cursor sits after the last character, then edit the name: here, type a space and Renamed so it reads Front 3 Renamed. Then click Save.

    Name saved as Front 3 Renamed, edit mode closed

Removing a patch

  1. On page 2 of the map, click cell 201 to select the Strobe patch (201-202), then click Remove patch.

    Page 2: addresses 201-202 now empty, no Strobe row in the Patched Fixtures table

  2. Scroll down to show the Patched Fixtures table.

    Patched Fixtures table listing eight rows with address, name, fixture, channel and status columns

Switching between universes

  1. Click the U2 button top-right. The map empties out and the table shows the No fixtures patched on this universe. message.

    Map empty, no patches on U2, No fixtures patched on this universe message visible

  2. Click U1. The table lists U1’s patches again. The map stays on page 2, so its cells look empty here; click page 1 to see the blue cells.

    Back on U1, Patched Fixtures table filled again, map still on page 2

Updated: October 8, 2026

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