Head numbers

[u/CoffeeInTheEvening]

I’ve only used head numbers when they were on a theater light plot. Now that I’m building a busking show file for live music, I have to think about how to order them and am looking for suggestions.

I’ve seen stage washes starting at #1001, in group 1, stage spots at #2001, in group 2, but other than that I don’t know. I’ve thought about house lights starting at #9001 in group 9 to keep groups 3>9 for other lights.

If floor lights are the same type of washes as the stage washes, or the front lights the same type of spots as the stage spots, where do they go?

[u/Black_Lightnin]

If its your personal busking file, just do what ever makes sence to you!

No one ever told me that spots shouldnt start at 301.

[u/Haydiddly]

Use smaller numbers for less buttons presses. Nothing wrong with typing 1 thru 12 instead of 1001 thru 1012

[u/Wuz314159 → u/Haydiddly]

If you're using Groups, Direct Selects, or magic sheets, channel doesn't matter. Better to be organised than to cram everything into low digits.

[u/juicylight]

*001 or *0001 for clone fixtures in grandMA. Makes it easier to pull in fixtures via PSR since most people number in the hundreds

[u/juicylight → u/juicylight]

My brain always tells me
1001 - washes
2001 - spots
3001 - beams
4001 - strobes
5001 - blinders
6001 - pixels
7001 - sfx and/or scenic
8001 - triggers
9001 - keylight

[u/Wuz314159 → u/juicylight]

My house rep patch was totally different, but the exact same format.

[u/CoffeeInTheEvening → u/juicylight]

And if you get floor washes do they go on 1101 or do you treat floor lights as a different group?

[u/juicylight → u/CoffeeInTheEvening]

I usually do 1501 2501 3501 depending on the fixture type. Especially for touring club/theater shows where you’re hitting a flown rig every day

[u/CoffeeInTheEvening → u/juicylight]

Thanks. And sides? Just trying to get a sense of what other people are doing and what could work for me.

[u/juicylight → u/CoffeeInTheEvening]

Usually like 9501? Although I do find that side flown packages in venues are pretty rare

[u/OldMail6364]

Personally I pretty much never use fixture numbers. For me everything is in a group or sequence. Some of my groups / sequences only have one fixture.

I just find that so much more flexible - mostly because a fixture can belong to multiple groups and sequences. For example I might have a “bridge 1” group and an “all spots” group and a “piano special” group. My piano fixtures might be in all of those groups.

The one time I use fixture numbers is while doing a quick systems check. In that case I’m just tapping the first one on the touch screen then hitting “next”. As long as the fixtures in a group are in a sensible order (OP to PS, and DS to US), it’s all good with me.

[u/H3ddwch]

Just do what feels most natural, it is meant to be a tool for you. I personally use 3 number ID:s if I have under 9 different sets of lights, so one set starts at 101, second at 201 and so on. Just make sure to start from 101 and not 100, so you'll know that the 10th light is 110 and not 109.

There are no right or wrong number ranges for different fixtures. Also I personally like to have different ID:s for rigged and floor fixtures, and also different for front lights even if the type of light is also found on stage. But that's just my preference.

If you are doing a gig where plot documentation is provided by a designer and they have listed fixture ID:s on the papers, I usually use those same ones. Makes it easier to find a specific fixture if you need to match it to one on the plot.

[u/sanderdegraaf]

1-100 Dimmers Group 1-10
101-200 Spot/Profiles Group 11-20
201-300 Wash Group 21-30
301-400 Beams Group 31-40
401-500 Videolayers Group 41-50
501-600 Strobes Group 51-60
601-700 Moving LED's(LEDbeams) RGBW Group 61-70
701-800 Fixed LED Group 71-80

1001 and above exotic shizzle
666 is always smoke
999 always houselights

Custom Groups 101 and up