Address Space
A grid of every DMX address in each universe, showing usage, live values, and conflicts.
The Address Space panel shows, universe by universe, which DMX addresses your fixtures use.
Related concept: Fixtures.
Universe view
Grid display
Each universe shows 512 channels as a grid of cells, and the color of a cell shows its usage and channel type. Click an address to toggle it as force-active, which turns it orange. Spectralite sends a force-active channel at full (255), with or without a fixture patched there. You can use this to light an address and find the fixture it belongs to. Click it again to release it. An Art-Net output in unicast mode only reaches universes that have a fixture with a target IP.
A translucent white bar inside each cell shows the live DMX output for that channel. The bar fills from the bottom of the cell in proportion to the current value: empty at zero, a full overlay at 255. Because the bar sits over the channel-type color, you see usage and live output together.
Cell text toggle
The Addresses toolbar above the grid switches the text drawn in each cell.
| Mode | Cell content |
|---|---|
| Channel | The 1-based channel number, large in the cell center |
| Value | The live DMX value (0-255), large in the center, with the channel number small in the top-right corner |
The toggle affects only the text. The bar overlay and the color coding stay the same in either mode.
Color coding
| Color | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Dark gray | Occupied (pixel, parameter, or reserved) |
| Red | Overlap (conflict) |
| Medium gray | Unused / free |
| Orange | Force-active channel |
| Channel colors | Pixel channels show their color (R, G, B, W, A, UV) |
Universe selection
A sidebar grid shows every universe as a numbered button. Click one to view its addresses. The filter toggle shows only universes that have fixtures assigned. The panel streams live DMX values for the selected universe only.
Fixture allocation
Viewing fixtures
Hover over an address to see its details in the bottom panel:
- Fixture name
- Universe and start address
- Channel status (pixel, parameter, or reserved)
- Color channel assignment (for pixel channels)
Conflict detection
Overlapping addresses
When fixtures share addresses, the shared channels turn red and show an overlap count badge. The universe's button in the sidebar gets a red dot.
Resolving conflicts
- Identify red cells in the address grid.
- Hover to see which fixtures overlap.
- In the Fixtures panel, move one fixture to a different address or universe.
Addresses that need attention
An amber dot in the top-left corner of a universe's button marks a problem with the patch in that universe. The red overlap dot sits top-right. When you hover over an affected address, the bottom panel says in one sentence what is wrong and what to do. Two cases raise the amber dot:
- Two fixtures claim the same address for color, so the second one gets none. Move one of them.
- Your graphics card has room for the color tables of fewer fixture types than the patch carries. This type then renders an approximate color. To restore it, patch fewer distinct fixture types.
When you choose a fixture in the Add fixture picker, Color notes shows what it can and cannot do with color.
Address planning
Finding gaps
Medium gray cells are free. Hover a cell for its address details, and use the filter toggle to show only universes with fixtures.
Universe management
Adding universes
Spectralite creates universes as you add fixtures. The panel shows every universe up to the maximum of 32,768.
Universe output
Configure universe output in the project's Art-Net settings. See Art-Net Setup.
Related panels
- Fixtures manages fixtures.
- Layouts manages fixture layouts.
- Spectralite Controllers manages network controllers.