ETC Element v2.1.0 - Manual (Page 247)

A
Important Concepts 235
Appendix A
Important Concepts
Important Concepts
Before using Element, you should read and familiarize yourself with the concepts defined below.
You will find that understanding these terms and concepts will improve your efficiency with Element.
Channel
A channel is a single numerical name that is used by Element to control a dimmer, a group
of dimmers, a dimmer and a device, or a complete moving light fixture. This is different from
previous ETC consoles, which would have multiple channels for every parameter or device
needed. When you select a channel number on Element, all of the controllable properties
or parameters of that channel are available through the keypad, level wheel, or the On
Demand Moving Light (ML) Controls.
Address
Addresses are numerical identifiers set on the actual dimmers, moving light fixtures, or
other devices you want to control. To connect addresses to channels, you will need to use
the Patch function of Element. For more information, see Patch, page 51 .
Record Target
A record target is any data location that you can store data using a [Record] command.
Examples of record targets are cues, palettes, and macros.
Cue
A cue is a recorded lighting look. Cues are stacked in a list for playback using recorded fade
times.
Move Instruction and Track
A move instruction is simply a cue that contains a different level for a channel from the
previously recorded cue. This cue tells the channel to ‘move’ to a new level. A level that is
not moving in a cue is said to ‘track’. Levels will continue to track until they encounter a
move instruction.
Manual Data
Manual data is any value set for a channel via the command line. Manual data will remain
at its value until a move instruction is provided for it.
N o t e : You can patch more than one address to a single channel, but you cannot patch
multiple channels to a single address.