Discussing The P3 Mix Channel: Revolutionizing Creative LED Programming

Presented by Martin Lighting

The Martin range of P3-compatible creative LED and lighting fixtures has been growing steadily over the last eight years. But with the introduction of the latest Martin product families, including MAC Allure Profile, MAC Allure Wash PC and VDO Atomic Dot, a new function that revolutionizes the way of programming was added: the P3 Mix Channel.

When controlling these new fixtures via the Martin P3 System Controller, you can drive their colors and intensity from the lighting desk, a video signal or a mix of both.

This offers a new range of possibilities to create looks on stage.

For some songs or cues within a song you might want to dial in colors or pixelmap effects from your lighting console, while for other songs or cues you might want to treat your fixtures as pixels within an entire videomap.

The P3 Mix Channel is a dedicated DMX channel, available on these new fixtures, with three different control ranges:

DMX Mode – In this range, the fixture is fully controlled from the lighting desk. Video mapping on the P3 System Controller is ignored by the fixture, as colours and output are fully controlled from the corresponding DMX channels.

Mix Mode – In this range, you can provide a crossfade between colours, dialled in from the lighting desk and video mapping from the P3 System Controllers. For example, you might have full red dialled in on the desk, and video with blue patterns feeding into the P3 System Controller. With the P3 Mix channel set to 27, the fixture will output full red. With the P3 Mix channel set to 228, the fixture will output the blue video content. With the P3 Mix channel set to an intermediate value, it will output a crossfade mix between the two (for example, when set to 127, the fixture will output half red with the blue video content overlaid).

Video Mode – In this range the output from the fixture is controlled from the video-content being fed into the P3

System Controller. But, the colour channels on the lighting fixture can still override the colours from the incoming video. So if you have video content with white patterns being fed into the P3 System Controller, you can still use the colour channels of the fixture to give that content a different colour.

This enables you to use any content (regardless of colour), but still match the colours coming out of the fixture to the rest of your look on stage.

It’s also worth noting that the built-in effect macros (and all other channels) from the fixture will work, regardless of what range the P3 Mix channel is in, allowing you to run the fixture in Video Mode, but still apply effects such as strobe, gobos, spectrum shift, etc., on top of the video, which offers even more control possibilities to achieve the desired look on stage.

Last but not least, fixtures offering different “layers” of light will offer multiple P3 Mix Channels. The VDO Atomic Dot is a great example as it has the main white beam/strobe/blind LED and the Aura backlight LEDs.

Therefore, the VDO Atomic Dot offers two separate P3 Mix Channels: Beam P3 Mix and Aura P3 Mix, enabling you to determine how you want to control each “layer” of the fixture. Drive the white strobe from the desk, while running video content over the Aura layer. Dial a solid colour on the Aura while running video-patterns over the white blinder. Run video content but apply a strobe inside the fixture on top of it. Run video content, but let the fixture add a tungsten emulation effect to it.

The possible combinations and achievable looks are endless.

Make sure to check out the creative potential the P3 Mix Channel offers, once you get your hands on one of these fixtures.

Presented by Martin Lighting.

CX Magazine – August 2019   Entertainment technology news and issues for Australia and New Zealand – in print and free online www.cxnetwork.com.au

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Lead image: Karpe Diem via Martin