A moving head gives you a different tool for your show: movement, beam direction, shutter, color, and other fixture functions. Get those basics working before you spend a night building a sequence around it.
Our Phoenix Ray Max is a 380W lamp-based moving head. This checklist gets you organized for the first test. Keep the manual for your exact unit beside you for mounting, electrical requirements, lamp procedures, and the DMX chart.
Build the whole control path
You need three pieces working together: show software that sends the values, compatible DMX output hardware that carries them, and a fixture configured to interpret them.
xLights or Light-O-Rama support does not create a physical DMX connection by itself. Check the controller or interface you plan to use, its dedicated DMX output, the connector pinout, and the path from the show computer or player. A Phoenix Ray Max does not connect to a WS2811 pixel output.
Write down the mode and address first
Photograph the fixture label and display settings. Record the model, DMX mode, starting address, and software profile. These are the details you will need if a channel does something unexpected.
The Phoenix Ray Max product page lists 18- and 20-channel modes. Check the options on your actual fixture and use the matching channel chart. A different Phoenix Ray model can use a different layout, even if its housing looks familiar.
For example, a verified 20-channel fixture starting at address 1 uses channels 1–20. A second fixture that you want to control independently can start at 21 and use 21–40. That is an addressing example for that mode, not a standard address plan for every moving head.
If the DMX signal comes through a network controller, include the universe in your worksheet. The correct starting address on the wrong universe still will not give you the intended control.
Test one fixture in a clear, controlled area
Use the mounting arrangement in the manual and keep the movement area clear. Choose a test direction that avoids people, windows, roads, and aircraft. Check what happens at startup and reset as well as during your sequence.
Movement limits and a No-Fly Zone setting can help control a show, but they do not replace checking where the fixture can point. Set up that physical test area before enabling a beam.
- Use the documented controls to set a stationary position.
- Verify pan and tilt one function at a time.
- Check intensity and shutter against the DMX chart.
- Check the color behavior.
- Add movement, gobos, and timed effects only after those basics respond correctly.
Avoid sending random full-range values to every channel. Some channel ranges can trigger control commands rather than a visible lighting effect.
Make the software model match the fixture
In xLights, configure the DMX moving-head model with the channel count and function offsets from the unit's manual. The official xLights DMX model guide explains settings for pan, tilt, shutter, and color.
A color-wheel fixture needs the appropriate color-wheel mapping. Treating it as three RGB pixel channels will not describe how it works. In Light-O-Rama, use the supported DMX output path and assign channels to that same fixture chart. In either program, compare the physical response with the preview before building a full sequence.
The head moves, but there is no beam. What next?
Movement tells you part of the fixture is responding. Check the documented lamp state, shutter, intensity, selected mode, and any display error. Follow the manual's warm-up, cooling, and restart procedure instead of repeatedly cycling power.
Compare a supported local fixture test with software control. If the local test works, concentrate on the DMX path, mode, address, and channel values. If the local test fails too, record the fixture's behavior for us. Do not open an energized fixture or improvise a replacement lamp.
Keep the outdoor setup and support details together
The Phoenix Ray Max listing states IP65. Follow the required orientation, covers, connections, and installation instructions; IP65 does not permit submersion. Inspect the setup after severe weather before the next show.
Email Support@Mattosdesigns.com your order number, model-label photo, DMX mode, starting address, controller model, and a short video showing the display and test. Tell us what happened locally and from the software. That gives us a useful place to start.
Build a controlled two-fixture exercise
Once one head passes its local and software tests, add the second. Use two identical verified modes for this exercise. If each selected fixture actually uses a 20-channel mode, a simple example gives head A address 1 and head B address 21 on the same DMX universe. If the mode differs, recalculate using the actual channel footprint.
Scroll sideways to see all columns.
| Test stage | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Stationary positions | Each fixture reaches its intended position independently, with the beam closed while position is established. |
| Shutter/intensity | Only the selected head produces the intended output using documented channel values. |
| Color selection | The real color-wheel positions match the software profile. |
| Simple timed cue | One deliberate, limited movement or static cue works on each head without unintended reset/lamp commands. |
| Playback and restart | The actual show player reproduces the cue and the startup/reset behavior stays within the planned installation. |
Keep the fixture model, revision, channel mode, address, universe, interface and manual together in the project notes. A Phoenix fixture with a different channel map needs a different profile even if its housing looks similar.
Plan the complete data conversion. A normal pixel output is not a DMX output. If you use a separate conversion device, follow that exact device's documentation for its input requirements and the relationship between upstream channels and downstream DMX addresses; do not infer those addresses from another converter's example.
Use the exact fixture's mounting, movement and beam requirements. Check the potential direction during startup, reset and loss of data as well as during the sequence. For a longer show, keep the first exercise as a separate troubleshooting file so you can isolate hardware response from a complex song.
Review the different data connections · Plan deliberate color and timing
Keep learning
- Pixel Power Planning: Voltage Drop, Injection and Brightness
- xConnect vs M-Connect: Match Pixel Cables and Adapters
- Light Show Preflight Checklist: Test, Label and Back Up
Browse all Mattos education and support guides.
Reviewed October 29, 2026.
