DMX Addressing Chart

Printable Cheat Sheet + Worked Examples

DMX addressing doesn’t need guesswork. This guide gives you a practical addressing chart, worked examples, and the small bit of math you actually need.

What a DMX Start Address Is

A DMX start address is the first channel a fixture listens to.
A fixture with N channels uses:

Start Address → Start + (N − 1)

Everything else is overlap risk management.

(Related: how to find DMX address, DMX channels, universe explained.)

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Quick DMX Addressing Chart (Most Common Sizes)

This assumes no buffers and is for reference only. In real rigs, you should still reserve blocks.

8-Channel Fixtures

Fixture	Start	End
1	1	8
2	9	16
3	17	24
4	25	32

12-Channel Fixtures

Fixture	Start	End
1	1	12
2	13	24
3	25	36
4	37	48

16-Channel Fixtures

Fixture	Start	End
1	1	16
2	17	32
3	33	48
4	49	64

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Safe Start Address Formula

To avoid overlap:

Next Start = Previous Start + Reserved Block

Example:

• Fixture uses 14 channels

• Reserved block: 16

• Start addresses:

  • 1

  • 17

  • 33

  • 49

This works even if you later switch modes.

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Worked Example: Mixed Fixture Rig

Rig:

• 6 × RGBW Wash (12ch)

• 4 × Moving Spot (18ch)

• 2 × Strobes (10ch)

Planned blocks

• Wash: block 16

• Spot: block 24

• Strobe: block 12

Universe 1

• Washes: 1–96

• Spots: 97–192

• Strobes: 193–216

No overlaps. Clear expansion room.

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Tiny Address Math (That’s All You Need)

• DMX universe = 512 channels

• End address = start + channels − 1

• Overlap happens if:

  Start B ≤ End A
  

That’s it.

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Printable Cheat Sheet Tip

Print this rule and tape it inside your console case:

Never assign the next fixture to the previous fixture’s end address + 1 unless you are intentionally packing and fully documented.

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Final Takeaway

DMX addressing problems are rarely technical — they are arithmetic and discipline failures.

Related guides

• DMX Channels Explained
• DMX Patch Lists & Channel Planning
• How to Read a DMX Channel Chart