Artistic Licence designs and manufactures lighting control products for the entertainment and installation industries. Their product range includes data distribution devices, DMX512 controllers, Art-Net interfaces, and DALI solutions. Known for inventing Art-Net,...
Artistic Licence designs and manufactures lighting control products for the entertainment and installation industries. Their product range includes data distribution devices, DMX512 controllers, Art-Net interfaces, and DALI solutions. Known for inventing Art-Net, the company offers innovative, problem-solving products that cater to integrators, installers, AV professionals, and live entertainment sectors worldwide.
Artistic Licence's test range is a set of handheld and pocket tools for checking, analysing and configuring DMX512, RDM, DALI and MIDI lighting-control signals. Artistic Licence is a UK lighting-control manufacturer that states it invented Art-Net and is expert in DMX, RDM, sACN and DALI. The tools here let an engineer prove a cable, locate a bad node, set RDM parameters or commission a DALI installation without a lighting desk or PC.
The Commissioner RDMX is a handheld tester for DMX512 and RDM, and the Commissioner Multi adds DALI to the same pocket-sized case. Both use a 40-character backlit LCD with colour and intensity feedback, a DIP switch calculator, and run from two rechargeable AA NiMH cells or from micro-USB. DMX512 and RDM connect through an RJ45 socket, with an XLR5 adapter cable; the Multi connects to the DALI bus through an RCA phono socket and a phono-to-crocodile-clip lead.
RDM (Remote Device Management, ANSI E1.20) adds two-way communication to a DMX512 line (ANSI E1.11), so a tester can ask a fixture for its settings and change them from the cable. The Commissioner RDMX and Commissioner Multi get and set RDM parameters and read RDM sensors. They also send DMX512 test patterns with adjustable timing, test cables from both ends and provide a scope trigger. The NanoScope Developer is a passive analyser: it shows RDM traffic as colour-coded pulses, so you read the line by eye.
| Model | Protocols | Connection | Distinguishing features | Power |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner Multi | DMX512, RDM, DALI | RJ45 (XLR5 adapter cable included); RCA phono for DALI | DALI commissioning, re-addressing, scene recording, DT8 colour control, walk test and bus diagnostics, plus DMX512/RDM testing; hard shell case | 2 x AA NiMH or micro-USB |
| Commissioner RDMX | DMX512, RDM | RJ45 (XLR5 adapter cable sold separately) | DMX512 in and out, RDM get and set, sensor reading, test patterns, timing analysis, scope trigger, cable test; hard shell case | 2 x AA NiMH or micro-USB |
| NanoScope Developer | DMX512, RDM | Integral XLR5 | Pixel mode and RDM mode, colour-coded pulses for command classes, discovery collisions and errors | 2 x AAA |
| NanoScope DMX512 Transmitter | DMX512 | Integral XLR5 | Six preset profiles, Cycle and Lock modes; Lock remembers the selection across a power cycle | See product page |
| MIDI-Scope | MIDI | DIN5 | MIDI receiver and transmitter, hexadecimal or icon display, capture buffer with programmable trigger, RS485 MIDI boost output | Rechargeable battery, charger supplied |
| DMX-Breakout Module | DMX512 | XLR to RJ45 | Isolates individual XLR pins, switched termination, data activity indicator, test points for oscilloscope and meter | See product page |
Also stocked: DMX Terminator XLR5 and DMX Terminator XLR3 for the end of a DMX512 line, and the Commissioner Cable DMX XLR, an RJ45 to XLR5F/M adapter cable for the Commissioner RDMX. The book Control Freak, by Wayne Howell, is a guide to DMX512 and Remote Device Management.
Choose the Commissioner Multi if you also work on DALI, and the Commissioner RDMX if you only need DMX512 and RDM. Both have the same display and power options.
The Commissioner RDMX has an RJ45 connector, and the XLR5 adapter cable is available separately as the Commissioner Cable DMX XLR. The Commissioner Multi is supplied with an XLR5 adapter cable and a phono-to-crocodile-clip lead for DALI.
The NanoScope Developer analyses a line: it shows the first three DMX channels as an RGB mix and decodes RDM traffic as colour-coded pulses. The NanoScope DMX512 Transmitter sends a DMX512 test signal, with six preset profiles such as Fade All, Alternate and Ramp All.
No. The Commissioner testers, nanoScope models and MIDI-Scope are self-contained battery-powered instruments with their own display or indicators.
It is fitted to the last device on a DMX512 line to terminate the cable and reduce signal reflections. Use the DMX Terminator XLR5 or DMX Terminator XLR3 to match the connector on your line.
Source: Artistic Licence product documentation. Need help choosing a model? Ask our engineers.
