A proper rig check is paramount to the duties of a programmer, prior to starting any actual programming. First, you need to confirm that the data flow and DMX addressing matches what you are expecting (and have previously entered into your patch). The best way to accomplish this is to select each fixture one at a time and confirm it is operating as the same fixture you expected. One of the most common errors with a new rig stems from addressing/patching mismatch errors. Never just select the entire rig at once and turn on all the fixtures to confirm they work. Testing in this manner would not reveal that many could be set to the same DMX address.
-Brad Schiller, from “Feeding the Machines,” PLSN, Aug. 2019, page 73
