Which of the following correctly describes the number of channels in a DMX-512 universe?

• A. 512
• B. 256
• C. 1024
• D. 128

Answer: (A)

DMX-512 uses 512 channels in each data stream, and each channel carries an 8-bit value that controls a single parameter on a lighting fixture. Because the frame of data holds 512 consecutive channel values, a DMX-512 universe defines 512 channels total. If you need more control channels, you add another DMX data stream (another universe), which provides another 512 channels, giving you 1024 channels across two universes, and so on. The other numbers are just different counts, but they don’t match the standard per-universe limit of 512 channels. When setting up fixtures, you assign each device a starting channel within the 1–512 range for its parameters, and you can expand with additional universes as needed.