Summary
Not all lighting fixtures are compatible with pixel mapping. This is not a limitation of EMU — it is a fundamental requirement of how pixel mapping works as a technology.
What Is Pixel Mapping?
Pixel mapping works by assigning a colour value to each individual LED in a fixture or strip, then driving those LEDs independently to create visual effects, gradients, or video content across a surface.
For this to work, a fixture must have:
- Individually addressable LEDs — each LED must be controllable on its own
- Colour-mixing capability — the LEDs must be able to produce a range of colours, typically via RGB (Red, Green, Blue) or CMY (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow) channels
Why Discharge and Single-Source Lamp Fixtures Are Not Compatible
Fixtures that use discharge lamps produce light from a single bulb — one light source that cannot be split into individually addressed colour pixels. Colour in these fixtures is achieved through physical colour wheels, gobos, and prisms, not through mixing individual LEDs.
Because there are no individually addressable LEDs, there are no "pixels" to map. No software — EMU or otherwise — can pixel map these fixtures.
This applies to a very wide range of products across all price points. Discharge lamp moving heads are extremely common in the DJ and live event market, from budget Chinese-manufactured fixtures to established Western brands.
Common Discharge Lamp Fixtures (Not Compatible with Pixel Mapping)
The following are examples of well-known fixtures that use discharge lamps and will not appear in the LED Mapping page. This is not an exhaustive list.
Budget / Entry-Level
| Fixture | Lamp Type |
|---|---|
| ArtFox Sky Beam 7R | 7R 230W discharge |
| GTD Lighting GTD-230 II Beam | 7R 230W discharge |
| LightSky Bumblebee F230 | 7R 230W discharge |
| Color Imagination Beam 230 | 7R 230W discharge |
| SHEHDS 350W 17R Moving Head | 17R 350W discharge |
| Joyfirst / Roccer 7R–12R series | 7R–12R discharge |
| ERA Lighting 260W 9R Beam | 9R 260W discharge |
Mid-Range / Established Brands
| Fixture | Lamp Type |
|---|---|
| Chauvet DJ Intimidator Beam 140SR | 140W discharge |
| Chauvet DJ Intimidator Hybrid 251SR | 251W discharge |
| Chauvet DJ Legend 230SR Beam | 7R 230W discharge |
| Chauvet DJ Rogue R2 Beam | 7R 230W discharge |
| BeamZ Tiger 7RC | 7R 230W discharge |
| Elumen8 R9 Beam | 9R 260W discharge |
| PR Lighting XR 230 Beam | 7R 230W discharge |
What Fixture Types Are Compatible with Pixel Mapping?
| Fixture Type | Compatible | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| RGB LED strip / pixel node | ✅ Yes | Core use case |
| RGBW / RGBA LED par | ✅ Yes | Fully supported |
| RGB moving head wash (LED source) | ✅ Yes | If individually addressed |
| CMY moving head (LED source) | ✅ Yes | Supported |
| Single-colour LED dimmer | ❌ No | No colour mixing |
| Discharge beam / spot / hybrid | ❌ No | Single lamp source |
| Conventional incandescent / halogen | ❌ No | Dimmer only, no colour |
How to Identify a Discharge Fixture
When researching a fixture, look for any of the following in the product description:
- References to 7R, 9R, 10R, 12R, 14R, 17R, 19R, 20R lamps
- The words "discharge", "HID", "HRI", or "MSD"
- Lamp brands such as Osram SIRIUS, Philips MSR, or YODN
- A colour wheel and gobo wheel as the primary colour source (rather than LED mixing)
If the fixture spec sheet lists a wattage bulb (e.g. "260W Osram lamp") rather than a number of LED emitters (e.g. "7 × 40W RGBW LEDs"), it is almost certainly a discharge fixture.
How to Use These Fixtures in EMU
Discharge fixtures are fully supported in EMU — just not through the LED Mapping page. Add them as DMX fixtures through the fixture library, where you can control all of their channels including dimmer, colour wheel, gobo, pan/tilt, prism, strobe, and more.