What Is Blind Mode on a Lighting Console and Why Is It Useful?

Blind mode is a lighting console mode that lets you edit cues, presets, or palettes without sending those changes to the stage. The current look keeps running while you work, and your edits only appear when that cue is played back later.

How blind mode works on a lighting console

A console normally works "live": select fixtures, change a value, and the lights change. In blind, the console shows you stored data instead of the live stage. You pick a cue or preset, change its values, and store the change. The DMX output carries on with whatever is playing, so the audience sees nothing.

The names differ between consoles:

• Blind: a key or display on many full-size and software consoles. On ETC Eos-family consoles, Blind is a display where you edit cue and palette data that is not on stage. On grandMA consoles, the Blind key stops programmer values from reaching the output.
• Preview: some consoles add a preview mode, where you can step through cues or run a playback on screen or in a visualizer without sending it out.
• Blind edit: some software uses this name for editing a stored cue or scene directly, without loading it into the live programmer.

The details vary, but the idea is the same everywhere: the stage output and the thing you are editing are separated until you decide to play the edit back.

Live, blind, and preview compared

Why blind mode is useful

Fixing a cue during the show

A singer stands a few feet left of where she stood in rehearsal, so the special in the next song will miss her. In blind, you open that cue, adjust the position or swap to a different preset, and store. When the cue comes up, it lands in the right place, and nobody saw you working.

Building looks while the stage is in use

During a rehearsal or a church service, the stage needs a usable look, so you cannot flash colors and swing moving heads around. Blind lets you build the next scenes from numbers and presets while the current cue holds.

Changing many cues at once

If cues are built from palettes or presets, editing one palette in blind updates every cue that uses it. Re-pointing a "Drum riser" position after the riser moves takes one edit instead of thirty.

Cleaning up a show file between events

Renaming cues, adjusting fade times, and deleting unused scenes are all faster in blind. You do not need the rig powered or the stage clear.

What blind mode cannot do

Blind only shows you numbers. You do not see the result, so anything that depends on how a look appears needs to be checked with the lights on:

• Color and intensity: a value that looks right on screen can read very differently on skin or on a backdrop. Check new colors in the room when you get the chance.
• Strobe and flashing effects: you can lower a strobe rate or intensity in blind, but you cannot judge how it feels. Review any flashing effect live in an empty room, and keep it short and sparing near an audience.
• Positions: a position edit is only as good as your numbers. If you do not have a stored preset to use, check the new position at the next break.

A visualizer helps here. Many software consoles can feed a 3D preview of the rig, which lets you see a blind edit without touching the real lights. It is still a model, so check anything critical on the real stage.

Be careful when editing data the current look depends on. If you change a palette or preset used by the cue that is on stage, or the active cue itself, some consoles update the stage as soon as you store. Learn how your console handles this during a rehearsal, not during the show.

A basic blind-mode workflow

Key names vary, but the steps on most consoles that support blind follow the same pattern:

1. Press the blind key or switch to the blind display. Confirm the console shows it is in blind.
2. Select the cue, preset, or palette you want to edit.
3. Select the fixtures and change the values: intensity, color, position, or timing.
4. Store or update the cue or preset. Some consoles save automatically; others need an explicit store.
5. Exit blind. Note which cues you changed so you can watch them closely when they play.

No blind mode on your controller?

Basic 192-channel scene controllers and most fixture remotes have no blind mode. Anything you touch goes straight to the lights. You can still work around it:

• Program before doors. Build and check every scene while the room is empty. During the event, only recall scenes.
• Record with blackout on. On many scene controllers, blackout stops the output while you set faders and record. You are working without seeing the result, so recall and check the scene before the event.
• Use the inactive scene on a two-scene desk. On a two-preset manual desk, you set the next look on the faded-out row, then crossfade. That is the older version of the same idea.
• Program offline. If you use lighting software on a laptop, build the show at home and load it at the venue, then check each scene once the rig is up.

If you often need to fix things during a show, blind mode is a good reason to move up from a scene controller to lighting software or a console that supports it.

FAQ

Is blind mode the same as blackout?

No. Blackout stops output to the stage, so the lights go dark. Blind mode leaves the current look running and only hides your edits.

Can I see my changes in blind mode?

Only as numbers on screen, or in a visualizer if your setup has one. To see the real result, play the edited cue back.

Does blind mode work with any DMX fixtures?

Yes. Blind is a console feature, so the fixtures do not need to support anything. They just receive the edited values when the cue plays.

Do I need blind mode for a small rig?

Not to get started. For a few PARs and a pair of moving heads, programming before doors works well. Blind becomes useful when you edit during live events or manage many cues.