The product is capable of controlling up to 24 channels of of a universe of DMX, so it can control 24 of any of these channels. The upper bank of 12 faders, located on the left side of the unit, always directly controls individual channels. The second twelve channels can be accessed by pressing the UPPER button. This is certianly a space and cost saving feature, but can be a pain since the faders are not motorized, especially when controlling lights "on the fly".
The second set of faders, on the bottom, are very useful for setting up a show very quickly. Each fader can be assigned a "scene"', or "memory" of a set of channel values, and the latter four faders can be assigned this OR chaser values. You can store up to 120 of these memories in 10 banks, selectable with a one digit LCD.
There is a master section with MASTER, BANK A (the upper bank), and BANK B (the lower) faders, and a BLACK OUT button. To the right of this is the chaser section. You can program up to 99 chases, as long as there is collectively less than 600 steps, or parts of the chase. Chases can be played back in three different modes: sound sensitive mode, manual tap mode, or set speed mode. You can set a cross-fade rate that determines smooth or choppy transitions between steps. You can also set the console into THEATRE MODE, where each step has a cross-fade rate between .1 seconds, and 10 seconds. This is quite useful in theatre, as you can set up a chase like a cue list, pressing the STEP button for each cue. You can scroll among steps quickly using the JOG WHEEL to the right of the LCD.
As far as ins and outs, the LC2412 is quite flexible, and has two ways of outputting lighting signals: Five pin DMX, and a 15 pin D-SUB connector for analog control. This means of output also includes two "special channels" that have their own dedicated buttons on the console. You can create custom control interfaces with this, including controlling a fog machine, mirror ball, or special effects light, even a tape player if you're really crafty.
There are MIDI IN and OUT connectors for creating custom interfaces, and for linking two consoles together to double the power. There is also an Audio IN jack (1/4 inch) and a foot pedal connector for tapping out beats for the chasers. On the console surface there is a PCMCIA slot for storing extra memory, and even doing a little hacking.
