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View Full Version : what lighting effects should i go for?



DJK Liverpool
11-11-2006, 02:07 PM
i currently have 2X geni wild blazes & 2X geni xtc's which i paid £200 for second hand the other day including the stand

i'm totaly new to mobile dj'ing so i'd be looking for advice on lights that an idiot could understand:)

i plan to be playing pubs & private functions but i'd really like to put on a good light show that is simple to set up and use

my budget is variable as if need be i'll be paying my bank manager a visit

also could anyone reccomend a good solid portable dj stand to put my laptop, mixer on etc?

some of the ones i've seen look a bit flimsy

thanks guys

ian8limelight
11-11-2006, 04:10 PM
also could anyone reccomend a good solid portable dj stand to put my laptop, mixer on etc?

some of the ones i've seen look a bit flimsy

thanks guys


Darren,

These are very secure and highly recommended stands by a number of us on the Forum ..............


http://www.ultimate1.co.uk/dj_stands.htm


I'm a great fan of Martin and Abstract lighting but it can be quite expensive. You will, however, receive some good advice from other members of the Forum regarding less expensive and effective lighting.

axeman
11-11-2006, 04:48 PM
do u have any spot lights - par cans ? or a front peice like a star cloth ? if not thats what i'd be shoopin for, good luck

Paul James Promotions
11-11-2006, 04:59 PM
4 x LED Par cans, costing you about £200 in total, from Thomann.de

DJay
11-11-2006, 06:01 PM
Silly question, but does a par can just shine 1 colour of light (no effects)?

spin mobile disco
11-11-2006, 07:42 PM
Depends on the par can, the LED par cans tend to be multi colour, but the old style are always single colour or white with colour gels to change the colours. Or even a colour gel wheel to rotate the colour.

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 08:56 AM
personally id make sure your sound system is the best you can possibly afford first quality built and clear crisp sound alot of emphasis is put on lights and imho not necesarily rightly.

I use dynamo scans about 350 per set of 4 and the acme isolution range ,moving heads 400 a pair , moonflowers 120 each for smaller venues ill use 4 dynamos and 2/3 ishows which i find looks nice and is agreeable with the audiences eyesight ie. keeping it! did a gig last week where 2 dynamos and 2 ishows looked fantastic.

stands i use ultimax and im converted like you many before looked flimsy and i got a set of decks crushed when one wasnt quite strong enough under a rugby played but ultimax are brilliantly designed and very stong.

personally i dont like parcans but thats just a personal thing lots of light and great if you have a tight budget. and the older generation seem to find them more unintrusive and acceptable than effects lighting.

Corabar Steve
12-11-2006, 10:13 AM
*May I suggest that you use the search facility at the top of the page, there are planty of threads on lighting.*

If you are on a tight budget then you can't go far wrong with the Acme Wildtech range, they are all "plug & play" so all you'll need to control them is a switch panel. Just point them at the dancefloor turn on & away you go.

I agree with Dragonfly, if you're just starting out it's best to sort your sound & then your stand before worrying about lighting. In all honesty, the lighting you have would suffice for small gigs like the ones you've mentioned. Wait til the money starts coming in before you upgrade, a lot of new starters go under before they've begun by over investing in equipment that they don't really need.

Don't forget there are other expenses involved (on top of eqipment) if you want to do things properly, it's advisable to get your kit Portable Appliace Tested & of course Public Liability Insurance is always a good idea too. Have you considerd which (if any) licences you may need?

Stick around & feel free to ask any questions (no matter how silly they may seem to you), don't forget everybody on here was new to the game at some point.


*Please note that this comment was meant as a helpful tip on finding other threads on lighting & not in any way a dig*

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 10:40 AM
Stick around & feel free to ask any questions (no matter how silly they may seem to you), don't forget everybody on here was new to the game at some point.

never a truer word spoken and ive been doing this a while but since joining this forum about 2 months ago its cost me about 1200 quid in great ideas from other members and im now really pleased with my show and what i do. even though i was before lol.

last nights gig 3 on the spot bookings and 1 enquiry for a regular sunday night spot.

DJK Liverpool
12-11-2006, 01:24 PM
cheers guys for the response i'll be taking all your comments on board

you're probably right i was imagining putting on a pink floyd type light show for my first gig in my local boozer with fog machines & everything next thing there'd be a load of acid house rejects queuing up outside to get in.

i think the p.a. & speakers i've got is ok for now for smallish gigs, obviously when i get some more money together i'll be upgrading to go for playing the bigger gigs

is there any way of viewing lights before you buy them? for instance are there any websites that have videos of what the lights actually do? to be honest i'm not even sure what i'm after. it's a case of if i see it and i like it i'll probably buy it

so with the setup i've got (see my signature) what stand/workstation would you reccommend i go for?

i was thinking along the lines of getting an industrial type workbench that folds away or something? what do you think?

BeerFunk
12-11-2006, 01:26 PM
is there any way of viewing lights before you buy them? for instance are there any websites that have videos of what the lights actually do? to be honest i'm not even sure what i'm after. it's a case of if i see it and i like it i'll probably buy it
Try here (http://videos.djanddiscostuff.com/lighting.html) :rolleyes:

DJK Liverpool
12-11-2006, 01:41 PM
cheers for that beerfunk

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 02:07 PM
djk best bet is to get the old yp out and call round some disco suppliers and ask them if they have a demo room then you can go and have a look ... from experience im like a kid in a sweet shop in them and end up spending loads ......

midlands guys dfb in nottingham having an open evening on monday always worth a look if you are not busy.

Corabar Entertainment
12-11-2006, 03:04 PM
Yep - definitely the 'demo room' is a good way to check them out, but if you can't get to a shop, I know Phase One has quite a few demo videos on their website here: http://www.djanddiscostuff.com/
(He's also a member of this forum :D )

Corabar Steve
12-11-2006, 03:24 PM
Do you not use a crossover for the speakers?

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 03:49 PM
:D angela you getting commision??:D

Corabar Entertainment
12-11-2006, 04:56 PM
Now there's an idea to boost my income! :p

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 05:21 PM
or just make steve work harder lol

Corabar Entertainment
12-11-2006, 05:27 PM
or just make steve work harder lol:lol: :lightbulb: Now, where's that whip! :eek:

Corabar Steve
12-11-2006, 05:33 PM
:lol: :lightbulb: Now, where's that whip! :eek:

Under the bed, where you left it:whistle:

Jiggles
12-11-2006, 07:24 PM
:lol: :lightbulb: Now, where's that whip! :eek:


Under the bed, where you left it:whistle:

Keep it PG please

its time for me to mone at yous lot :D:D:D:D

Dragonfly
12-11-2006, 07:29 PM
callum angela lion tames in her spare time and keeps her taming whip under the bed incase she gets an emergency call out in the early hours if one of them escapes.......

the youth of today filthy minds all of them.....

Jiggles
12-11-2006, 07:38 PM
callum angela lion tames in her spare time and keeps her taming whip under the bed incase she gets an emergency call out in the early hours if one of them escapes.......

the youth of today filthy minds all of them.....


You never know what people are like now. :D:D:D:D

DJK Liverpool
12-11-2006, 08:49 PM
Do you not use a crossover for the speakers?

if i knew what a crossover was i might use one:bang:

Corabar Steve
12-11-2006, 09:07 PM
if i knew what a crossover was i might use one:bang:

The thing that goes somewhere between your mixer & your speakers to make sure the low frequencies go to the bass bins & the high / mid frequencies go to your tops


callum angela lion tames in her spare time and keeps her taming whip under the bed incase she gets an emergency call out in the early hours if one of them escapes.......

the youth of today filthy minds all of them.....

You haven't seen the size of our cats!

Thames Valley Discos
12-11-2006, 09:18 PM
i,ve had to throw all my whipps out, because after friday, the only person they will be used on is, me!