My first light display

[FerndownJason]

As I have stated in my newbie address, I am just coming back into mobile DJ'ing after many many years.
This has been brought about by wanting to organise some community events.
I have bought the sound kit (please do not ask - big n loud - sounds ok to me, but probably not up to all of your standards, and will probably end up as backup kit in long run), and it was only then I looked into licenses & insurance , and now realise the true cost to use my digital based music, and so have decided that I should also try and do some fee paying discos events to pay for all of this expense. (and I use to enjoy it, and with the way work is going could do with a new income stream)

I believe in quality rather than quantity, and want to create a light display that is worthy of a decent disco - for under £300 to £500.

I am amazed how mainstream LCD light are, and that they have all but replaced traditional lights.

My question is, what starter lighting setup would you recommend? LCD? Laser? etc etc controler? smoke/mist machine?

Your help/advice/guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Many thanks in advance, I have to go to a carnival meeting at 19:30 but will respond to any points on my return. Thank You!

[Daryll]

Hi there.
You will get a load of different ideas on this , but I`ll start the ball rolling.

For movement , 4 x Acme dynamo`s http://www.jbsmusic.co.uk/view/811/

And an Impossibled as a centre piece http://www.jbsmusic.co.uk/view/2600/.

Daryll

[JDB Entertainment]

Hi and welcome to the forum, and nice to see a new forum member asking a decent valid question, with a bit of background.

A nice room filling light which I am sure most forum members would agree on would be the Acme Impossibled which you can pick up for just over the £100 mark.

A set of Dynamo Scanners to give you a different kind of light can be picked up for over £200 these can be run by a DMX - which is a piece of kit designed to get the best out of your lights if you want to programme them rather than using sound to light.

The impossibled can also be DMX'd.

The other lights I would suggest looking into are Gobo's these are a nice dancefloor filler and can be fitted onto your budget.

I hope this gives you a starting point and also a good start to the thread.

James

[womble]

Sounds like a similar situation to me, starting out from scratch with a set up that will probably become a back up/2nd rig in the future. For lighting I managed to get 4 scanners (acme dynamos) off ebay for £200 and I'm thinking up complimenting them with a miracled/impossibled (decisions decisions) and maybe a few par cans or something for colour... I keep waiting for some lighting bargains to come up on here.

Spooky - those replies above were typed while I was typing my response so I didn't see them until afterwards.

[JDB Entertainment]

Lol Daryll as I was writing you was also writing lol! And we came up with the same idea's.!

[FerndownJason]

Well, that setup must be the correct direction if three of you suggest it hot off the press. Many thanks I will look further into your suggestions.

Are lasers no good at adding motion/colour/light to a room, or did you not suggest one here because of cost for a suitable one?

Also, in my old setup we use to have colour boxes in front of deck, it seems this is out of date. Is it worth doing anything? or perhaps a starcloth?

Cheers

[Excalibur]

Well, that setup must be the correct direction if three of you suggest it hot off the press. Many thanks I will look further into your suggestions.

Are lasers no good at adding motion/colour/light to a room, or did you not suggest one here because of cost for a suitable one?

Also, in my old setup we use to have colour boxes in front of deck, it seems this is out of date. Is it worth doing anything? or perhaps a starcloth?

Cheers

Even I've stopped using lightboxes, so they must be out of date! I'm even about to open negotiations for a starcloth!
Lasers can be excellent, but low cost and desired effect appear to be at opposite ends of the scale.

[Candybeatdiscos]

Nowt wrong with a couple of lightboxes, i just bought another 2 from Graeme and they looked very good out on Friday, i was well complimented lol

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Nowt wrong with a couple of lightboxes, i just bought another 2 from Graeme and they looked very good out on Friday, i was well complimented lol

What about?

[Excalibur]

What about?

Not being a sheep and having a Starcloth, since you ask.