Newbie in need of some lighting advice

[Casual77]

Someone else recommended the Stairville unit and it does look a good buy. I must admit I'm kicking myself at missing out on the (very similar) Equinox Megabar in as new condition that sold on ebay today though.

I was considering buying a Kam ParBar Mk III but I think I will give it a miss if you think the tri LED units are definitely the way to go.

If I go for the Stairville one would the Chauvet Obey 6 be a suitable DMX controller to use with it or is there something else I should look out for?

[Excalibur]

Someone else recommended the Stairville unit and it does look a good buy. I must admit I'm kicking myself at missing out on the (very similar) Equinox Megabar in as new condition that sold on ebay today though.

I was considering buying a Kam ParBar Mk III but I think I will give it a miss if you think the tri LED units are definitely the way to go.

If I go for the Stairville one would the Chauvet Obey 6 be a suitable DMX controller to use with it or is there something else I should look out for?

Haven't checked the Obey, but don't rush to get a controller. The unit has sixteen built in patterns, if I remember correctly, plus sound to light, and auto. Copes with an awful lot does that.

[Casual77]

Just been looking at one of the bars with 3 LEDs and it states that they are 9W each rather than 3W. Is it safe to assume that 3x9W would be fairly comparable with 7x3W in terms of brightness if not a little brighter?

The light I'm looking at is the IMG STAGE LINE PARL-45SET, DMX RGB LED SPOTLIGHT BAR SET which I can buy new for £149 delivered. How would you say that compares to the Stairville offering? Am I right in thinking that IMG Stage Line is a reasonable brand?

[yourdj]

I saw the trance + bedroom DJ and was then a bit shocked that you had been asked to DJ a wedding.
However looking at your age i am sure you can select the right music and do a reasonable job.
I thought it was dead easy at first but soon realised that it certainly was not. Depends on the wedding mind you.

I was imagining a teenager lol.

OK £200. I would get the following:

2 x second hand Tri Phases (about £50 each second hand)
http://www.pssl.com/American-DJ-Tri-...wer-LED-Effect

2 x second hand cluster lasers (green & red but ideally blue):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Lanta-Quas...-/171145260849

1 x CA8 to control the triphases.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ACME-CA8-L...item27f8be8198

2 x cheap & as bright as possible par cans
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/AMERICAN-D...item43c9a98165

Haze machine (for your trance events):
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ANTARI-FAZ...item43d7ab19d2

1 x DMX cable to link the triphases.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/QTX-177-91...item1e98410a3b

I would even look at getting a cheap DMX controller as it will make your lights 10 times more effective!

[Pe7e]

OK £200. I would get the following:

I hate to point this out but the list you provided would cost in the region of £600 unless buying very cheap S/H kit with no guarantee or comeback, and S/H smoke M/Cs are notoriously unreliable (at least in my experience) I have 3 awaiting repair, (not ebay cheepo's, they're Jem and Martin units) If nothing else go to Thomann for a smoke M/C if you buy one, and get the benefit of their 3 year guarantee.

Regarding your other concerns I agree with Peter (Excalibur) Tri pars all the way, don't buy 10mm, or even worse, 5mm led pars, they're useless for anything but small venues!

I very much doubt a Chauvette Obey 6 would be suitable for the Stairville Tri Par units, they are dedicated units to work with Chauvette (and certain LEDJ units) without the need for programming, they're not proper DMX desks. I also agree with Peter on why you would need to go down the road of full DMX control, unless you're an expert programmer with time on your hands and not subject to stress headaches LOL.

The Tri Par units have an easily selectable 'sound active' mode with 31 steps of sensitivity, a 'program' mode with many inbuilt programs which are useful if the venue has a sound limiter that's set so low as to not trigger the sound active mode. You also have a controllable 'auto rotate mode', and a foot controller which gives you the ability to select and display fixed colours, plus a 'black out pedal'.

IMO @ a little over £200 with the 3 year guarantee, they're unbeatable value for money, and at the last count I had 7 of them. BUT, I'm no longer a gigging mobile DJ, these days, I'm in the 'Dry Hire' business, and different priorities apply. If I was still gigging, and on a tight budget, the Stairville tri par bar would be my first choice without a doubt, as it represents tremendous value for money. However, if I was still gigging, and money was not a concern, I would certainly consider the Equinox 'Mega Bar', the build quality is better and it's versatility is certainly greater, but this comes at a price, and some of the 'bells and whistles' are not quite as good, or as useful as they first appear.

[Casual77]

I was a bit shocked too but when I thought about it I felt confident I could do a half decent job as long as I have the right tools. I will have to leave the ego and trance collection at home but with some input from the bride and groom I think I can make sure that the music will tick all the boxes. As it's my cousins wedding a significant proportion of the guest list will be my family and given that they will know its my first gig I'm sure that will cut me some slack if it is less than perfect.

The £200 is misleading. That represents the money I have at my disposal at the moment and not my total budget. I fully expect that by the time of the wedding in August I will have spent at least double that and will continue to add to the collection over time. If you have seen the thread on the audio area of this forum you will know I have some sound system issues as well so will undoubtedly need to spend more than I initially thought. I'm still confident I can get at least a suitable sound system, a tri par unit, a dj stand and at least one effect light by the time of the wedding in August.

I appreciate all the recommendations though.

[Excalibur]

Just been looking at one of the bars with 3 LEDs and it states that they are 9W each rather than 3W. Is it safe to assume that 3x9W would be fairly comparable with 7x3W in terms of brightness if not a little brighter?

Broadly speaking, yes. I have no personal experience of the IMG bar, but I think it's designed to be compact, which may be no bad thing for you. The Stairville offers an option which I don't know if the IMG does. It's threaded on top, and you can fasten lightweight effects on it, eg Lasers, or LED flowers. Saves using an overhead. Sometimes it's helpful, sometimes not.

I'd suggest some form of powerbar ( regardless of badge ), two moonflowers of some description, and a cluster laser. With that you'll have a rig comparable with what many of us take with us week in, week out. That won't need a DMX controller, unless you get ambitious.

Re the Chauvet, the 6 is short one channel for the Stairville. You ideally need seven. In effect, this really only gives you a dimmer, and a way to select programmes from the floor, rather than reaching up onto the bar itself. It's very very rare that I use anything other than the foot controller with mine.

IMO @ a little over £200 with the 3 year guarantee, they're unbeatable value for money, and at the last count I had 7 of them. BUT, I'm no longer a gigging mobile DJ, these days, I'm in the 'Dry Hire' business, and different priorities apply. If I was still gigging, and on a tight budget, the Stairville tri par bar would be my first choice without a doubt, as it represents tremendous value for money. However, if I was still gigging, and money was not a concern, I would certainly consider the Equinox 'Mega Bar', the build quality is better and it's versatility is certainly greater, but this comes at a price, and some of the 'bells and whistles' are not quite as good, or as useful as they first appear.

I agree with all of the above, and I'm sorry Toby, but although your suggestions are valid ( and dearer than a bar plus a couple of cheap lights) I feel that's over complicating things.

[Casual77]

Couple more questions that I should have asked in my last post but didn't.....

yourdj - Would you revise your list of suggested purchases given that my total eventual lighting budget is likely to be £500+ or are there any things on there which you think would be worth me considering irrespective of my budget.

Pe7e - Like Excalibur you are a strong advocate of the Stairville tri par bar. Do you know how the tri par bars with only 3 9W LEDs compare in terms of effectiveness and brightness such as the IMG par bar and the Kam Power bar (which looks very similar). Given that I can get the IMG one for £149 brand new and delivered is that enough cost saving to make it worth considering instead of the Stairville? It only has a two pedal footswitch and presumably would only come with a 12 month manufacturers warranty. I can certainly see the value in the Stairville but I'm wondering whether the IMG would be a reasonable alternative and free up £60+ towards a new power amp/haze machine/lighting unit?

Excalibur - I can see the benefit of the threaded holes on the Stairville. I presumed I would be using them to under-mount the unit on the overhead cross bar on the DJ stand I'm planning to buy. I seem to recall you had done this on one of the photos I saw on your website. I had thought that from a symmetry point of view, if I only bought one tri par bar that I would want it to be positioned centrally rather than to one side. If I did that presumably I could attach some other lights either side of it. The question then is.... Is there some way that a centrepiece light such as the Swarm FX5 could be attached to the top side of the cross bar above the Stairville? Alternatively I had considered that I might buy two matching tri par bars down the line so I could have one either side of my DJ stand and leave the overhead cross bar free for other lighting units.

[Excalibur]

. The question then is.... Is there some way that a centrepiece light such as the Swarm FX5 could be attached to the top side of the cross bar above the Stairville? Alternatively I had considered that I might buy two matching tri par bars down the line so I could have one either side of my DJ stand and leave the overhead cross bar free for other lighting units.

Oh yuss. These will allow you to hang your powerbar from a 25mm square overhead ( it fits between the uprights of a 4ft stand ) and mount one or more fixtures over the bar, albeit upside down. I don't know how heavy a swarm is, I don't expect it to be too bad. I've not handled one, only seen it.

[yourdj]

Couple more questions that I should have asked in my last post but didn't.....

yourdj - Would you revise your list of suggested purchases given that my total eventual lighting budget is likely to be £500+ or are there any things on there which you think would be worth me considering irrespective of my budget.

Instead of 2 lights you could just get one of each. The triphases add a bit of movement and the pars add colour wash.
I don't think second hand units are a bad option assuming your half event on Ebay.
i have bought thousands of things off Ebay and rarely get something thats broken - often quite the opposite.
Having the lights on control is well worth it, especially when things are quiet or its first dance.

Taking Pe7e's advise you then get everything brand new too with a warranty.
You can also add some cheap lasers for circa £20 each, that are actually quite powerful especially with haze.
i agree on the used haze machine - get one new.

If you can double the budget something like this ticks all the boxes and can be controlled.
Its a less powerful version of what i was suggesting in my first post - Its only £30 a month if its a year away.

http://www.astounded.com/chauvet-gig...woQBoCen7w_wcB


As per Djing for family, make sure you do a good job as it could jeopardise your relationship. I personally turned down my mums boyfriends daughter for her wedding as I would hate the responsibility of doing it myself. They know its your first as you say, so its their fault if they have a problem - they should have booked a more experienced DJ

I really can't get some peoples thought processes when they just think a DJ is a DJ - especially someone they have seen in a club etc. Just talking from experience from stories i have heard, but with research and some examples its not too hard. I suppose I did my own floristry for my wedding LOL so the same though pattern applies, but people forget that their guests are being entertained for 1/3 of the wedding by the DJ.

Music wise just get them to supply 60-80 tracks. I get track lists off clients all the time and they are invariably the same.
The formalities and announcements are the most difficult part, once you have mastered the technical side.
Watching the dance floor is key, so forget about fancy mixing as track selection will dictate your success