Gave the lighting rig an MOT / Makeover

[Shakermaker Promotions]

Hi all,

Spent yesterday changing, tidying up and re-wiring the crossbar on my ultimax.
I thought it needed a change so reluctantly took off a couple of lights (H2o's) and replaced them with a couple of...........Dynamos.
Yep, the Dynamos came back out of storage and were like a breath of fresh air. It's funny how a little change can make a difference here and there.

I was quite amazed at the amount of lights I have that I am not using at the moment but I am going to keep hold of them.
Currently stored away are the following:
2 x Obsessions
2 x Mystics
2 x Dynamos
2 x H2o's
2 x Martin EF2
2 x X Move Moving Heads (Going to try and use these this year if I can)
3 x Green Lasers
2 x Red Laser
1 x Cluster Laser
1 x White LED Mirror Ball type effect

My crossbar now looks like this....

ADJ Starball White - Dynamo - Swarm 4 FX - Revo 3 - Revo 3 - Swarm 4 FX - Dynamo - ADJ Starball White

Everything apart from the Starballs are linked together Master / Slave

I also tidied up my lock up and cleaned stuff and noticed that I have quite a few lights for Uplighting so I don't think I'll be buying much this year.
I currently have:
10 x KAMRGB 192 Panels
4 x ADJ Megabar 50 RC
6 x Equinox Power Baterns
4 x Slim Par 56

I didn't realise I had so much stuff. I also have a couple of things that need fixing but I haven't got round to it.
I have a spare Denon DN2500 that needs looking at as one side was playing up.
I also have a Numark Double CD that needs to go into a flight case and I have 4 spare mixers.

I've made the mistake in the past (especially with vinyl and CD's) of getting rid of stuff so I am reluctant to do that with this equipment. I would like to keep as much as possible.
I am always thinking of the worst that could happen (for example: My van getting broken into) so a lot of the technical stuff is kept elsewhere in a warmer and safer environment. This includes all of my speakers, playout systems, projectors etc...

It is a pain in the butt doing all of this but it is worthwhile. Has anyone done the same yet or is thinking of going through everything?
(I forgot how good those little Dynamos are / were)

[Nakatomi]

No but all my cables are going to get a damn good clean & a check. I thought I'd knacked one of my altos the other week because of a dodgy xlr cable (nothing but hf coming out!). I wouldn't care, none of my cables are exactly old. Well, apart from the ones I made 20 years ago that are still going strong (but are a little short).

I need to sort out an overhead rig for my ultimax. I have the solid uprights for it but I don't know whether to ditch them in favour of telescopic poles or just use a truss on castings. I guess if I go with a ladder truss I might also be able to use it with tripods too, for when I'm not on the ultimax.

I've ordered another four wireless DMX boards so I can continue saving myself setup hassle. Then the next job after converting the rest of my lights to wireless will be to make some new programs.

I might add a quad phase HP as a centrepiece soon & I'm starting to see some good second hand bins come up, which will give my pa a nice kick in the low end it's so sorely lacking. Better this than a completely new pa for the moment I think.

I've done better than break even in the first six months of operating but I need to increase my turnover before a pa upgrade.

[ukpartydj]

Quite a few spare lights you have! A lot of setup time evaluation and slight improvements. A few things I've done :

Bought ddj sx to upgrade from mc6000.
Got new case to fit IEC, XLR, DMX cables ddj sx and all the essential bits like tape, cloths, extention leads etc where before the controller had its own case and I carried loads of spares on the same case making it much heavier!
New taller sturdier lighting stand, prewired to a much better standard with God knows how many cable ties and velcro straps. Also fitted quick release bolts which speeds up the process a little.
Need to get new led for my xmove but still feels like robbery paying nearly £60 for a single 20w LED.
I've brought a numark orbit for controlling my lights via freestyler, very excited about using it!
Also I've got some of those diffusers for widening beam angle uplighting / dancefloor wash. Was about £20 for enough for 14 lights which seems alright to me!

I've had a big clear out of DJ equipment on gumtree, mainly all the stuff I had when first started out but has been sat around for ages.

[dicky]

Changed the booth gantry on my main rig

This last year it has had

ADJ RGBW Octobeam - Triclops - Six Shooter - Six Shooter - Triclops - ADJ RGBW Octobeam


I now have

Acme Dynamic 25 Spin - Dynamic 25 Scan - Dynamic 25 Roller - Dynamic 25 Roller - Dynamic 25 Scan - Dynamic 25 Spin


I still have the old lights so I can use them instead if I feel like it or use them on the second rig I have built, I have rented this one out a couple of times and I am also looking for someone with DJ experience who would like to do walk-on bookings on a fee-sharing basis but has no rig/van themselves.

[Excalibur]

Quite a few spare lights you have!

Many of us have.

I'm hoping to use the Swarms and Equinox battens a lot this year, and having moved the Samurai on, to use the EFX more.

[Imagine]

Quite a few spare lights you have!

That sounds familiar !

I'm hoping to use the Swarms and Equinox battens a lot this year

My new t-bar had it's second outing last night....and apart from a couple of bits I was impressed.

Apart from the time it takes to put it up (literally under a minute), it looks quite tidy. It's currently running an Ultrabar along the top, and underneath it's Equinox Blaze - Swarm FX5 - Swarm F5 - Equinox Blaze.

The only thing letting it down at the moment are the Blazes - you can't see them with the other lights running (to be fair, they were some of the first lights I got when I started back up a couple or three years ago). Soooo...thinking of replacing those either with my Dualize LED's (I'd forgotten how bright those things were), or maybe my Headbangers (which last night were on the floor next to the booth). Not a big fan of moving heads on a t-bar though due to the amount of movement they create.

As for the battens - I have a brace of those and until last night hadn't really decided what to do with them. The original idea was to use them to back-light my Equinox screen which I've since retired. So until last night their use had been limited to illuminating the speaker poles (either with or without scrim). Last night had no need for poles (I was on a wooden stage and put the speakers on the floor....plenty of bottom end ). The stage though had a "lip" running along the front of it, so I ran the battens in master/slave one either side of the stage angled at 45 degrees to the floor. I still can't believe how good (cosmetically and brightness-wise) those things are!

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

For the first time in a few years, I changed my show just before Christmas. Now using RCF Evox 8, Denon MC6000, ADJ NE1 controlling a pair of Starbursts, Wizard Rush and Chalet IRC255 heads on 1.5m truss totems.

[ppentertainments]

For the first time in a few years, I changed my show just before Christmas. Now using RCF Evox 8, Denon MC6000, ADJ NE1 controlling a pair of Starbursts, Wizard Rush and Chalet IRC255 heads on 1.5m truss totems.

Really like the new look, but do the starbursts not bug you - having lights moving/flashing about behind your stand ?

[Nakatomi]

Really like the new look, but do the starbursts not bug you - having lights moving/flashing about behind your stand ?

If they're DMXed properly I expect they can be really tasteful looking. Not the motion sickness inducing flashing nightmares I've seen in too many DJ videos lately. Yeah so what if the motor can spin them at 60rpm - it doesn't mean you SHOULD FWIW the videos I've seen of untamed Wizards in action provoke the same emotion in me... as in ARGHHH! Slow them down!

[Shakermaker Promotions]

I have just the one starburst on a totem that is uplit and I place it elsewhere in the venue because I obviously don't have the symmetry of having two of them.
I just let it do its own thing and think it looks great.