A standard light set?

[Crown Jules]

It's a catch 22.

I am in the position of wanting/needing to review my basic lights. Every venue has a different feel, layout, light settings etc and so I look to light the venue accordingly with what the client wants. It's just that, having surveyed the market, there are just so many options on lighting, I was wondering, leaving uplighters and washes aside, given a budget of £1500; what type of lights would you buy to create your standard kit? Or would you need to raise the budget?

[Corabar Steve]

Please take care to post in the correct section of the forum. As this is not a review it has no business being in the Lighting Reviews section.

I've moved it for you as you are a newbie to the forum, but beware I / we do delete stuff posted in the wrong place without warning.

[Dynamic Entertainment]

It's a catch 22.

I am in the position of wanting/needing to review my basic lights. Every venue has a different feel, layout, light settings etc and so I look to light the venue accordingly with what the client wants. It's just that, having surveyed the market, there are just so many options on lighting, I was wondering, leaving uplighters and washes aside, given a budget of £1500; what type of lights would you buy to create your standard kit? Or would you need to raise the budget?

Firstly...what you got to hang/put the lights on? What you would put on a t-bar could be very different to a full overhead truss system.

[Crown Jules]

Please take care to post in the correct section of the forum. As this is not a review it has no business being in the Lighting Reviews section.

I've moved it for you as you are a newbie to the forum, but beware I / we do delete stuff posted in the wrong place without warning.



Point taken.

Dynamic:

I have a bar over the top of my rig, not a full truss. It's 2.6m long with ten positions on it, and stands 2.1m off the ground. There's space on top of my bass bins for a light on each. Of course I could add any number of T-bars if the venue demanded but let's say that stands in addition to a standard kit.

Thanks.

Jules

[Excalibur]

Well with a budget that high, I'd say your biggest danger was buying too many items you wouldn't use much at all. First on your ( my ) shopping list would be a Powerbar of whatever nationality. £300-£450 depending on its passport. :D:D ( search Powerbar on here. Keep you amused for ages ) Then I'd get a secondhand EFX500/600, usually around £250.That would take care of the movement. A couple of cheap lasers, one of which would be a cluster laser. £250 ish again. Finally, a couple of Tri Led par cans ( ADJ Mega Tri Par for instance ) for when you don't need the powerbar, or want a bit of uplighting, £125 for those, and a pair of cheap moonflowers, £100 tops. Total cost £1175 max, just enough left to buy a few clamps and safety wires.

What I have described above is strangely enough, almost exactly my present lighting inventory, and I now feel that I could walk into almost any venue and light it adequately and fairly tastefully.

[Corabar Entertainment]

Well with a budget that high, I'd say your biggest danger was buying too many items you wouldn't use much at all. First on your ( my ) shopping list would be a Powerbar of whatever nationality. £300-£450 depending on its passport. :D:D ( search Powerbar on here. Keep you amused for ages ) Then I'd get a secondhand EFX500/600, usually around £250.That would take care of the movement. A couple of cheap lasers, one of which would be a cluster laser. £250 ish again. Finally, a couple of Tri Led par cans ( ADJ Mega Tri Par for instance ) for when you don't need the powerbar, or want a bit of uplighting, £125 for those, and a pair of cheap moonflowers, £100 tops. Total cost £1175 max, just enough left to buy a few clamps and safety wires.

What I have described above is strangely enough, almost exactly my present lighting inventory, and I now feel that I could walk into almost any venue and light it adequately and fairly tastefully.
Peter, it's very unlike you, but reading your response, I can't help wondering if you actually read the OP:-

It's a catch 22.

I am in the position of wanting/needing to review my basic lights. Every venue has a different feel, layout, light settings etc and so I look to light the venue accordingly with what the client wants. It's just that, having surveyed the market, there are just so many options on lighting, I was wondering, leaving uplighters and washes aside, given a budget of £1500; what type of lights would you buy to create your standard kit? Or would you need to raise the budget?

[Daryll]

Well personally.

A pair of Twister 4HP`s
A pair of scanners or barrel effects , (ADJ Comscan ?)
Cluster laser.

And with the change , a nice holiday....:p

Daryll

[Excalibur]

Peter, it's very unlike you, but reading your response, I can't help wondering if you actually read the OP:-
Guilty as charged. I can only hang my head in shame. :o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o:o I shall need no blindfold, nor cigarette. http://i464.photobucket.com/albums/rr7/Jeffg0107/Smiley/Suicide.gif

So, either there's around a £500 saving, or I've just answered his next question before he asked it. :D:D

[Crown Jules]

Thank you all, so as well lights I have plenty of change, and SOH thrown in also! Maybe some other members may throw in some alternatives?

[hammy]

Peter, it's very unlike you, but reading your response, I can't help wondering if you actually read the OP:-

Angela please be aware of peters age now, Sometimes things just slip him by :D:D.

As peter says though, A secondhand EFX 600 would be a good addition, Oh it just happens I have one in the for sale section at a good price. http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?38943-Efx-600

[funkymook]

Hi Jules - it might help us a bit if you let us know what you have already, what you're not happy with about it, what you like and the image you're trying to give to your clients (as in gobos, lasers, sophisticated, clubby etc), if weight and easy set-up is a priority, average size of gigs, one set-up to do all gigs or enough lighting to mix and match etc.

Also have a browse through the Gallery section, there's quite a few examples of different set-ups in there for inspiration (and if you're not sure what's being used, just ask).

[Crown Jules]

Funkmook your Q posed is exactly the issue I ask of - how do you cater for the variety in venues, number attending, etc and following from that, what would be your standard kit from which to work. My Q. follows from my own situation in which I would like to have more options available at the top end but one also based upon personal experience of being at weddings/parties and from my acquaintances etc, whereby the majority of attendees to a wedding/party, unless presented with an extreme (good or bad) light show, don't really notice too much i.e. are not that discerning. Of course at the top end for venues it is an extremely important matter to light sympathetically and generally there is a budget to go with it - but that is not a compact standard, unless that is your venue type all the while. For myself I do the 'nice' ones but also many not so.

My current balance is a couple of washes/floods, a couple of moonflower types, a couple of Rover/Winners, and a few bits and pieces. Quite often I have worked venues with stages and rope lights on the edge of the stage front look great, or in place of uplighters (and their cost to the client) have used them around dark corners in line at the bottom of the wall; again with the right colours they look superb. My lights give a good balance between creating a warm ambience and having something more dynamic but I am aware they need updating; hence my Q. Generally I want to continue to create a welcoming feel at the start and then as the evening goes on, convert to more of a party/club effect. Obviously for the first dance at a wedding all the flashing/dynamic elements are stalled/switched off and the floods (together with any venue lighting options i.e. dimmer spots) left on/redirected. Generally I leave the lights as Music Actvive.

I could be working a small room with 40-50 people up to a couple of hundred in classy function suite. In time I would like to be doing more of the well paid up market stuff but I'm not there yet, and enjoy the job at all times (except in a few well chosen instances - we've all been there!) and so I generally accept all jobs, except the majority of residential ones, unless they are a good address. So I am looking for a well balanced standard light kit, flexible to a range of venues, but one that will also look good in a classy venue, to which I would add according to the job.

[Crown Jules]

Hi Jules - it might help us a bit if you let us know what you have already, what you're not happy with about it, what you like and the image you're trying to give to your clients (as in gobos, lasers, sophisticated, clubby etc), if weight and easy set-up is a priority, average size of gigs, one set-up to do all gigs or enough lighting to mix and match etc.

Also have a browse through the Gallery section, there's quite a few examples of different set-ups in there for inspiration (and if you're not sure what's being used, just ask).

I posted a decent reply but was informed I wasn't authorised to do as such. But I started the thread!!!!!

MR MODERATOR did you get my response?

[Crown Jules]

Funkymook. I aim to create a welcoming ambience at the commencement of an evening and then move with the crowd and atmosphere towards wherever that takes us. Some venues have a degree of lighting others less so. Generally as the evening goes on I will reduce the floods and washes and have a more dynamic movement.

My current lighting standard is a couple of floods/washes, a couple of Rover/Winners, a couple of moonflower types and a few others that I can use accordingly. I thought it was time to review my standard and see what other pros use.

[Crown Jules]

Can a moderator please tell me where my replies to this thread have gone? Any response will do, just so I know the system works.
Thank you.
Jules

[Shaun]

I posted a decent reply but was informed I wasn't authorised to do as such. But I started the thread!!!!!

MR MODERATOR did you get my response?



Can a moderator please tell me where my replies to this thread have gone? Any response will do, just so I know the system works.
Thank you.
Jules

Hi Jules,

Sorry for the delayed response from us.

The forum is setup is such a way that new members initial posts are sent to a moderation queue to be approved by a moderator before going live. With it being the weekend and most of us out working there was a delay in getting those posts processed for you. Apologies.

The restrictions are automatically removed after the inital 10 posts, so you shouldn't have any further delays between posting and the posts showing live.

[Crown Jules]

Thank you Shaun. The thread looks a little strange now but hopefully self-explanatory!
Jules

[Shaun]

Funkmook your Q posed is exactly the issue I ask of - how do you cater for the variety in venues, number attending, etc and following from that, what would be your standard kit from which to work. My Q. follows from my own situation in which I would like to have more options available at the top end but one also based upon personal experience of being at weddings/parties and from my acquaintances etc, whereby the majority of attendees to a wedding/party, unless presented with an extreme (good or bad) light show, don't really notice too much i.e. are not that discerning. Of course at the top end for venues it is an extremely important matter to light sympathetically and generally there is a budget to go with it - but that is not a compact standard, unless that is your venue type all the while. For myself I do the 'nice' ones but also many not so.

My current balance is a couple of washes/floods, a couple of moonflower types, a couple of Rover/Winners, and a few bits and pieces. Quite often I have worked venues with stages and rope lights on the edge of the stage front look great, or in place of uplighters (and their cost to the client) have used them around dark corners in line at the bottom of the wall; again with the right colours they look superb. My lights give a good balance between creating a warm ambience and having something more dynamic but I am aware they need updating; hence my Q. Generally I want to continue to create a welcoming feel at the start and then as the evening goes on, convert to more of a party/club effect. Obviously for the first dance at a wedding all the flashing/dynamic elements are stalled/switched off and the floods (together with any venue lighting options i.e. dimmer spots) left on/redirected. Generally I leave the lights as Music Actvive.

I could be working a small room with 40-50 people up to a couple of hundred in classy function suite. In time I would like to be doing more of the well paid up market stuff but I'm not there yet, and enjoy the job at all times (except in a few well chosen instances - we've all been there!) and so I generally accept all jobs, except the majority of residential ones, unless they are a good address. So I am looking for a well balanced standard light kit, flexible to a range of venues, but one that will also look good in a classy venue, to which I would add according to the job.

I don't think you would go wrong with a KAM powerbar, and a couple of good quality mid range LED moving heads, which should fit nicely around your budget. The powerbars will provide the wash that'll light the room to set the ambiance at the start of the night/buffet, and faster sound to light variations for the dancing part of the evening. The moving heads will provide a more dynmaic movement to complement the powerbar. There's a few on the forum that use such a setup (myself included) and I've found it perfect for gigs of up to 250 guests. I can honestly say that for the first time in 24 years of gigging I'm truly content with my lightshow. The best thing about it is that the setup is QUICK, which is great for those venues that only allow a short time to setup during the room turnaround.

It may not be to everyone's taste here on the forum, but it's absolutely ideal for me.

[Excalibur]

I don't think you would go wrong with a KAM powerbar, .

Oooh Shaun, you naughty boy!!! As Angela highlighted in post #6, in big red letters, "Leaving washes and uplighters aside". Tut tut. :Naughty:


Although I too was castigated for this error, I have to say that I agree absolutely with you on this point, and if pushed might argue that a powerbar isn't a wash, but is in fact an effect, due to the settings with lots of movement, particularly on sound to light. That would be the first item on my shopping list, as it's more than capable of being the only effect used at a function, especially since it can light a venue without any help from the venue's lights.

Moving heads don't do it for me, but that may be more down to me than the lights. The OP asked for jit offering variation and versatility at differing venues, and I'd hope that mine offered that.

Powerbar only at many venues. Easy, quick and simple.
EFX and two Tri Led units I aim to use this on a slimmed down stand. Gives movement and wash light. in some venues this may be EFX and two moonflowers, or two lasersif the venue has high ambient light.

It could be possible to put everything together for really large functions, and use them in sequence, as opposed to all on at once.


Lighting is such a personal thing, and what one person loves may leave another totally underwhelmed. I'm now really happy with the units at my disposal, ( and their ability to cope with wildly differing venues, which is the objective ) which is a reasuring feeling.

[Crown Jules]

Thank you Shaun and Excalibur, I am certainly going to look at the KAM powerbar and the Martin EFX units as their name keeps cropping up. Also LED units and lasers are of interest.

Thanks all once again, much appreciated. I shall take a visit to RSD whose presentation at SEDA was good, and have a good look round at BPM.

[Chris]

I don't think you would go wrong with a KAM powerbar, and a couple of good quality mid range LED moving heads, which should fit nicely around your budget. The powerbars will provide the wash that'll light the room to set the ambiance at the start of the night/buffet, and faster sound to light variations for the dancing part of the evening. The moving heads will provide a more dynmaic movement to complement the powerbar. There's a few on the forum that use such a setup (myself included) and I've found it perfect for gigs of up to 250 guests. I can honestly say that for the first time in 24 years of gigging I'm truly content with my lightshow. The best thing about it is that the setup is QUICK, which is great for those venues that only allow a short time to setup during the room turnaround.

It may not be to everyone's taste here on the forum, but it's absolutely ideal for me.
Hi Shaun, it's great that you're content with your lighting system. Could you list what you have at all please?