All in one lighting solution....ideas please :)

[Imagine]

OK, I've got a LOT of lighting at my disposal, but I need more believe it or not.

Let me explain....

I'm happy with my adult party and wedding rigs - they're exactly where I want to be. For these particular events I'm either there all day and have a couple of hours to set up, or at the very least for an evening only gig....an hour. No problemo!

But, I'm starting to do a lot more parties for the little ones at the moment. Setup and breakdown times for these are running at around half an hour each way...which is :Censored: hard work for an old fella like me who's then got to spend the next couple of hours entertaining said 6 year olds :o

At the moment, I'm using a brace of the MK1 Equinox Gigbars plus a cheap and nasty KAM batten that I won at a dealer night (which needless to say is falling to bits already and won't be in use much longer!). It's not pretty, but for these parties actually look the part. At a push, I can be up and running in 22 minutes :o

I'd ideally like a pair of <insert fixture name here> which do the job of horrible dots on the floor ('cos the kids love them) AND wash lighting (because some of the village halls can be dark and gloomy places). The wash lighting is the important part here, and I'd like to do away with the batten.

Whilst the GigBars "sort of" work and look impressive to the average 6 year old, they're not nearly bright enough, especially when I need to turn on the full lighting for safety reasons for the games I play with them.

So my question....is there anything similar to the GigBars which is brighter? Are the MK2's (or the generic equivalents which are popping up all over the place) any better?

I think what I'm looking for is a pair of "all in one" fixtures which will provide a LOT of wash, with dots as a secondary but important consideration (cluster lasers on top are NOT important....I don't even turn those on!)

Any sensible ideas?

The budget for these isn't mahusive. Whilst kids parties are a lucrative pastime, I don't want to blow the bank because let's face it....they don't know any different ;)

[Excalibur]

Well this won't be the answer you're looking for, but the Chauvet Swarm Wash FX (https://www.chauvetdj.com/products/swarm-wash-fx/) would be on my short list. ( Would have been the equivalent Hadron, but they're discontinued )

Wash light RGBWAUV, dotty moonflowers, cluster lasers, and a tasteful strobe which won't feature much in your shows, I'm sure. The Swarm 5 didn't do wash, and the strobe was an overpowering effect, so it has to be the Wash. The ADJ Stinger 2 is equivalent to the 5, and not suitable for your needs.

Best I can do on a Monday morning, I think you're looking for the Holy Grail.

[Imagine]

Well this won't be the answer you're looking for, but the Chauvet Swarm Wash FX (https://www.chauvetdj.com/products/swarm-wash-fx/) would be on my short list. ( Would have been the equivalent Hadron, but they're discontinued )


Yes, I've been looking at those. Need to arrange to do a day-trip to my local dealer to see them in the flesh though having been caught out with the Swarm 5's. If they're anything like the WashFX's I own, I think these could be the kiddies :)


I think you're looking for the Holy Grail.
Aren't I always :):):)

[Excalibur]

Yes, I've been looking at those. Need to arrange to do a day-trip to my local dealer to see them in the flesh though having been caught out with the Swarm 5's. If they're anything like the WashFX's I own, I think these could be the kiddies :)
You are not alone there, my Fenland friend. No wash facility, and a strobe that could be used as a weapon!



Aren't I always :):):)

And there you are among a multitude of similar searchers. :)

Currently, at my parties, I'm loving a pair of Hadron 4-in-1 lights, with a pair of Crossfire XPs, on upright poles. For weddings, I swap the Crossfires for my Chauvet scanners, with appropriate gobos. Still feel I'm missing something. :daft:

[Nakatomi]

If a couple of gigbar MK1s aren't bright enough I fail to grasp how a Swarm washFX would be.. or even 2 of the blighters. I started out using an Equinox gigAbar which was more than ample for most places but I tired of it so replaced it with two Stairville Crown FX PARs. They're basically clones of Chauvet's FX PAR 9. They're bright as :Censored: & easily enough for just about any venue I've ever played. They're a steal at around £70 each.

Otherwise.. all in one lights wise I don't think you've ever gonna be able to find something that does everything you need in one easy to manage box.

[rth_discos]

Which leads me to my frustration with the lighting industry.

I think there's a demand for good quality all-in-one fixtures, but the current selection are woefully under powered.

The Swarm Wash FX is the only one that's been on my list should I need an all-in-one fixture.

If not, is it a case of a short t-bar with a Wash FX on one side and a decent Derby effect on the other, all prewired and assembled, ready to be rung up?

[Imagine]

If a couple of gigbar MK1s aren't bright enough I fail to grasp how a Swarm washFX would be.. or even 2 of the blighters.

Eek.....one of my local suppliers has just sent me a pair to try (arriving tomorrow).


If not, is it a case of a short t-bar with a Wash FX on one side and a decent Derby effect on the other, all prewired and assembled, ready to be rung up?

Yes......and no.

I'm after lightweight and VERY easy to get everything on a trolley in 1 (max 2) trips. Some of the halls I do kids parties in are complete swines for the 30 minute load in/load out. Having t-bars makes things bulkier to transport (the Gigbars are a pain in the bottom with the size of the case they're in which apart from their dimness, is one of the reasons for looking at something else)

I also have a regular venue (in there tomorrow night as it happens) which is underneath one of the Cambridge colleges. Space is at an absolute premium when you're in there with the vaulted ceilings (I have to assemble the Evolves on their sides and tip them upright to fit in), and getting in involves a set of 600 year old very worn and snakey stairs....again, bulk isn't my friend on this one.

For gigs like this, the smaller and more compact I can make everything....the better ;)

Will try them tomorrow and see what they're like. Reading around (and indeed speaking to my dealer), I have a suspicion they could be here to stay though ;) (and yes, I'll take the WashFX's with me as a back up as well....just in case)

[Benny Smyth]

Ah, sir would like moon and stick. :lol:

The best wash effect on the market at the moment (in my opinion) is the Chauvet FX Par 9s, or Justin's suggestion of the imitations. Very bright and I am yet to meet a venue that it will not wash out. The Chauvet's are a very good price, the imitations are even better. Problem is, that will give you the wash but no dots but if it helps, when DMX'd properly, they are actually very pretty lights to look at.

Could a pair (or more?) of the ADJ Jellydomes do the job? Probably not bright enough for the wash mind.

[DJ Jules]

4x Battery pars uplighting the room? Then you're adding light and not shining some stupidly bright lights into peoples faces?

[rth_discos]

This seems brighter (wash) than the Swarm Wash

https://www.prebeat.co.uk/lighting-c1/disco-lighting-c20/ibiza-sound-ibiza-combi-fx1-multi-lighting-effect-p216/s222

[Excalibur]

This seems brighter (wash) than the Swarm Wash

https://www.prebeat.co.uk/lighting-c1/disco-lighting-c20/ibiza-sound-ibiza-combi-fx1-multi-lighting-effect-p216/s222

Well it's got twelve watts less power overall ( twenty four when you add in the strobes ) than my Hadrons, https://www.avsl.com/assets/manuals/1/5/150473UK.pdf and , the wash effect only has half the power, so I'm more than a little sceptical of that claim.

[rth_discos]

Well it's got twelve watts less power overall ( twenty four when you add in the strobes ) than my Hadrons, https://www.avsl.com/assets/manuals/1/5/150473UK.pdf and , the wash effect only has half the power, so I'm more than a little sceptical of that claim.

Well that is interesting.

The QTX version has way more power in terms of light output power than the Chauvet version.

Looks like the QTX Hadron Wash is the answer to Wayne's dilemma.

[Excalibur]

Well that is interesting.

The QTX version has way more power in terms of light output power than the Chauvet version.

Looks like the QTX Hadron Wash is the answer to Wayne's dilemma.

Unless he comes up with an inordinate amount of wonga, he's not having mine. :p As I said initially, the Hadrons have been discontinued a while ago. :( I believe the lad may be trialling a pair of Chauvets, as I type.

[Imagine]

OK - I'm keeping these Swarm Wash FX's - I like them....A LOT!

After doing more searching today, it appears that I am indeed looking for the Holy Grail, and I ain't gonna find it anytime soon.

However.....

The Swarm Washes arrived nice and early this morning. I still have a LOT of programming to do to integrate them into my current lighting software (I like to be able to mix and match lights and they'll just plug in and work with everything else).

It was quickly obvious though that they weren't going to be any brighter than the GigBars :(
However, the other effects ARE bright (the Derby's were projecting down a 100 foot room tonight and the strobe is insane for the size of it). I didn't use the laser and to be honest, probably never will - I don't like cluster lasers).

However, mix the Swarm Washes with a pair of Wash FX2's and BOOM! Complete room filling.
Is it all in one? No :(

BUT - it achieves what I want to do. The rig in the picture tonight was assembled in just 18 minutes from getting into the building (THAT....is a different story for this particular venue). It was just 15 on the way out!

Now....this particular booth is going to become my default for pretty much anything non-wedding (I could never use dots at a wedding, or a booth that small). I'm looking at pre-wiring it (Gavin's idea of a t-bar but vertical) to shave a couple more minutes off the setup. I also need to find a couple of bags to take the assembled bar so things don't get dented, but I think I've found a solution I'm more than happy with now :)

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Oh, and before anyone asks about the flight cases etc behind my setup - they're not mine. The back of the stage is for some reason unknown to me where the University types store their own lighting rigs, drum kits, amplifiers.....all manner of stuff!

[rth_discos]

As far as 'compact' rigs go, that actually looks like a decent rig (dare I say, better than many 'main rigs').

I've seen some compact rigs for those situations where it feels like too much compromise is made and the rig is just so small it looks like the client has been short changed.

Whilst a flight case provides better protection, my pre-wired set up now sits in Arriba bags, as flight cases are annoyingly bulky and heavy. I can easily carry both Arriba bags at the same time, and they don't weigh much at all (probably 6kg per bag). Reducing the overall weight of the kit has made my life much easier.

[Excalibur]

I've seen some compact rigs for those situations where it feels like too much compromise is made and the rig is just so small it looks like the client has been short changed.


Wash your mouth out with soap!:mad: Customers are paying for the operator and his skill, not the " Wembley rig " behind him/her/it. :Naughty:

That's a whole subject in itself, I think I can feel a thread coming on, mayhap. Until then, you will have to work out whether the words above are mine, someone else's, or a mixture. :whistle:

[DJ Jules]

2x ADJ Startecs, 2x Jellydomes, 4x Freedom sticks and a few battery pars....?

18817

Probably nowhere near as bright as the combo you've picked out, but gives a reasonable mix of colour, movement and light :D

18818

Julian

[Nakatomi]

18819
The spread out widey rig.. who says the DJ has to be centre stage when the lights & PA don't need to be attached to the booth? ;)

18820
Plenty enough light on the dancefloor

18821

Wash seems to be reaching the back of the marquee okay..

Hmm but I don't have any moving coloured splodges. Some would call that a shortcoming. I wouldn't :)