LED Lighting

[East Anglian Discos]

The other day I stumbled across a Prolight Concepts 2006 lighting brochure. Flicking through it, all of the fixtures were bulb or laser including the excellent Ishow 4 HID moonflower.

It made me think when the first DJ LED fixtures actually came out. I think from memory it was the following year in 2007, when the Acme ImpossibLED and Miracle and Chauvet Vue III were launched, and then plenty of others. Those early LED fixtures were really poor and just a few colours of dots moving around. I remember buying the Chauvet Vue III. Whilst it was light in weight, it was massive and a pretty boring thing watching flashing dots everywhere. A pair of them was usually overkill!

It really has only been in the last few years that LED lighting are truly improved for DJ use.

Rob
www.eastangliandiscos.co.uk

[DJ Jules]

The other day I stumbled across a Prolight Concepts 2006 lighting brochure. Flicking through it, all of the fixtures were bulb or laser including the excellent Ishow 4 HID moonflower.

It made me think when the first DJ LED fixtures actually came out. I think from memory it was the following year in 2007, when the Acme ImpossibLED and Miracle and Chauvet Vue III were launched, and then plenty of others. Those early LED fixtures were really poor and just a few colours of dots moving around. I remember buying the Chauvet Vue III. Whilst it was light in weight, it was massive and a pretty boring thing watching flashing dots everywhere. A pair of them was usually overkill!

It really has only been in the last few years that LED lighting are truly improved for DJ use.

Rob
www.eastangliandiscos.co.uk

One interesting thing that came out of a discussion on FB last night (since deleted) was that the original LED Chauvet Obsession launched in 2011. I had Acme Cougars in 2012 and I don't think they were new when I picked them up (the 50w version of these was launched around the same time). I had 30w LED scanners from Thomann around the same time, but before I picked up the Cougars (they sat alongside my 250w Halogen moonflowers) and I also had a few LED moving heads and washes around the same time.

I'd have to say that, while the first dotty LED fixtures were launched in 2007, the tech moved pretty fast and had replaced halogen lamps in almost all new fixtures within about 3-4 years (meaning that it's really been around for almost a decade now!!)

I do think it's really only properly come of age and become properly affordable though in the last 4 years or so as the LED sources have jumped from 10/15/30w up to much brighter and better focused 50w/80w/100w as standard.

Julian

[East Anglian Discos]

One interesting thing that came out of a discussion on FB last night (since deleted) was that the original LED Chauvet Obsession launched in 2011. I had Acme Cougars in 2012 and I don't think they were new when I picked them up (the 50w version of these was launched around the same time). I had 30w LED scanners from Thomann around the same time, but before I picked up the Cougars (they sat alongside my 250w Halogen moonflowers) and I also had a few LED moving heads and washes around the same time.

I'd have to say that, while the first dotty LED fixtures were launched in 2007, the tech moved pretty fast and had replaced halogen lamps in almost all new fixtures within about 3-4 years (meaning that it's really been around for almost a decade now!!)

I do think it's really only properly come of age and become properly affordable though in the last 4 years or so as the LED sources have jumped from 10/15/30w up to much brighter and better focused 50w/80w/100w as standard.

Julian

Yes, bulb effects dissappered quickly as you say from 2007. I think some of the last bulb effects would have been the Martin EFX series, Martin Ego's and Mania series.

Version 1 of the Chauvet Obsession in 2011 was very poor. I bought a pair of Acme Dynamic Spins (Moonflowers) and Dynamic Barrels in 2014 which were 25w LED. They came out after the Cougars. The 25w barrels were very good but the spins just weren't bright enough. Other early version of LED moonflowers also suffered from terrible Gobos such as radiation & hand symbols.

ADJ's Pocket Spot Moving heads were a massive step forward, I think around 2014?

As for Moonflowers, it's taken until 2020 to bring something that is worth using.

[rth_discos]

There's one light that I always thought was a great light, but never reworked in an LED form, and was still sold up until recently, which was the Martin Wizard (and various spin offs), as well as the ADJ Warlock 'copy'.

I believe the ADJ Warlock was released around 2015.

[East Anglian Discos]

There's one light that I always thought was a great light, but never reworked in an LED form, and was still sold up until recently, which was the Martin Wizard (and various spin offs), as well as the ADJ Warlock 'copy'.

I believe the ADJ Warlock was released around 2015.

Yes ADJ Warlock was a super effect and with the Wizard. I'm sure there is still old stock floating about dealers. As you say, no LED version came out.

I was really tempted to buy some Warlocks a few years ago as there were some good deals around.