What is the difference between stage lighting & disco lighting?

[Lefty]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone can help me choose the right kind of lighting for what it is I'm doing...Playing acoustic gigs in a pub, and maybe in the summer I'll get a few outdoor beer garden gigs too

One of my favourite bands is Pink Floyd, and I've always loved their light shows, obviously I don't have their kind of budget, but, if you can imagine a vastly scaled down version of something like that, imagery, with video video, lights, which is where I'm wondering what the difference is between disco & stage lighting, and is what I'm trying to achieve on a smaller scale even possible?

I'd like it to be minimalist, portable, and if possible not going to take up lots of room or take me a long while to set up

So far, the only thing I can think of is 1 moving head or uplighter either side of me, and some kind of projector projecting images & video behind me, but, would something like that be possible in a small space, because I can imagine that any pub/bar manager isn't going to want me taking up room where his customers would sit, I know I wouldn't if I had a pub ha ha

So, does such a thing exist like a small mobile projector, that could project images & video onto a wall, and if so, that would take care of behind me, then what moving heads or uplighters would you recommend to go to the left & right of me standing in the middle, if that makes sense?

i don't really want to use a projector screen as it's just more kit to cart around/set up/pack away, so I guess I'm just looking for tips/hints & suggestions of how to put on a good acoustic show that people will remember that will hopefully lead to future bookings

Thanks all for any help offered

[DJ Jules]

Hi guys, I was wondering if anyone can help me choose the right kind of lighting for what it is I'm doing...Playing acoustic gigs in a pub, and maybe in the summer I'll get a few outdoor beer garden gigs too

One of my favourite bands is Pink Floyd, and I've always loved their light shows, obviously I don't have their kind of budget, but, if you can imagine a vastly scaled down version of something like that, imagery, with video video, lights, which is where I'm wondering what the difference is between disco & stage lighting, and is what I'm trying to achieve on a smaller scale even possible?

I'd like it to be minimalist, portable, and if possible not going to take up lots of room or take me a long while to set up

So far, the only thing I can think of is 1 moving head or uplighter either side of me, and some kind of projector projecting images & video behind me, but, would something like that be possible in a small space, because I can imagine that any pub/bar manager isn't going to want me taking up room where his customers would sit, I know I wouldn't if I had a pub ha ha

So, does such a thing exist like a small mobile projector, that could project images & video onto a wall, and if so, that would take care of behind me, then what moving heads or uplighters would you recommend to go to the left & right of me standing in the middle, if that makes sense?

i don't really want to use a projector screen as it's just more kit to cart around/set up/pack away, so I guess I'm just looking for tips/hints & suggestions of how to put on a good acoustic show that people will remember that will hopefully lead to future bookings

Thanks all for any help offered

You've immediately limited your choices for video by deciding not to go the laptop route for audio. You're going to need a laptop really to be able to get controllable video. Look for ultra short throw projectors for something that you can put 2ft from a wall and cover the whole thing in video (I've got a Ricoh one that will project onto a 10ft screen from about 2ft away). If you're trying to stick with quick and compact, battery par's will set you back about £150-200 each and most will link wirelessly to give you a light show you can throw out in 30 seconds with no cables. I would recommend putting one or two in front of you though, otherwise you'll just be a shadow in front of the lights.

Most entertainers I know have opted for a par bar of some kind and quite a few pair them with freedom sticks that are, again, battery operated and quick to set up but are great eye candy.

Julian

[Lefty]

Hi Jules, thanks for the reply, I've just been doing a bit of scouting around on Youtube and I think what I'm looking for could exist out there, or at least something along the lines of what I'm after, and, it's so small it could almost fit in your pocket kind of thing https://www.samsung.com/uk/projectors/the-freestyle/the-freestyle-2nd-gen-sp-lff3claxxxu/

But, I don't really want to have to use a laptop with the projector I buy as it'll take up more space and more leads etc, and you have to rely (I think) on wifi to be able to connect the laptop wirelessly or use a USB C, which Is not what I want, I'd ideally like to be completely free of ANY cables/wires, but as I say, I'm not sure if what I'm after even exists in the market

What I'm looking for is something similar to the above samsung link, a small portable projector that I can place anywhere but with a built in USB or SD card so that I could just plug the USB stick/SD card into the projector with all my images, & video already created on my PC as mp4 files at home, then it's just a case of me plugging the USB/SD card into the projector, pushing play, and the images & video will play back onto a wall or wherever I point it at, does that make sense?

I'm not asking for much am I? Ha ha

Cheers dude

[Marc J]

What I'm looking for is something similar to the above samsung link, a small portable projector that I can place anywhere but with a built in USB or SD card so that I could just plug the USB stick/SD card into the projector with all my images, & video already created on my PC as mp4 files at home, then it's just a case of me plugging the USB/SD card into the projector, pushing play, and the images & video will play back onto a wall or wherever I point it at, does that make sense?

If the projector doesn't run through your images & video from USB stick / SD Card, look into doing it from a Raspberry Pi into your projector.

[rth_discos]

Forget about the projector. They take up too much space, especially for the screen. And far better to use large screens these days anyway. But again, way too big for what you want.

The best way to make any lights look good is to DMX them (control them) rather then letting them run on their sound to light setting. You can make most lights look decent on DMX. Even the expensive ones look a bit rubbish on the built in displays.

[Excalibur]

Chief Luddite here. Blimey Marc, we're Entertainers, not running a catering concession, and I think Pie has an e on the end. :p ( OK. whimsy over, never let the truth get in the way of a good joke :D )

If I remember right, didn't Floyd start off with something like this (https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135088586694?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=710-53481-19255-0&campid=5338749374&toolid=20006&_ul=GB&customid=GB_619_135088586694.141514770206~18705513 36685-g_Cj0KCQjwsuSzBhCLARIsAIcdLm7d4HLGpWXmlLQaHokA5heR ScmDz6OJrodboW8xq1MYQVx6LNKqM1oaAuv9EALw_wcB)?

I love the trippy 60s style of my trusty Kaleidos (https://cpc.farnell.com/equinox/kaleido-xp/led-kaleidoscope-projector-100w-led-%E2%80%93-eqled086/dp/dp35042?mckv=s_dc|pcrid|605262956605|kword||match| |plid||slid||product|DP35042|pgrid|138313685415|pt aid|pla-1883818028351|&CMP=KNC-GUK-CPC-SHOPPING-9262013734-138313685415-DP35042&s_kwcid=AL!5616!3!605262956605!!!network}!18838180 28351!&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsuSzBhCLARIsAIcdLm7c1SfxUQeoQwIkfEHF wXFF1KTSM1Yyc2Uf6tbP4U0zKg4jl0UQJcgaAqkaEALw_wcB).

[Lefty]

Thanks once again for the feedback guys, I really do appreciate it as it feels like I'm trying to navigate through a minefield as a complete novice with lights, projectors and all this kind of thing, I'm more used to amps, mic's & guitars with buttons to push & knobs to twist as opposed to menus to navigate, I can barely work the TV remote at home ha ha

After doing a bit of digging around, it sounds like what I was looking for without even realizing it was a 'short throw projector' as DJ Jules said (Thanks dude for the tip) however, the prices seem a bit steep for me at the moment for the higher end gear, but I did manage to find something on Ebay for £60, which seems too good to be true if I'm honest, but I thought, for £60, if it turns out to be complete junk or not what I'm after, then I've not broke the bank, and it'll give me a chance to have a play round with it and experiment with projecting back in different rooms and different lighting situations without having to spend big just to experiment, so decided to buy it, this was what I got if anyone's interested, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/226198544525

As for lights, that's where I'm up to now on my mission, the Pink Floyd lighting effect looks ACE, but I feel as if I could recreate something like that with my video editor as an MP4 file that I could play back behind me on the projector, so what I'm looking for is 2 lights, one to go either side of me

What I'm imagining in my head is, me in the middle of the stage, a short throw projector behind me displaying various images/video/effects etc, so I feels as if what's missing is a good lighting effect either side of me to the left & right to complete the look if that makes sense?

So if anyone has any suggestions for 2 good lights that could do that job, preferably ones that could stand upright on the floor so I don't need to set up a lighting rig that would take up space, that'd be what I'm looking for

Thanks guys

[Excalibur]

although you've chosen an excellent piece of kit, I feel I must dampen your conflagration with waste products somewhat. What a treat you have in store, doing battle with Engine DJ. I don't understand it at all, and when I borrowed a drive which had been properly indexed, the difference was night and day.

You'll need to ask Wayne or Benny about that, I have no idea. :daft:

[Lefty]

Thanks man, I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty with it and probably a few late/sleepless nights too, I better stock up on coffee I think ha ha

I've been looking at uplights to go either side of me, I've narrowed it down to these 3 I've found on ebay, I'm hoping to go wireless with them as explained in my previous post, so what do you guys think, are these any good, are they a decent price, will the flight cases cost me more then the lights (They do a lot of the time with other gear ha ha)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126528895005

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186039737216

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204700374495

Or if you guys have any other suggestions for say maybe a light that could function as an uplight or a disco light, if such a thing exists, I'm not sure

Thanks guys

[ppentertainments]

Thanks man, I'm looking forward to getting my hands dirty with it and probably a few late/sleepless nights too, I better stock up on coffee I think ha ha

I've been looking at uplights to go either side of me, I've narrowed it down to these 3 I've found on ebay, I'm hoping to go wireless with them as explained in my previous post, so what do you guys think, are these any good, are they a decent price, will the flight cases cost me more then the lights (They do a lot of the time with other gear ha ha)

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/126528895005

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/186039737216

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/204700374495

Or if you guys have any other suggestions for say maybe a light that could function as an uplight or a disco light, if such a thing exists, I'm not sure

Thanks guys
For uplights these are fantastic value for money - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253906837897?itmmeta=01J171H2TZFQE96JPNE1QFGMGC&hash=item3b1e06e189:g:nq4AAOSwkp5lcaro