View Full Version : Lights-Recommendations
I know many of you have a plethera of lighting effects, but as I'm just setting up, and aiming at the wedding / birthday market, what would you recommend, with a budget of £80. I have seen several lights and strobes on Ebay for £15 each, some new (cheapies) and some used.
Which would you buy...and why?
John
Danno13
23-07-2007, 08:27 PM
To be honest, you'd really need to up that budget. I can't think of anything thats going to be bright enough and controllable (so you don't have lights going everywhere for the first dance) for that kind of price.
Jiggles
23-07-2007, 08:41 PM
if you can get your budget up to £200 then you can get a set of the new Dynarocks which are coming out the end of theis month!!!
Solitaire Events Ltd
23-07-2007, 08:42 PM
Got to agree with Dan here. £80 isn't really a budget for lighting unless you can get something very cheap second hand.
Paul James Promotions
23-07-2007, 08:45 PM
Couple of cheap LED pars would come in at just over your budget, but only good as an addition to other lighting. Perhaps look around for a pair of used Chaos 2's or something?
Vibrant Sounds
23-07-2007, 08:46 PM
As a starter light which would cover a fair amount of the dancefloor for parties I would go for a single Stairville Tomahawk (http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_tomahawk.htm) which you could also use later as a centrepiece (250watt multibeam light).
I would then save up a bit of money from some gigs and buy a couple of secondhand Chameleon 4s if you can find them (they are like rocking horse poo though) expect to pay upto £100 each for good ones on ebay, although I have managed to get a couple in the past for £120.
I tend to only use Chameleon 4s (up to four) for all my gigs now unless the client requires more (and pays for it).
Arnold_disco
23-07-2007, 09:09 PM
I know many of you have a plethera of lighting effects, but as I'm just setting up, and aiming at the wedding / birthday market, what would you recommend, with a budget of £80. I have seen several lights and strobes on Ebay for £15 each, some new (cheapies) and some used.
Which would you buy...and why?
John
Up your budget £20 and get a pair of Acme exercets.
Penfold42
23-07-2007, 09:27 PM
To be honest, you'd really need to up that budget.
if you can get your budget up to £200 then you can get a set of the new Dynarocks which are coming out the end of theis month!!!
Got to agree with Dan here. £80 isn't really a budget for lighting unless you can get something very cheap second hand.
Couple of cheap LED pars would come in at just over your budget, but only good as an addition to other lighting. Perhaps look around for a pair of used Chaos 2's or something?
I would then save up a bit of money from some gigs and buy a couple of secondhand Chameleon 4s if you can find them (they are like rocking horse poo though) expect to pay upto £100 each for good ones on ebay, although I have managed to get a couple in the past for £120.
Up your budget £20 and get a pair of Acme exercets.
:agree:
Try and squeeze a bit more money from somewhere....:)
Thanks guys. I thought the £80 budget would be a problem!:D
I guess I will have to be 'inventive'.
John
DMX Will
23-07-2007, 11:41 PM
I would have thought your lighting budget of £80 is OK,
if add the word "cables" in between "lighting" and "budget". Your best bet as people have said is the dyanmos, get the new 250w versions (2 mirrors, to barells) plus maybe two LED pars total £300, and you'll be laughing. Spend any less and you show would be sub-standard I would say (without being horrible/harsh/rude/offensive/anything else to anyone)
Dragonfly
24-07-2007, 12:54 AM
a 30cm mirror ball and 2 second hand martin robocolors :D :D :D :D :D :D
rob1963
24-07-2007, 01:35 AM
£300, and you'll be laughing. Spend any less and you show would be sub-standard I would say (without being horrible/harsh/rude/offensive/anything else to anyone)
I agree.
As I've said before, the lighting & controller on my standard show are very basic...but even THEY cost about £500!
Solitaire Events Ltd
24-07-2007, 01:37 AM
I agree.
As I've said before, the lighting & controller on my standard show are very basic...but even THEY cost about £500!
What, a mushroom, moonflower and pinspots cost you £500? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Where do you shop Rob? www.expensivediscolighting.com ?:p
rob1963
24-07-2007, 01:43 AM
What, a mushroom, moonflower and pinspots cost you £500? :eek: :eek: :eek:
Yes - including the wired t-bar for the 8 pinspots, and also the lighting controller & it's flight case...
...and there I was thinking I always get good deals on my gear!
Ugh!
:rolleyes:
Solitaire Events Ltd
24-07-2007, 01:48 AM
Yes - including the wired t-bar for the 8 pinspots, and also the lighting controller & it's flight case...
...and there I was thinking I always get good deals on my gear!
Ugh!
:rolleyes:
Mind you, 20 years ago, that probably was a good deal. :p :sj: :thumbsup: :boxer2: :sofa: :clown:
rob1963
24-07-2007, 09:27 AM
Mind you, 20 years ago, that probably was a good deal. :p :sj: :thumbsup: :boxer2: :sofa: :clown:
:moon:
OK, so what about some Soundlab stuff. The Verin, 500w sound activated light, being sold at Discostudio for £29.99? I was thinking of putting that in the centre of my light bar, with a Soundlab Abyss water effect projector (£25) on one side and Laser Crab on the other. Yes, I know that's my whole £80 budget gone! Has/does anyone use any of these, and are they any good, or not?
Thanx
John
Corabar Steve
24-07-2007, 10:30 PM
OK, so what about some Soundlab stuff. The Verin, 500w sound activated light, being sold at Discostudio for £29.99? I was thinking of putting that in the centre of my light bar, with a Soundlab Abyss water effect projector (£25) on one side and Laser Crab on the other. Yes, I know that's my whole £80 budget gone! Has/does anyone use any of these, and are they any good, or not?
Thanx
John
Don't touch the crab, the Abyss is only really any good for a backdrop.
The Verin is OK (multiple flat beams that rotate to the music, one of our old DJs had one in his personal kit), but you need smoke or haze to really make it work well
Don't touch the crab, the Abyss is only really any good for a backdrop.
The Verin is OK (multiple flat beams that rotate to the music, one of our old DJs had one in his personal kit), but you need smoke or haze to really make it work well
Thanks. I'm not sure I want to use smoke. I don't like it myself, and I hear most punters say the same thing. Probably OK in a club, but mixed generations at weddings? Grandma and the grandkids all sharing an inhaler!:D
pagan_flame
24-07-2007, 10:46 PM
Better to have a couple of decent lights than lots of cheap ones - go for barrel scanners if possible. You can pick up Spinmaster III's for very small £££ on Ebay, with a pair of the ubiquitous Datamoons to fill the floor a litle more.
My Martin Acrobats would do a fair job on their own - you'll see what I mean if you come to the March gig on the 4th - can be had for a couple of hundred now everyone is going on to moving heads --- but still above the £80 budget!
Look at how much you would charge for a top end gig against what you are paying out for the lights, to put it into perspective; I've just bought a secondhand laptop today plus OTSDJ as a backup for my current (and ageing) laptop OTSDJ setup - and the money I have laid out is less than I will be getting for my gig on Saturday night!
Solitaire Events Ltd
24-07-2007, 10:47 PM
If you don't want to use smoke, why on earth are you considering any kind of laser?
The Verin will probably be OK for the money I suppose.
If you don't want to use smoke, why on earth are you considering any kind of laser?
Because...I may not WANT to use smoke or haze BUT if you guys who are a lot more experienced are using it, then I need to learn from you, and change my opinion. Maybe I'm wrong, and the majority of your guests are quite happy with the effect. Maybe since the smoking ban came into effect, you are getting people forming a que to have a 'drag' on the smoke machine.
:D
Corabar Steve
24-07-2007, 10:58 PM
Bare in mind that a lot of venues won't allow smoke machines
PropellerHeadCase
24-07-2007, 11:09 PM
And bear in mind that smoke machines don't use cigarettes (or any tobacco-based product) to generate smoke.
Corabar Steve
24-07-2007, 11:13 PM
:lol:
And bear in mind that smoke machines don't use cigarettes (or any tobacco-based product) to generate smoke.
Really!:rolleyes:
mike8863
25-07-2007, 12:03 PM
when is first started out this year after coming out of retirement, I only had 2 soundlab vasto's a laser crab and 2 small strobes, looked poo.
re invested my £'s and although not as posh as most on here, now have 2 geni xtc 250, a wildblaze, a samurai, a verin and bigger strobe and haze machine. By no means top gear but cheap to start up. and looks ok.keep your eye's peeled on ebay, dj bids etc. I reckon all in cost me £200. all second hand of course.
Mike
Arnold_disco
25-07-2007, 12:43 PM
OK, so what about some Soundlab stuff. The Verin, 500w sound activated light, being sold at Discostudio for £29.99? I was thinking of putting that in the centre of my light bar, with a Soundlab Abyss water effect projector (£25) on one side and Laser Crab on the other. Yes, I know that's my whole £80 budget gone! Has/does anyone use any of these, and are they any good, or not?
Thanx
John
Look back in the gallery there not rated very highly.
Corabar Steve
25-07-2007, 04:42 PM
Look back in the gallery there not rated very highly.
I've got my pedantic head on today. Do you mean they're not rated very highly? Or have I missed something?
Arnold_disco
25-07-2007, 06:11 PM
I've got my pedantic head on today. Do you mean they're not rated very highly? Or have I missed something?
Probably What i ment:lol:
Corabar Steve
25-07-2007, 06:20 PM
Thought so :sj: :P
flatliners
25-07-2007, 11:41 PM
try and find a cupl of wild blazes off ebay not a bad effect and good coverage and 250 w lamps and realiable or a smart moon set 4 moon flower effects 1 unit master the other 3 slaves lots of chase squences 300w lamps in each so very bright
Solitaire Events Ltd
26-07-2007, 09:17 AM
I've got my pedantic head on today.
What do you mean, today? :p
Dragonfly
26-07-2007, 09:18 AM
are you worzel in disguise then?????
Corabar Steve
26-07-2007, 09:27 AM
Not too much work needed.
OK, so I have bought some lights. I have two Soundlab Vorma (900w) and two Geni XTC's, thanks to someone that has upgraded. Came in under my budget, but just over when courier charges were added. That will get me started, then I will be re-investing.
:D (really must think about a name for my disco!)
Corabar Steve
27-07-2007, 12:16 AM
What's wrong with Key2?
Solitaire Events Ltd
27-07-2007, 12:19 AM
What's wrong with Key2?
Or Key2Music :D
mike8863
27-07-2007, 05:40 AM
Yeah whats wrong with key2 roadshow, thats what I'm called,:D , like i said in your newbies thread, shouldn't have too much of an impact on us though, considering the geography...
Glad you got sorted with lights, you could spend a fortune or you could as you have done, and i did, drop lucky.....!!.
Mike
Yeah whats wrong with key2 roadshow, thats what I'm called,:D , like i said in your newbies thread, shouldn't have too much of an impact on us though, considering the geography...
Glad you got sorted with lights, you could spend a fortune or you could as you have done, and i did, drop lucky.....!!.
Mike
I had thought about Key 2 Roadshow, as my main occupation at present is that of a driving instructor. I was thinking of using a goalpost arrangement for my disco, which would be set out like the front of a car, with a chrome headlight at each side, and my name on a number-plate in the middle. The disco lights would be on separate stands out to each side of the rig, thereby making the section above my head, a focal point, and hopefully a memorable advert. I thought about using chrome tubing for the overhead section, sort of bumper'ish, if you know what I mean? Just an idea at the moment. Time will tell. Thanks to all for the 'enlightenment'
John:D
Tony Scott
27-07-2007, 06:24 PM
Or Key2Music :D
KEY2MUSIC.....your key to great music!
Love It!!! :)
Solitaire Events Ltd
27-07-2007, 06:26 PM
KEY2MUSIC.....your key to great music!
Love It!!! :)
Glad someone did...:(
Excalibur
27-07-2007, 06:33 PM
Time will tell. Thanks to all for the 'enlightenment'
John:D
Enlightenment? How in heavens name did you find that here?:D
Cj_The_Dj
28-07-2007, 08:10 AM
thses are not too bad http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2X-Mojo-Spinmaster-I-DJ-Lights-Disco-Equipment-Effect_W0QQitemZ220134160264QQihZ012QQcategoryZ149 84QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-x-Fearsome-4-Effects-Lights-NJD-Martin-DJ-Disco_W0QQitemZ330150909075QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1498 4QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Arnold_disco
29-07-2007, 05:05 PM
thses are not too bad http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/2X-Mojo-Spinmaster-I-DJ-Lights-Disco-Equipment-Effect_W0QQitemZ220134160264QQihZ012QQcategoryZ149 84QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/4-x-Fearsome-4-Effects-Lights-NJD-Martin-DJ-Disco_W0QQitemZ330150909075QQihZ014QQcategoryZ1498 4QQtcZphotoQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Spinsmasters are good but at my gig last night there were some fearsome 4's installed and to be honest they were terrible. The bulbs were no were near as bright as my Smart scans.
No offence to anybody who uses them its just my personal opinion.
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