The reason for keeping old kit and several different setups
OK - we've had a debate recently about keeping several different setups and old kit (guilty as charged - I've got a heck of a lot of kit)
But, the past couple of weeks have completely justified my preferences for keeping stuff in storage.
My normal lighting for weddings for instance is a brace of Intimidator 305's (I wish the new and popular moonflower effects would do the same as these dated fixtures!), and a brace of ADJ Dotz Matix. Blimmin' brilliant in a large marquee where the Dotz are bounced off the top of the tent and down onto the dance floor, not so brilliant when you're in a room smaller than a Barrett Homes living room.
So, I have a choice....go overkill, or repurpose the brilliant Chauvet WashFX2's....hmm. Slight problem in that this weekend's brides BOTH wanted a white setup. As far as I'm aware, neither the Intimidators nor the WASH FX2's were ever made in white. Do I spray them? Nope...I purchase some white stick on vinyl which actually looks rather good! (note - I'm in the process of covering the Maui 28's instead of the awful spray-paint they have at the moment because they weren't available in white when I got them).
I also brought the very rarely used (these days) starlit booth out of the back of the store for both weddings.
Note, the screws on both lighting fixtures and certain parts of the body are deliberately left black to match the white Gravity poles (the force is strong with this setup )
But this leaves a big problem...the WashFX2's are the main part of the setup for the kids parties. Do I give them nice shiny white covered lighting?
Not a chance!
I went deep diving into my lockup this morning and found a pair of KAM Power PartyBars. I've programmed them into SoundSwitch this evening and my GAWD they're awesome fixtures and as bright as looking into the sun! My kid's rig has just become a single PowerParty bar with a Swarm underneath for the dots effect and thus has shaven another couple of minutes off my setup time.
I like having "options", I like to be creative and up-cycle (recycle) where I can. I've just found the ideal solution for just about every party I do from old kit and a bit of vinyl
What a half hearted effort! Black cables? Either it's all white, or all black, it's a disco, not a Zebra.
Whimsy over, I applaud my young friend for his efforts, and his thriftiness. Wouldn't be the first time I've dug out some old kit to use for some reason, and been reminded why I bought and loved it in days gone by. I've recently moved some kit on for complicated reasons, and to be honest, I rarely do so without a tinge of regret.
Well done Wayne, looks good. My white rig is two Helix, and two or four white par cans, depending on space and venue size. White Maui 5 GO as PA, and recently, I have worked out how to bolster their sound discreetly. The versatile Polar 10 connects the array to the sub with a simple 1/4" TS jack connector. I can now stick the sub under the booth, and with a cable, lay the array across the booth, out of sight. Obviously less than ideal, acoustically, but a helpful sound increase, I hope.
Interestingly I've gone the other way. Put some old kit that I'd 100% never use again and once that started shifting and seeing the space open up I've got rid of everything I wouldn't use at least once per month. I've done a few gigs with just two movers and while I feel its way underdone they've also been the best gigs I've had recently (hammering home it's all about what we notice rather than clients).
That said the money and space can now be put to better use. I guess it depends on your storage setup.
Interestingly I've gone the other way. Put some old kit that I'd 100% never use again and once that started shifting and seeing the space open up I've got rid of everything I wouldn't use at least once per month. I've done a few gigs with just two movers and while I feel its way underdone they've also been the best gigs I've had recently (hammering home it's all about what we notice rather than clients).
That said the money and space can now be put to better use. I guess it depends on your storage setup.
Re-opening an oldish thread, but I really must get around to mucking out the storage and getting rid of stuff that never goes out. I've got lights and PA in there that haven't seen the light of day for many years and probably never will again.
That said....
As per the original post, I took the WashFX2's from my kids rig a few weeks ago and put them onto my white wedding setup....leaving me short of lighting on my kids rig. So....a very deep dive in the storage container later and I found a set (actually 2 sets) of Kam PartyBars (these used to be part of my main rig and are brighter than many may believe in real life).
A little work with a redundant Equinox Micron overhead kit later and a bit of re-wiring, and I've finally achieved my goal of a mini setup which I can get into a venue and fully working in just a few minutes depending on access!
It's been out 4 times this weekend since I put it together for the first time (all kids parties), twice with UV lighting (as per the first image) which takes 15 minutes from hitting the setup area to fully operational, and twice without which is a 10 minute setup. Without the UV it's literally an IEC and DMX cable per speaker, an IEC to the entire light show and an IEC to the Prime4, plus an adapter to the mic unit.
And I wasn't rushing either. In fact I didn't even break sweat
It'll get even quicker (by about 90 seconds) in a few weeks time when the flight case for my Prime4 finally arrives (I think they're waiting for the HexBoard trees to grow!), because it also houses the mics, cans and desk lamp, so that can all be pre-wired as well and cut to a single IEC for the Prime, desk lamp and the two mic units (one for kids, one for grown ups....different systems), plus two audio cables.
Now if only I could get away with using this setup at most of the weddings I do.......
Well actually....I might have a cunning plan here for the brides that want white but aren't necessarily interested in hearts and stars on the dance floor (most of them aren't in reality until you tell them about such things)
The booth came with white as well as black lycra. I have a spare overhead kit which can be repurposed, I have a spare Kam PartyPowerBar, I have a pair of Swarm 4's, all of which could receive the white vinyl treatment, be up-cycled and get a new lease of life. Add these to the newly whiter than white Maui 28s and there could be a selling point here with a small white rig
The reason for keeping old kit and several different setups
(note - I'm in the process of covering the Maui 28's instead of the awful spray-paint they have at the moment because they weren't available in white when I got them).
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Black cables? 
Either it's all white, or all black, it's a disco, not a Zebra. 
Originally Posted by DeckstarDeluxe
