Stage Lighting......

jonas_24112 · #1 09-26-2011, 03:05 PM

I'd like to do more than just 4 par cans on a stand. Looking for ideas on cheap, functional stage lighting......I really like the newer LED light bars, but LED can be expensive. Par Cans off CraigList around here seem to be overpriced too.......

Can any of you suggest anything.....good dealer websites? DIY websites....etc.???

Gadgetjunky · #2 09-26-2011, 03:11 PM

Chavuet - ColorPalette, 2-4 of these and you are set. I suggest getting a controller with whatever led lights you do get instead of just letting them go wild.

Muzoid · #3 09-26-2011, 03:13 PM

Ditto on Chauvet.

Stuff is decent, prices are okey dokey.

MNAirHead · #4 09-26-2011, 04:20 PM

You can get very creative with lighting... a bit depends exactly what you're wanting to do.

have you taken out a craigslist ad yet?

Tim

Marko5657 · #5 09-27-2011, 07:40 PM

Yes, LEDs aren’t cheap, but man they’re nice.

I have two Chauvet 4bars for the front/sides, and two American DJ mega bars for the back. I also have a moonflower job for the dance floor.

I think both the 4bars, eight lights total (virtually no heat) takes less than one 100-watt light bulb, and lamp extension cords do the job.

Keep an eye out for deals, for instance, the mega bars go for $400 each, then MF they had some reboxes for $250, then they came up on Stupid Deal of the Day for $150. A few little LED bulbs were out here and there, but nothing anyone would ever notice.

Rickengeezer · #6 09-27-2011, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jonas_24112

I'd like to do more than just 4 par cans on a stand. Looking for ideas on cheap, functional stage lighting......I really like the newer LED light bars, but LED can be expensive. Par Cans off CraigList around here seem to be overpriced too.......

Can any of you suggest anything.....good dealer websites? DIY websites....etc.???

Check out this review I wrote a while back of cheaplights.com "FabFour" LED system:

Stage Lighting: StageApe / Cheaplights.com FabFour-F LED package review

They're still working like a charm for me and we've never blown a circuit since I switched to them!

MNAirHead · #7 09-27-2011, 11:42 PM

There are a few "tricks" to lighting perception.

Directing lights into the eyes of the viewer creates the perception of brightness.

There are tons of garage bands that bring in trusses and trees --- they could create the same perception by pushing lights outward vs inward (and bring less gear)

----

We hired a theater lighting pro to help us design small/portable solutions that didn't require tons and tons of work. She basically commented that a "big glow" is as impactful as a bunch of activity.

She had a great comment on bands with lighting... "they'll bring thousands of watts (and bucks) of gear and never think of a reflective background"

=====

Dumb suggestion --- post some pix of your current stage setup.

Hactar · #8 09-28-2011, 04:11 PM

Although they are expensive, a couple led par cans can do quite a lot. They are very light, RGB, and bright. Also, as AirHead said, a well thought out background can help out.

fishstix · #9 09-28-2011, 04:25 PM

Check out Blizzard brand lighting for some LED cans. I've been using 4 of these to light up bar and small festival stages for a little over a year now with great success.
Blizzard Lighting PROPAR 336 LED Par Fixture | Full Compass
I don't know what your budget is but I've found them to be great bang for the buck. Plus, we never have to worry about power issues like we did with our PAR 56&64's. The four lights all fit into a large padded and divided Rubbermade container with the stands in a bag. I also use a tiny little Elation DMX Partner to record and playback the lighting sequences. I've programmed it with the larger controller I now keep at home and this thing fits in my gear bag and then sits on top of my amp at shows. Thus, I can get our basic lighting and my bass rig into the back of my tiny hatchback.
I've got a lot of lighting gear from previous bands I was in that never leaves the trailer that I don't bring now anyway because this system works for so much. Just my .02

Bredian · #10 09-28-2011, 07:14 PM

Experienced BL is now using photographer's soft box lights with 250-1000 watt floods, sometimes colored, and a couple of spots. Extremely low weight. The trees are now left at home. My kid played at a start up venue (metal) that used a handful of clip on floods for lighting.

rondohd · #11 09-30-2011, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Muzoid

Ditto on Chauvet.

Stuff is decent, prices are okey dokey.

We spent about $1500 on fleaBay on Chauvet and a few others and have lighted an entire 2500sqft club. Decent gear, always on sale.

Rondo

TimmyP · #12 09-30-2011, 10:00 PM

The Blizzard Lighting 'Puck' series are very nice, and pretty affordable. Look at their RGBA units.

machinefrog · #13 04-09-2012, 09:52 AM

maybe you can find something you want in bolostage.com

seamonkey · #14 04-09-2012, 10:17 AM

LED lights at MCM seem to go on sale about every month
Stellar Labs Multi-Colored LED PAR 56 Can with 151 LEDs - Black Housing | 555-11400 (55511400) | Stellar Labs

jaywa · #15 04-09-2012, 11:51 AM

Lighting is a gigantic PITA... a big-time pain to haul around and set up, expensive, stuff breaking all the time.

So why does my band do it? Cause it affects audience perception like you wouldn't believe. A so-so band with a great light show will go over better than a band of great musicians with bush-league lighting 10 times out of 10.

I've always been a lot pickier about sound than lights so I can't offer a knowledgeable recommendation except to say that the pain is worth it and you should look for stuff that's lightweight (but durable), can be deployed in a bunch of different configurations depending on venue size, stage layout etc., and can be wired-up quickly by anyone in your band. Also if you can afford some trussing and hard-mount some of your lighting into the trussing it will save you lots of set-up and tear-down time while also protecting the lights in transit.

jaywa · #16 04-09-2012, 12:37 PM

Oh yeah, one other thing. If you're thinking about one of those "curtain" backdrops that's like 4x6 ft and has a bunch of LED lights in them... save your money. We had one of those and while it can be pretty cool when it's working, it hardly ever works. You need a dedicated laptop to run it, there are about 6 connections you need to make (including a proprietary power cord), and it's heavy as hell and takes at least two guys to hang. Everyone in my band grew to despise that thing but my BL loved it and the only reason we're finally getting rid of it is he just spent $250 to get it fixed and it fried out again the 2nd gig we had it back.

If you must have a backdrop just go with a simple curtain that's lightweight and folds down into a minimum space, and put your lighting money into other options.

viper4000 · #17 04-09-2012, 12:47 PM

To me, the higher price of the LED's is cancelled out by how quickly you can store them away after a full night of use. No (or very low) heat, no worries about melting anything or catching anything on fire. As far as the show it self, they again pay for them selves very quickly by how much lower the stage temperature is in comparison to older traditional lamps. Now the only reason you are sweating is the room temp, or your nerves, not because your lights add 30 degrees to a stage.

As said, CL wanted ads could help. I've seen really good prices on the Deal of The Day as well. Used LED's are not as big of a gamble as other used gear. You plug them in, and you can see instantly whether or not they are 100%.

**iriegnome** · #18 04-09-2012, 01:12 PM

CheapLights.com | Stage Lighting | DJ Equipment
It is where we got all of our LED par cans and moving head's. Be careful with all of the LED stuff. They are discontinuing things and reintroducing others before you know it and warranties go away quickly. Also know that Chauvet does not service anything they sell. FYI

Tomis17 · #19 04-09-2012, 05:47 PM

LED are worth every penny. I think if you go with the analog lights, cost is not that far off after the lamp(bulb) and color gels. LED offer multiple colors in one unit. In addition, I believe it does not use as much electricity. I've seen shows where analog lights suck the juice right out of the entirely building leaving none for the PA. That was quite embarassing.

jaywa · #20 04-10-2012, 10:09 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tomis17

LED are worth every penny. I think if you go with the analog lights, cost is not that far off after the lamp(bulb) and color gels. LED offer multiple colors in one unit. In addition, I believe it does not use as much electricity. I've seen shows where analog lights suck the juice right out of the entirely building leaving none for the PA. That was quite embarassing.

Yup. A previous band I was in, we were rolling 4 trees worth of analog lights, playing a wedding dance at this rundown small-town Legion Hall, and we blew the circuit three times in our first set. Not fun, and not good for the rest of the gear either.