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Weekend Warrior Stage Lighting Discussion

#381
AlembicBob said:
My second problem is that the singer is also always complaining about the brightness of the lights. The new stuff hasn't made it out of the box yet, but I'm afraid I may need to find a way to dim even these lights to keep her happy.

-Bob
Click to expand...
How are you aiming them? I have a pair of the 4Bar Flex lights and I've had the same issue with my bandmates. I've found I can aim each individual pod so that the lights don't go much higher than neck level on any band member. Obviously, when people move about on stage this changes but it's a good starting point. I also don't use any strobe or quick flashing effects on the band, those just annoy everyone.
 
#382
AlembicBob said:
Interesting thread. I too just got my hands on four inexpensive RGBA pars rated at 9 x 4w. I had been using four colorstrip minis (2 were the FX model) on built-in patterns, but I've had two problems with them. First, they are unreliable. I have one mostly functional out of my original four. Anyone trying to tell me I will get better quality or support from Chauvet will have a hard time selling that. I can tell you I've received no support, the remotes that came with them never worked, and the durability of the products is crap. Their other stuff must be better for so many people to speak highly of them, but I can't see myself buying any more of their fixtures.

My second problem is that the singer is also always complaining about the brightness of the lights. The new stuff hasn't made it out of the box yet, but I'm afraid I may need to find a way to dim even these lights to keep her happy. We're normally running with the lights at about 8' off the ground and spread 16-20' wide from an angle that would be only a couple feet in front of the band. Was planning on making a small crossbar out of PVC to put on top of my speaker stands (spare set I use only for lights) to mount a pair on each side of the stage about 3' apart from each other. I'd love to run some sort of small DMX controller with a slow fade program (built in or programmed by me) and master dimmer. I have been looking at all sorts of stuff, but I haven't seen anything that looks like the answer.

-Bob
Click to expand...

Hi Bob,

Regarding the brightness of the lights. The simplest solution is to get your singer to wear sunglasses. That tends to be what we do in our psychedelic rock band. Another solution might be to use the pars as footlights (check out Chauvet's new band lighting You Tube vid). Not optimal but you'll get some effect. Or you could consider lighting the band with 2 pars each side of the stage. Or move the lights further out if practical. Or look at different colour choices.

As for controllers, there are inexpensive solutions if your lights have DMX, such as the Chauvet Obey 40. You can pick those up used on ebay and will give you the dimming / basic chase functions. I have a Eurolite Bigfoot, but to be honest it's fairly clunky. Alternatively, don't your lights have preset fade programs? Many do.
 
#383
FuturePrimitive said:
My second problem is that the singer is also always complaining about the brightness of the lights. The new stuff hasn't made it out of the box yet, but I'm afraid I may need to find a way to dim even these lights to keep her happy. We're normally running with the lights at about 8' off the ground and spread 16-20' wide from an angle that would be only a couple feet in front of the band. Was planning on making a small crossbar out of PVC to put on top of my speaker stands (spare set I use only for lights) to mount a pair on each side of the stage about 3' apart from each other. I'd love to run some sort of small DMX controller with a slow fade program (built in or programmed by me) and master dimmer. I have been looking at all sorts of stuff, but I haven't seen anything that looks like the answer.

-Bob
Click to expand...
The first mark of a non professional- Complain about the lights. Jeezus, Does he really think that when you hit the big time that the lights will be dimmer? No, you can't see the audience, but you know they are there. Tell them to get over it.
I work at an A++ room, touring acts. Not one complains about the 20 lights hitting them. On our jam Sundays the weekend warriors are constantly whinning 'The light are in my eyes'. They need to be taught a dose of reality.
 
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#384
You guys are a BAD influence. I have a Ragu Z400 (A.K.A. dirt cheap) video projector, as well as an older HP projector that is MUCH brighter.

I will work with the band to figure out / test how these projectors could work for band visual effects. We've got LOTS of video, fractals etc... So no problem with source material for sure!
 
#385
AlembicBob said:
My second problem is that the singer is also always complaining about the brightness of the lights. The new stuff hasn't made it out of the box yet, but I'm afraid I may need to find a way to dim even these lights to keep her happy. We're normally running with the lights at about 8' off the ground and spread 16-20' wide from an angle that would be only a couple feet in front of the band. Was planning on making a small crossbar out of PVC to put on top of my speaker stands (spare set I use only for lights) to mount a pair on each side of the stage about 3' apart from each other. I'd love to run some sort of small DMX controller with a slow fade program (built in or programmed by me) and master dimmer. I have been looking at all sorts of stuff, but I haven't seen anything that looks like the answer.

-Bob
Click to expand...

8 feet from the ground isn't very high - I could see how LED par lights could be blinding at that level, even from the sides. Get the lights higher or use floor floods for front lighting, or a combination of the two. You may also consider some type of gel or diffuser - it could be the harshness of the LED pars that's getting to her, not necessarily the brightness. That type of bright light against a dark backdrop will definitely leave spots in your eyes.

Paulabass said:
The first mark of a non professional- Complain about the lights. Jeezus, Does he really think that when you hit the big time that the lights will be dimmer? No, you can't see the audience, but you know they are there. Tell them to get over it.
I work at an A++ room, touring acts. Not one complains about the 20 lights hitting them. On our jam Sundays the weekend warriors are constantly whinning 'The light are in my eyes'. They need to be taught a dose of reality.
Click to expand...

Thought the singer was a woman, in this case.

She may have sensitive eyes - many people have that and it's not something that's easily noticeable. Or perhaps the lights aren't aimed properly, or they are mounted in a compromising position. Larger stages have dedicated light systems that are mounted high and far - they're bright, but tney're not directly in your face, which can make a difference. In the case of a portable setup, I'd be inclined to give the singer the benefit of the doubt and try to work with her. As I stated, gels or diffusers could help the issue, or re-aiming the lights, or changing their position - even dimming them five to ten percent could make a difference.
 
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#386
284B8467-A518-43EF-91F7-6817F4A53E40.jpeg
30F92558-40B4-4274-9949-68108DD7AF81.jpeg


Chauvet Freedom Sticks. Bottom pic they are set to static color for a little ambience.
Top pic they are clamped to the rear truss and inside the front scrim towers. I partnered u with a local lighting guy for a series of shows this summer and he has a couple of packs as well.

Programmable, dmx of course. They have a bunch of pre-programmed functions/auto-programs. Rechargeable and wireless. 4 pack with remote control and charger and case a little over $400 on sale from the usual internet suspects. Bases included.

To go dmx you have to also purchase a Chauvet d-fi interface for about $100.

I a pm getting a little bit of wedding lighting. That was my initial reason but my band loves them. They deploy and pack down very quickly.
 
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#387
Thanks for the thoughts! This is the weekend warriors thread, not the regional or national touring acts thread, right? We are playing a few times a month at the local pubs and such, been doing it with this crew for 15 years now. Some let me get to 10-11' up, but several don't have that much ceiling. I think 11' is about the limit of the stands I carry anyway.

I'm not crazy about these pars - they are extremely bright and don't quite have the wash I was hoping for out of an allegedly 45 degree beam angle. They are just too bright in the middle of their throw. I was hoping for a little less out of 9x4w fixtures. I think I might be better off with more pars of a smaller size for the same money. These were horribly shipped to me without packing material in boxes that ended up ripped and open, so I may return them straight up as a result. LEDs don't seem to like being banged around and I don't want to end up with dead lights a month or two down the road. I may still give them a shot tomorrow - the usable spread might be better if I can figure out how to bring down the brightness.

I do tend to agree about the whiny singer. She has done a bunch of stage acting as well and there's really no excuse for not finding a way to deal with it. What I've used in the past hasn't been that bad - these new pars are way brighter. Generally, I try to aim all the lights directly at her face. Okay, I'm kidding. I usually try to aim the lights between our typical positions and toward the ground so that the wash hits us as much or more than the direct center of the light. If I have two lights on a side, the one that's forward will be aimed around the height adjuster of the mic stand of the person on the opposite side of the stage with the one to the rear aimed around the singer's feet. Aiming across seems to help in the smallish venues with the stage left light hitting the player on stage right and vice versa. The drummer also likes the dark, so I don't have anything aimed at his torso or face. I have some cheaper lights that I generally try to use either as uplights on the wall behind him or aimed at his kick drum to light up the area without getting in his face. He's got a modern version of one of those white pearl type finishes on one of his kits that takes good color from the lights.
 
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#388
juggahnaught said:
8 feet from the ground isn't very high - I could see how LED par lights could be blinding at that level, even from the sides. Get the lights higher or use floor floods for front lighting, or a combination of the two. You may also consider some type of gel or diffuser - it could be the harshness of the LED pars that's getting to her, not necessarily the brightness. That type of bright light against a dark backdrop will definitely leave spots in your eyes.



Thought the singer was a woman, in this case.

She may have sensitive eyes - many people have that and it's not something that's easily noticeable. Or perhaps the lights aren't aimed properly, or they are mounted in a compromising position. Larger stages have dedicated light systems that are mounted high and far - they're bright, but tney're not directly in your face, which can make a difference. In the case of a portable setup, I'd be inclined to give the singer the benefit of the doubt and try to work with her. As I stated, gels or diffusers could help the issue, or re-aiming the lights, or changing their position - even dimming them five to ten percent could make a difference.
Click to expand...


Chauvet 4bars might work well for you and you'll probably find used ones on sale. Get a basic dmx controller and you'll be good to go We play small bars and it's always a real compromise placing the lights. If your singer won't wear shades, suggest a wide brimmed hat...
 
#389
New guy here. I stumbled upon this forum/thread through a Google search of "Weekend Warrior Band Lighting ideas." And lo and behold....here I am! I have actually read/skimmed through all 20 pages and gotten some great ideas. Unsure if this almost 5 year old thread is still active, but here goes my questions:

I am a drummer in a small (very small) venue dive bar band that plays 1-2 gigs a month. I'd like to get *some* control over my lighting versus the fades/snap/color changes that are built into the fixture. I've done a fair bit of reading/watching videos on addressing DMX fixtures which I think I can accomplish. I would LOVE to get Enntec DMXIS, but think that would be way overkill for what I need/want.

Here's my fixtures:

  • I have 2 sets of 4 Venue ThinPar 64's on a pair of trees. Usually we only use one tree (4 lights) but if space is available, we'll run one on each corner of stage near FOH mains. Master/Slaved usually running on slow fade through all 7 colors.

  • 2 Venue ThinTri 64's set as static color close to Bastard Amber as possible that I mount on vertical post on the trees for front lighting.

  • 4 more Venue ThinTri 64's set on drum rug to provide some uplighting. At times...this is our only light available due to space constraints. These are Master/Slaved or set on a static color all night.

What I'd like to accomplish:

  • Have several scenes that auto-run throughout the evening as there will be nobody to change anything. Set & forget overall, except between sets or possibly tuning breaks.
  • In an upcoming specific case...we are playing on Mardi Gras. I'd love to have the lights just change between Purple/Gold/Green throughout the night. Whether they chase/fade...whatever.

My considered low-cost options from researching and reading this thread:

  1. A Chauvet Obey 40/ADJ-192 Controller
  2. A Chauvet Foot C-2 that I could switch from behind the drum kit
  3. Light Rider, run from a SUSHI Dongle from an Amazon Fire. (all I'd need to do is order the Dongle and adapter.) Several pages back, someone did this. Unsure if this is feasible for band or more of a "DJ thing." Some of the effects look pretty cool. I downloaded it and it has my fixture profiles but I didn't know if I could set specific scenes with specific colors. I could keep the Fire Tablet with me and change as needed.

    Any thoughts/suggestions? Will anybody really care or notice if we do something besides the auto-programs that are built into fixture?

    Thanks!
 
#390
I think at first level, no, no one would really care about using the autos. To me, the first step is to have a black-out setting, a 'between songs' stationary setting, then kick in auto-stuff during songs. Scene chasing while you're talking to the crowd/tuning/on break is what screams 'amateur' at me.

Any of those would do those basics, far as I know. Seems like, especially for a drummer, that the Obey 40 would be the least handy. If you were going that route, I'd pick up a cheap MIDI footpedal to switch scenes (which is exactly what I've done, Obey 70 & a Behringer FCB).

RimShot44 said:
  1. Any thoughts/suggestions? Will anybody really care or notice if we do something besides the auto-programs that are built into fixture?

    Thanks!
Click to expand...
 
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#391
RimShot44 said:
New guy here. I stumbled upon this forum/thread through a Google search of "Weekend Warrior Band Lighting ideas." And lo and behold....here I am! I have actually read/skimmed through all 20 pages and gotten some great ideas. Unsure if this almost 5 year old thread is still active, but here goes my questions:

I am a drummer in a small (very small) venue dive bar band that plays 1-2 gigs a month. I'd like to get *some* control over my lighting versus the fades/snap/color changes that are built into the fixture. I've done a fair bit of reading/watching videos on addressing DMX fixtures which I think I can accomplish. I would LOVE to get Enntec DMXIS, but think that would be way overkill for what I need/want.

Here's my fixtures:

  • I have 2 sets of 4 Venue ThinPar 64's on a pair of trees. Usually we only use one tree (4 lights) but if space is available, we'll run one on each corner of stage near FOH mains. Master/Slaved usually running on slow fade through all 7 colors.

  • 2 Venue ThinTri 64's set as static color close to Bastard Amber as possible that I mount on vertical post on the trees for front lighting.

  • 4 more Venue ThinTri 64's set on drum rug to provide some uplighting. At times...this is our only light available due to space constraints. These are Master/Slaved or set on a static color all night.

What I'd like to accomplish:

  • Have several scenes that auto-run throughout the evening as there will be nobody to change anything. Set & forget overall, except between sets or possibly tuning breaks.
  • In an upcoming specific case...we are playing on Mardi Gras. I'd love to have the lights just change between Purple/Gold/Green throughout the night. Whether they chase/fade...whatever.

My considered low-cost options from researching and reading this thread:

  1. A Chauvet Obey 40/ADJ-192 Controller
  2. A Chauvet Foot C-2 that I could switch from behind the drum kit
  3. Light Rider, run from a SUSHI Dongle from an Amazon Fire. (all I'd need to do is order the Dongle and adapter.) Several pages back, someone did this. Unsure if this is feasible for band or more of a "DJ thing." Some of the effects look pretty cool. I downloaded it and it has my fixture profiles but I didn't know if I could set specific scenes with specific colors. I could keep the Fire Tablet with me and change as needed.

    Any thoughts/suggestions? Will anybody really care or notice if we do something besides the auto-programs that are built into fixture?

    Thanks!
Click to expand...
Welcome to Talkbass. Sorry I can't help you on DMX.

We had a DMX controller a few years ago (belonged to our drummer and he wouldn't let anyone else touch it) that controlled a couple of HUGE quartz halogen lights on towers. He would preset them on a colour and leave them like that all night. (Half the time they didn't respond because he kept loosing the terminators.)

He wanted my to schlep the damn things, I refused and bought 4 very cheap LED lights, 2 white 2 tricolour, (intended for outside use) that we mount on top of the PA cabs. We leave the coloured ones on auto fade, one changes faster than the other so you get a constantly changing colour wash.

Nobody has complained because they know that if they do they will get the job of sourcing some new ones and schlepping them.
 
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#392
Hi,

Auto chases going on are okay via an Obey are okay, but you might get more impact if you set up scenes. You could have a collection of looks which are easy to select between numbers if you have the controller by your kit. Maybe one scene for a set of songs to keep the control side simple.

One thing I discovered in small venues. Take those uplighters your using around the kit and train them on the wall behind you. They can sit on the backline so it's space efficient and it's highly visible to the audience. Gives the stage some depth as well. Maybe take a white sheet for them to play on.

I'm not that familiar with Obey's functions, but you could probably set up a chase where the front bar(s) keep the same colours while the rear change colours or strobe or go to sound to light (depending on your fixtures). I

By the way, I'd heard the Obeys cross-fade quite smoothly within chases, but it's an abrupt change when going from one scene to the next. That might influence how you achieve your aims.

I used a Eurolite Bigfoot controller for a while. It's like a guitar stompbox version of the Obey. It was okay, but I went back to DMXIS, which is great for what we need.

Finally,h check out Learnstagelighting's You Tube channel. It's free and David's a mine of information about band lighting.

Pete
 
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#394
gumtown said:
What works for me is a mic input for the DMX lighting controller, and having light scenes change on every 8th beat of the kick drum.
That means when the band stops the scene stays static until the next song.
A foot switch to kick in a strobe or quick chase scene during lead breaks works great too.
Click to expand...

Hi!

I'd like to have manual control of the strobes in our set up as well. How do you do that? Are you using midi, DMX or just a power on / off switch? That was one thing I did really like about the Bigfoot...

Pete
 
#395
JPaulGeddy said:
I think at first level, no, no one would really care about using the autos. To me, the first step is to have a black-out setting, a 'between songs' stationary setting, then kick in auto-stuff during songs. Scene chasing while you're talking to the crowd/tuning/on break is what screams 'amateur' at me.
Click to expand...

I AGREE! I wish there was just one simple DMX "Black Out" stomp box, that you could just run to the first DMX light in the chain. Stomp, and all the lights black out between sets/breaks. That would go a long way.
 
#396
Pete Greenfield said:
Hi,

Auto chases going on are okay via an Obey are okay, but you might get more impact if you set up scenes. You could have a collection of looks which are easy to select between numbers if you have the controller by your kit. Maybe one scene for a set of songs to keep the control side simple.

One thing I discovered in small venues. Take those uplighters your using around the kit and train them on the wall behind you. They can sit on the backline so it's space efficient and it's highly visible to the audience. Gives the stage some depth as well. Maybe take a white sheet for them to play on.

I'm not that familiar with Obey's functions, but you could probably set up a chase where the front bar(s) keep the same colours while the rear change colours or strobe or go to sound to light (depending on your fixtures). I

By the way, I'd heard the Obeys cross-fade quite smoothly within chases, but it's an abrupt change when going from one scene to the next. That might influence how you achieve your aims.

I used a Eurolite Bigfoot controller for a while. It's like a guitar stompbox version of the Obey. It was okay, but I went back to DMXIS, which is great for what we need.

Finally,h check out Learnstagelighting's You Tube channel. It's free and David's a mine of information about band lighting.

Pete
Click to expand...

Awesome, thank you for the suggestions and ideas. I've watched a lot of Learn Stage Lighting's videos....watching those almost makes me want to dive into debt doing stage lighting! His videos are great and he makes things simple.
 
#397
Pete Greenfield said:
Hi!

I'd like to have manual control of the strobes in our set up as well. How do you do that? Are you using midi, DMX or just a power on / off switch? That was one thing I did really like about the Bigfoot...

Pete
Click to expand...

Check out my previous posts in this thread, with details on building a cheap wireless midi/DMX system.

my band live
Weekend Warrior Stage Lighting Discussion

materials and parts
Weekend Warrior Stage Lighting Discussion

and a tripple video projection system
Weekend Warrior Stage Lighting Discussion

 
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#398
#400
Well, I decided to go the free software route at least to determine if this is worth doing for shows.

I got a DMXking eDMX adapter running to a router, which I run from an iPad with free Vibrio software. The free version is only 16 channels but if I’m running ThinTri Pars on 3-channel mode, it is enough to get my feet wet and create some scenes and sequences/chases.

Pretty easy learning curve for a DMX first-timer. I won’t be able to necessarily set a scene/chase for every song because we rattle off most songs quickly (no time to bend down and grab the iPad) but I at least have that blackout option when needed between breaks.
 

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