Weekend Warrior Stage Lighting Discussion

[Pete Greenfield]

Good luck with it!

If you have two identical lights - and crucially you always want them to do the same thing as eachother - it's fine to give them the same DMX address. This might help if you are short of channels. Enjoy!

 

[RimShot44]

Yep, already on it. I have my “outer lights” on the far left/far right both addressed the same.

I think I made some pretty decent scenes/sequences. At least my 5 year old thinks so!

 

[Pete Greenfield]

Yep, already on it. I have my “outer lights” on the far left/far right both addressed the same.

I think I made some pretty decent scenes/sequences. At least my 5 year old thinks so!

Five year olds are normally brutally honest, so you must be onto something for sure

Fun, isn't it?

 

[two fingers]

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!

Not sure what your budget is, bit I highly recommend the MyDMX Go adapter and software. Once you get the lights' DMX addresses assigned, it's stupid easy. Presets? A snap.

 

[Hambone70]

We’re running video and lights wirelessly with DMXIS, controlled by Touch OSC on a iPad through Ableton Live. The DMXIS Show Buddy Active software makes it easy to design some pretty effective light and video shows without tons of technical knowledge, and with Touch OSC you can design your own wireless iPad control interface. And if you’re playing to a click, sequence the video and lights to run themselves.
Show Buddy
h e x l e r . n e t | TouchOSC
https://www.enttec.com/range/controls/dmx-usb-interfaces/
VJ software for live video performance - | ArKaos VJ/DJ

 

[edro]

For simple, I like the Chauvet 4Bar USB fixtures, Chauvet D-fi USB sticks, D-fi hub, and Rockforce 384 controller...
I set the 4Bar to 15 channel which allows me to access the 4 lamps individually and the Rockforce panel is 16 channels wide so I have sliders for auto program for the bar, % (intensity), rate for strobing, and R,G,B for each lamp. I can set levels I want individually, and save as a scene... If a lamp is right at one of the front line players, I can back off the intensity of that lamp and save as scene. D-fi is da cheeze... Set address on stick that matches the hub, plug it in the USB slot on the bar and power it up... One short DMX cable from Rockforce to hub.

If you set the 4Bar for three channel, you can only control the group of lamps on the fixture, not individually... which is probably fine for those that just want to use the wireless footswitch or little tv nuke to set auto progs loose.... I found the Rockforce 'open box' so I snagged it...

D-fi is interesting (wireless, D-fi no more than the other manu protocols, just different, Chauvet 4Bars so protocol is D-fi).... No cables... New D-fi and D-fi USB compatible stuff looks cool... I am slider munky with an old fart club band so I wanted simple (to not rely on club for lights) but with options for scenes and chases I come up with so I could reach over to the controller, punch one button when I needed to... Set/Strike can be delegated easily as there are no cables needed to fixtures... No need to ban anybody from a DMX cables/trunk as some are banned from my XLR cables/trunk for obvious reasons...

Several cool options out there... Relatively cheap...

 

[edro]

If one needs some light movement on stage, this is simple and relatively cheap.
This guy does a great job explaining....
One could hang a couple or four fixtures and just turn em loose on auto if one didn't want to fool with DMX...
Cheap option for some cool beans movement on stage....

 

[edro]

Not trying to bogart the thread. Just sharing what thinking I went through to arrive at my decisions on simple lighting. Simple is good. Simple can also look far from simple with a bit of effort at the front end of the process.
I have enough to do running sound....
My thought process was
- How can I make us not worry about club lighting when we play?
- How can I make us look consistent as we already sound consistent from job to job?
- How can I make it simple enough that I have to waste zero brain cells on it at go time?
- How can I do it relatively cheap?

"Relatively cheap." A hunnert bucks ain't gonna hap'n cap'n. BUT, depending on needs, simple lights can be done for less than the price of one of my JBLs. That is relatively cheap. It can be done even cheaper if one homeworks, and keeps a watch on Craigslist and ebay and such.... Seen some older bulb PARs with poles and packs for almost "I'll pay you to come get these damn things" cheap... Sure they are older and use gels for colors.... So what. They do the job....
Us old farts remember the free 360° suntan and sauna service on stage in the old days, surrounded by cans from hell... LED fixtures are cool in more ways than one....

 

[Pete Greenfield]

Not trying to bogart the thread. Just sharing what thinking I went through to arrive at my decisions on simple lighting. Simple is good. Simple can also look far from simple with a bit of effort at the front end of the process.
I have enough to do running sound....
My thought process was
- How can I make us not worry about club lighting when we play?
- How can I make us look consistent as we already sound consistent from job to job?
- How can I make it simple enough that I have to waste zero brain cells on it at go time?
- How can I do it relatively cheap?

"Relatively cheap." A hunnert bucks ain't gonna hap'n cap'n. BUT, depending on needs, simple lights can be done for less than the price of one of my JBLs. That is relatively cheap. It can be done even cheaper if one homeworks, and keeps a watch on Craigslist and ebay and such.... Seen some older bulb PARs with poles and packs for almost "I'll pay you to come get these damn things" cheap... Sure they are older and use gels for colors.... So what. They do the job....
Us old farts remember the free 360° suntan and sauna service on stage in the old days, surrounded by cans from hell... LED fixtures are cool in more ways than one....

Those old school lights are fine, but you have to watch your power consumption. LEDs are just great for what we do as a small band playing small venues.

 

[edro]

Those old school lights are fine, but you have to watch your power consumption. LEDs are just great for what we do as a small band playing small venues.

Always good to have a contractor grade extension cord to reach outlet on a different circuit than you amps and fronts rig for the old heater lamps... I love it when a club had the forethought to put multiple fours on stage with each four being a separate line...

Granted, if one has a pole with four old 150W cans. That is only 600W which is about half a blow dryer/coffee maker/toaster/burn-my-house-down-please space heater... X2 if you have both poles on same line... I still don't want that on any line with other equipment...

 

[Pete Greenfield]

Always good to have a contractor grade extension cord to reach outlet on a different circuit than you amps and fronts rig for the old heater lamps... I love it when a club had the forethought to put multiple fours on stage with each four being a separate line...

Granted, if one has a pole with four old 150W cans. That is only 600W which is about half a blow dryer/coffee maker/toaster/burn-my-house-down-please space heater... X2 if you have both poles on same line... I still don't want that on any line with other equipment...

Especially if they're drawing continuously! Sometimes we get to power our entire show off one outlet that looks like it was wired in the 50s. Hopefully we'll get to play more professional places one day!

 

[delta7fred]

Sometimes we get to power our entire show off one outlet that looks like it was wired in the 50s.

We always power our entire show from one outlet, but we are 240V here so the current draw is half what it would be for 120V.

We have nothing however that is a big current draw, PA is 300W per side, bass amp is 500W (but never run anywhere near max), guitar amp is 60W, lights are LED totalling 100W.

You can tell when you are running UK 13A plugs near their maximum because the 13A fuse in the plug gets warm heating up the whole plug, ours is always stone cold.

Fortunately most of the outlets we use are very good as the venues have to have regular safety inspections.

 

[Pete Greenfield]

I discovered something interesting. If your plug's burning out it smells of fish. No idea why!

 

[edro]

Good idea to always have a tester in your kit bag. Can get em all over... Decades back played a club with a newly redone stage and guitarist plugged in his Marshall head and the light was on. I told him to kill it without the cab load. 'It IS off.' Well unplug. I plugged my tester in my plugs... Went to the club mgr and said call an electrician. I'm not plugging any of my keyboards and rack gear in until you cut me a check in five figures just in case, just for my stuff. Sound sys, and other guys' stuff will run that way up... Hot ground, yadda yadda... I remember the electrician asked him 'Just who the hell wired this stage?'... Still cranked off on time...

We had a contract with specs so I didn't care if we played or not. No issues, thankfully.... Great guy though. Called electrician immediately when I told him...

You never know...

 

[76bender]

I just upgraded to some 4Bar quads. Leds can be found cheap if you know someone who upgraded and has no room for his old lighting......(hint) Had 5 colorstrip minis that worked well with custom brackets the fit on standard 1.5" stands. Two on each side and one behind drummer, Controlled them with old dmx 70 and Behringer FBC1010

 

[FutureTense]

I've been lurking in this one for a while and I just put together a (fairly basic and static) set of lights for the bands I'm a part of. I wanted to put something together to get a nice visual for the band that didn't completely wash out the people in the band and I wanted something that wasn't as erratic as putting up 2 light stands and hitting "sound activated" or "auto".

I have 2 Wash FX (set to about half because they can get exceptionally bright) that I mount to the top of my front speakers (I am debating moving this over to the top of the 4Bars and am looking into some clamps currently). I have 2 Chauvet 4Bar lights that I run as spotlights on the musicians (generally just a bastard amber type of color to make people pop out of the background wash). I run all of this using wireless DMX controllers so the cable management is way low (I just use the ones by Donner) and run everything through an Obey controller that has been programmed with about 8-10 basic scenes. I run a Behringer FCB1010 to the Obey which I use to control the handful of scenes I have programmed.

It isn't as cool as some of the ideas in this thread, but it works fine for what we're doing (90's/00's pop rock in smaller bars and parties). I'd like to add a light or two to go on the 4Bar that could put some lighting effects on the dance floor, but I'm not quite to that point yet.

 

[Pete Greenfield]

I've been lurking in this one for a while and I just put together a (fairly basic and static) set of lights for the bands I'm a part of. I wanted to put something together to get a nice visual for the band that didn't completely wash out the people in the band and I wanted something that wasn't as erratic as putting up 2 light stands and hitting "sound activated" or "auto".

I have 2 Wash FX (set to about half because they can get exceptionally bright) that I mount to the top of my front speakers (I am debating moving this over to the top of the 4Bars and am looking into some clamps currently). I have 2 Chauvet 4Bar lights that I run as spotlights on the musicians (generally just a bastard amber type of color to make people pop out of the background wash). I run all of this using wireless DMX controllers so the cable management is way low (I just use the ones by Donner) and run everything through an Obey controller that has been programmed with about 8-10 basic scenes. I run a Behringer FCB1010 to the Obey which I use to control the handful of scenes I have programmed.

It isn't as cool as some of the ideas in this thread, but it works fine for what we're doing (90's/00's pop rock in smaller bars and parties). I'd like to add a light or two to go on the 4Bar that could put some lighting effects on the dance floor, but I'm not quite to that point yet.

I was thinking about getting some of those Donner wireless things. I'm getting really sick of running long cables out front and especially having to untangle it all at the end of the night. Are they working well for you? On the subject of additional lights, consider putting three or four slimpar lights at the back, playing onto the wall behind you. It's incredibly effective (I think more so than back lighting musicians on small bar stages, especially if haze isn't an option).

Incidentally, if you want some lights to mesmerize the audience, the Chauvet FXpar 3s are brilliant value, with some crazy strobe / blinder effects built in. I picked up a couple new for about £100 in the UK.

 

[FutureTense]

I was thinking about getting some of those Donner wireless things. I'm getting really sick of running long cables out front and especially having to untangle it all at the end of the night. Are they working well for you? On the subject of additional lights, consider putting three or four slimpar lights at the back, playing onto the wall behind you. It's incredibly effective (I think more so than back lighting musicians on small bar stages, especially if haze isn't an option).

They work pretty well. When you plug them in you have to click through the menu on the 4Bar or it stays set to auto/sound mode (for whatever reason), which takes like 2 seconds per light, but otherwise they work with no issues (or none that I have had so far). I haven't tested how long the batteries last (since I have so much that needs power right next to the units, I just plug everything into a multi-outlet and run an extension cord to the wall), but they are supposed to last quite some time if advertised correctly. They have allowed me to stop running 4 sets of DMX cables around the stage, though, which has been a massive point in the "pro" category.

I've debated putting a couple pucks facing upwards in the background as well, but I haven't gotten to all of that yet. And I would love to put some haze up, but most bars in the area are against that sort of thing.

 

[Pete Greenfield]

They work pretty well. When you plug them in you have to click through the menu on the 4Bar or it stays set to auto/sound mode (for whatever reason), which takes like 2 seconds per light, but otherwise they work with no issues (or none that I have had so far). I haven't tested how long the batteries last (since I have so much that needs power right next to the units, I just plug everything into a multi-outlet and run an extension cord to the wall), but they are supposed to last quite some time if advertised correctly. They have allowed me to stop running 4 sets of DMX cables around the stage, though, which has been a massive point in the "pro" category.

I've debated putting a couple pucks facing upwards in the background as well, but I haven't gotten to all of that yet. And I would love to put some haze up, but most bars in the area are against that sort of thing.

It's the same here in the UK. Most smaller venues don't seem to allow haze although it's difficult to predict. I think it's a fire alarm concern, even though a lot of places run heat rather than smoke sensors. It's a shame.

 

[edro]

I run my 4Bars on the same address. You can rotate one of the 4bars and flip the lamps around so #1 is same on both sides of stage. (I prefer side lighting, doesn't wash out faces and such)....

Wireless is the way to go.... My laights are Chauvet D-fi USB stuff so I use the D-fu USB dongles..with a couple of spares... I hate surprises.....

There are so many options for relatively cheap lighting nowadays... I think it would be cool to have some wireless fixtures in different odd places in the club for occasional chases...