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Forum: General Discussion

Topic: seeking community knowledge

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Hey guys, I know this question gets asked a lot but I'm looking to purchase a truss and some lights for wedding gigs this summer. I've done a lot of research but with so many choices I always like to seek counseling from the VDJ community. Unfortunately I don't live close to any such shops so I can't really try before I buy. I guess i don't need help with the truss so much as lights. My budget is between 400-800 but in reality for now I think I would be fine on the low end of that. I thought the question could be considered relevant again as new lights are always coming out and thus new deals on old lights set in place. So having said all that my question is how can i get the most bang for my buck? Thanks, and i will post some of the ones I have been looking at as well.
 
Posted Mon 16 May 11 @ 11:52 pm
First off what kind of lights do you want LED or BULB? Do you want dmx? Also are you also looking for different patterns that are projected. For me I went with LED for the reason that they don't have a cycle period on them, they can go all night long. (“set it and forget it" type of deal LOL ) I'm a mobile Dj right now I'm using two ADJ tri led aggressors and a ADJ tri led duel gem pulse on a T stand which it has been enough lights for my gigs, the only thing that I'm looking to get it is the duel led roto balls and maybe a strobe but the duel gem has one in it so I might end up getting another gem.

I think I have a vid of of the 3 lights on YouTube. You can check it out at steve702.

Dj stevo
 
lcmxr6 wrote :
So having said all that my question is how can i get the most bang for my buck?


Lights have the lowest ROI (Return On Investment) in the DJ world untill you start getting into the big production type lighting (IE: +$5000 worth of lights).. for the simple reason many clients do not see the need to pay extra for a few puke N twirls..

DO NOT spend your money on a bunch of different Puke N twirls.. (lights that just do one thing, like turn in circles).. they might look cool at first, but 2 hours later they are just an annoyance..

A great lightshow (that looks good all night), usually consists of three parts..
1.) colorfill :: this can be gelled pars, a LED colorstrip(s), LED Pars, or DMX colorchangers (colorwheels)

2.) centerpiece:: one really good and very bright light that fills the room.. IE: mirrorball, starfield Laser, Vue 3, starball, and etc etc (one or maximum two peices)

3.) Effect light:: IE: scanners, moving heads, strobes, derby, mushrooms, flower effects..

Moving heads and scanners usually give the best ROI as they can completely stand on their own (IE: they can act as a centerpiece, colorfill, and effect), BUT they are expensive.. one good moving head wouldnt even fit in your budget..

My Advice:

start with a simple T-bar lightstand, and collect your 'colorfill' first, IE: gelled pars or LED Pars always look good, are usefull, and wont break the bank..
then next find a good centerpiece (just one)

after a few of years, you may then be able to justify getting a production style lightshow (IE: truss with 8 moving heads/scanners & DMX controller)
 
Hi guys,

In need of some help! I am currently running virtual dj with a numark total control midi unit and dj io soundcard with a pioneer efx 500. I am having problems recording my mixes as the effects from the pioneer unit are not being recorded but the virtual dj basic effects are.

Do i need an extra souncard or accessory or is it just a simple config change.

Any help will be much appreciated. Cheers :)
 
G.Stace, this topic is about lights. Please start your own topic.
 
Winch stand and 48mm tube, also put your lights on 50mm clamps.





Don't know what happened there. UK guy's visit www.mypowerdrive.com
 
@ Charlie that setup looks very nice. I think I will go with a T-bar stand like that rather than a truss. Which model lights are you using there?
 
 
Hi Mate,

Lights are made by Abstract, UK made but I doubt you get them over in the states.

Actually the manufacture went bust after all this cheap Chinese stuff came out, shame.

I wouldn't buy that ADJ stand, it's a typical cheap DJ setup and there dangerous, you need a well made used stand. I don't know who makes decent stands in the US? thought you might of had a better response from the community and fellow citizens.

As in my original post: Winch Stand and 48mm tube, also put your lights on 50mm clamps.

A good rule is not to buy a stand that is painted black lol, is always cheap, thin, Chinese crap. Also the joints are always plastic!
 
@ Charlie ok I will take your advise and not purchase the cheep stand/light package. Thanks!
 
My input is to go with all LED lighting (no run time/ duty cycle) they do not get hot at all and most are rated between 50,000 and 100,000 hours of use where as fixtures with bulbs can get very hot and you can only run them for 15 min on and 15 min off and the bulbs do not last very long at all. Look into Etrenal Lighting, American DJ & Chauvet for your LEDs. Whether its Pars, effects, strobes or uplighting, LED is the best way to go period! I highly recomend the Micro Galaxian and Micro Gobo from american DJ for a good economical combo of a laser show it seems the bigger the room the better the coverage with these lasers. Best bang for my buck I have ever spent on lighting.

Other things you want to think about are.....
The types of Venues you will be doing
What will you be using the light for...Dance floor effect, wall effect, ceiling effect, wall or collum was lighting etc.
How much area will the fixture cover
How well will one fixture work and look with another and how will they look with or without fog
(some effects look great with fog but just boring without it)
How easy are they to set up and the weight of each fixture
Storage and transport of the fixtures
Length of power cords and DMX cables you might need
Lighting control (either DMX or Power switches)


Best wishes with your purchases
 
Ok so after some more research I think I am going to go with ADJ. I found this stand which has 8 hang points and can hold 100lbs.
http://www.americandj.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNumber=441&MainId=2&Category=Light_Stands_Truss
I like this American DJ micro Gobo as well. I was thinking of adding 1 at first.
http://www.americandj.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNumber=2028&MainId=2&Category=Lasers
I also like the profile panel rgb
http://www.americandj.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ItemNumber=1931&MainId=2&Category=L.E.D.
Do you guys think 1 of each would get my through my first two weddings?
 
 


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