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If you don't have lights, you should .. buy these


OldGit
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[quote name='OldGit' post='153258' date='Mar 7 2008, 05:39 PM']The Wiki is fixed (thanks Neeeepheid) so please add to the posting there.
Thanks
OG[/quote]
Sorry OldGit - could not get on lunchtime. The trick is to create the heading first - then the page. Anyone having problems dont hesitate to PM me.

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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='153390' date='Mar 7 2008, 08:59 PM']Sorry OldGit - could not get on lunchtime. The trick is to create the heading first - then the page. Anyone having problems dont hesitate to PM me.[/quote]

No worries, thanks, Matt's explained it to me.

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[quote]I\'ve been looking into just such a set-up for our band - what size par\'s did you go for (56 or 64?), and how are they performing? I\'ve been a bit wary of LED\'s as I guess they\'re not as bright as standard halogen cans?

Your advice would be appreciated :)[/quote]
Hey Barney, we recently got a pair of [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm\""]these[/url] from Thomann which are great. Bought some [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html\""]floor stands[/url] and put one either side of the stage on auto. They go through a cycle of about 6 colours and look great - better than traffic lights. And as people have mentioned they don\'t get hot. Good old Thomann...

Edit: adding picture

Edited by stingrayfan
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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='153819' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:47 AM']Hey Barney, we recently got a pair of [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm\""]these[/url] from Thomann which are great. Bought some [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html\""]floor stands[/url] and put one either side of the stage on auto. They go through a cycle of about 6 colours and look great - better than traffic lights. And as people have mentioned they don\'t get hot. Good old Thomann...

Edit: adding picture

[/quote]

Just fixing the links:
Can link
[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_pa...alu_schwarz.htm[/url]

Stand link
[url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html[/url]

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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='153819' date='Mar 9 2008, 09:47 AM']Hey Barney, we recently got a pair of [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm\""]these[/url] from Thomann which are great. Bought some [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html\""]floor stands[/url] and put one either side of the stage on auto. They go through a cycle of about 6 colours and look great - better than traffic lights. And as people have mentioned they don\'t get hot. Good old Thomann...

Edit: adding picture

[/quote]
The LED PARs look good - inexpensive & lightweight too. I might have to check them out.

With one on each side of the stage, is the spread of light wide & bright enough?

It should be possible to design & build a simple ply or mdf case to fit them in that breaks into two halfs and acts as stands for ease of setup.

I'm happy with my all-in-one maplins "traffic light" set at the moment (They've only been used for one gig so far) but something small & light which doesn't rely on fragile bulbs or act as a heater would be brilliant.

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[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' post='153867' date='Mar 9 2008, 12:14 PM']It should be possible to design & build a simple ply or mdf case to fit them in that breaks into two halfs and acts as stands for ease of setup.[/quote]
If you do - could you build me one please? Haha.

The spread of light's pretty good - esp in dark pubs. Easy and relatively cheap solution, me thinks.

Like the idea of mounting them on the speaker stands - might have to give that a go.

Just bought a fog machine from Maplins too - they're on special for 30 quid.

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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='154023' date='Mar 9 2008, 05:16 PM']The spread of light's pretty good - esp in dark pubs. Easy and relatively cheap solution, me thinks.[/quote]
That's what I wanted to hear. I think I might just get a set and have a go at making a case/stand thing.

[quote name='stingrayfan' post='154023' date='Mar 9 2008, 05:16 PM']If you do - could you build me one please? Haha.[/quote]
If I do make one I'm sure I'll post pics on BC and probably a pdf of the plans.
Certainly :)

This is the kind of thing I have in mind...
[attachment=6310:lightbox.gif]

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[quote name='stingrayfan' post='153819' date='Mar 9 2008, 10:47 AM']Hey Barney, we recently got a pair of [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm\""]these[/url] from Thomann which are great. Bought some [url="http://\"http://www.thomann.de/gb/prod_AR_196226.html\""]floor stands[/url] and put one either side of the stage on auto. They go through a cycle of about 6 colours and look great - better than traffic lights. And as people have mentioned they don\'t get hot. Good old Thomann...[/quote]

Excellent thanks. I've just had a look at those stands and think I'll pop two of those on the order too.

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FWIW I'm happy to share my experience with lights if it helps make anyone else's choices better.

Started off with DIY stuff - homemade boxes with domestic batten holders and coloured 100 W spot bulbs. Had 4 boxes with 3 lights each. Initially static lights - they were OK but a bit boring. Modified these to be controlled by a light controller so that they would flash. This was an improvement but the DIY aspect of them made mounting them somewhere useful difficult. Also started to realise the limitations of the 100W spot bulbs in bigger venues.

Changed over to PAR56 cans on lighting stands. Two sets of four 300W PAR56s on a T-bar. Good effective professional looking lighting but was time consuming to set up. The hefty 6-core mains cable needed to connect them to the light controller was also a bit of a pain. Even devised a way to keep them on the T-bars between gigs but they were heavy and awkward to carry. So they worked well but were heavy and time consuming to setup. They were also very hot and it was quite expensive to change a lamp if/when they blew.

Enter iColor-4. Two units, one each side on a speaker stand. Quick setup, fan cooled. Controlled by a DMX lighting controller which meant the unit plugs into any nearby mains point and connects to the lighting controller with what is effectively a microphone cable. Quick setup, easy to use, much lighter in weight and more convenient to move around. Lamps are very cheap to replace and you can even get them in B&Q if one blows.

The only drawback to the iColor and the PAR56s are the power consumption (and resultant heat). They do use a lot of power (which is a consideration if you have to power lights, backline, and PA of a single dodgy mains socket in some grimty pub venue).

If buying lights all over again I would definitely at look at these LED lights. Low power, low heat, solid state reliability (even if one or two LEDs go all the others will still work). You'd be back to the hassle of setting up PAR cans on a T-bar but at least you just plug them into a nearby mains socket and if you want to use a light controller they're DMX which makes it easy to connect them.

None of these options are cheap. But if you want good effective lighting you have to be prepared to spend a little.

If you just need something cheap and cheerful then we're back to OldGit's suggestion that started this thread. Way cheaper than anything else and better than DIY at those prices.

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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='154053' date='Mar 9 2008, 06:00 PM']The problem with lighting from the floor is it ruthlessly shows the number of chins you have.[/quote]

+1 (or 3 in my case)
Also it can blind you when looking at yoru fretting fingers ..

Those LED pars look like the'll easily bolt or strap to the top of a speaker on a stick and shine downwards ..

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  • 1 month later...

[url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=220152"]Maplin have the 8 light pack on for £50 again[/url].

Looks like no one has entered this thread's info into the wiki.

Edited by RichardH
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[quote name='RichardH' post='189579' date='May 1 2008, 11:14 AM'][url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/Module.aspx?ModuleNo=220152"]Maplin have the 8 light pack on for £50 again[/url].

Looks like no one has entered this thread's info into the wiki.[/quote]

Funny, I could swear I saw an article about this on the wiki in the past.

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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='189668' date='May 1 2008, 12:46 PM'][url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:stage_lighting?rev=1204978282"]http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:s...?rev=1204978282[/url]

I had a set to with admin and it seems my authority on the wiki has been revoked.[/quote]

Still not here though
[url="http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:stage_lighting"]http://wiki.basschat.co.uk/info:industry:stage_lighting[/url]

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It was not just my authority that got revoked but a lot of what I wrote I copied to finnbass so I could work on it there without risking the wrath of admin (I was expecting to be exorcised like a number of others have been and wanted to make sure it did not get lost). Ped has HELPFULLY removed all the links.

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Its all back thanks to phatmonkey. The thing is that wiki's by their nature have quite robust backup and recovery facilities because of their vulnerability to malicious update. A normal users updates can always be reversed and the only people that can f*** things up good and proper are admin, hence my concern.

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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='189679' date='May 1 2008, 12:53 PM']It was not just my authority that got revoked but a lot of what I wrote I copied to finnbass so I could work on it there without risking the wrath of admin (I was expecting to be exorcised like a number of others have been and wanted to make sure it did not get lost). Ped has HELPFULLY removed all the links.[/quote]

My pleasure. It sounds almost like you WANT to be 'exorcised' (!?)

Now go and think about what you did in the corner. :)

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[quote name='bass_ferret' post='189679' date='May 1 2008, 12:53 PM']I was expecting to be exorcised like a number of others[/quote]
How many exactly in your estimation? I know how many. Use your common sense and play nice matey or you'll risk turning into a self-fulfilling prophesy.

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