jonunders Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Hi All, Pick your brains time again. What would be a good basic stage lighting set up which is not to cumbersome but effective and can anyone recommend any manufactures/outlets. We have Bass, drums, guitar, keyboards and two singers. Thanks in anticipation of you knowledge Jonathan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudewheresmybass Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Chauvet dj bank work well if you just want a chasing sound to light type box. We use two on a t bar and a couple of others Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpaceChick Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Depends on how much of an effect you are looking for really. There are some good starter sets in Maplin that won't break the bank. We have strips of lights, smoke machine and some rather fab lasers but that's not even enough for our band by rights as we should have projections on a circular screen! Lol! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 You need to know how much of an area will be affected by your lights and how much you want. A basic 4 bar of LEDS will run out of juice to light a stage larger than 4x3 mtrs. It will do ok..and you have light but you wont get a decent wash...so anything more that that sort of stage area and you will want 2 tripods of 4. Make sure they are DMX compatible and you will prorbaly get change from £500 if you get a package. We use Thomans own brand.. forget what it is called, Starville..?? and the light components are more than decent. It is the controller and stands that are a bit crap..but they are the easiest things to find and replace.. and if you buy two tripods, seperately...you'll get two basic floor pedals anyway. The stand gave up within months...but everything else is robust enough to keep going after 3 yrs of use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winterfire666 Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 (edited) i have this set for sale if you are interested, bulbs are cheap, super easy to setup and compact too, super bright( much brighter than leds) you can put them on the floor or on stands and they are DMX so you can add them to a larger setup later on if needed [url="http://www.soundmastersdirect.co.uk/isolution-icolor-4-pack"]http://www.soundmast...n-icolor-4-pack[/url] £200 plus postage costs to a fellow basschatter :^) Edited July 9, 2013 by winterfire666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 Try not to get tempted by those stencilled/disco/party light type things. You know, the one's that put shapes on the Walls? They look cheap and nasty. You're a professional band, dammit! Not a kids disco! I have a couple of White LED Stage Spots on individual stands and have them either side of the stage area and set them on slow fade in/out. They look ultra stylish especially when combined with a hazer. I'm a massive fan of white spot lights an. I don't use any RGB at all. I think they look ultra classy! I also set two spotlights on the floor either side of the drumkit pointed at about 45 degrees so as not to blind the audience. Less is more! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 I'd go for LED cans. Pros: Cheap, don't get hot, can change colour, don't have to change blown bulbs. Cons: Not quite as powerful as incandescent bulbs unless you buy more expensive ones, more limited colour range (gamut in techie-speak) than gels. You'll probably also want a DMX controller. They are not too expensive, but avoid the cheap ones due to compatibility issues. Check out the [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_dmxmaster_i.htm"]Stairville DMX-Master 1[/url] on Thomann as that will control most DMX lights (including scanners - moving lights like DJs use) and is just under £100. Although most LED lights have an auto colour change mode, they will drift out of step with each other over time, plus you are stuck with the colours the manufacturer chose for the sequence. You'll want the controller to keep the lights in sync, to program specific colour changes & cross-fades, to use a blackout, etc. The controller I linked above has a useable sound to light mic but can also be connected to the desk. It doesn't have a foot controller though (I couldn't find any foot controlled box that would do a decent job). You'll appreciate the cool running of LED lights, but you'll need to use more to get the light levels up, especially when using saturated/deep colours. I light my trio with 4 of [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par_56_alu_schwarz.htm"]these PAR-56[/url] cans (£30 each on Thomann), all running off the same channel to give a single colour wash. I'm thinking of getting a moonflower as well. I wish I had seen [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/stairville_led_par56_starter_bundle_b.htm"]this bundle[/url] when I was buying mine though - controller, 4 lights, one stand and cables for £315. You'll probably want more than 4 lights though to light your band - more like 8 depending on size of venue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted July 9, 2013 Share Posted July 9, 2013 They also do the PAR64 version for an rxtra £10. 8" and 180 leds instead of 7" and 150 leds. I'm using 2 64s and 2 56s. One of each either side of the band up as high as possible on T bar stands £25 from maplin. I've seen pics and video of the band and they give enough for good mood lighting without overpowering. Depends what you want. I did have a controller but found it was easier just to let them do their own thing. I'll probably go for two more 64s up high on the stands and put the 56s down on the floor as uplighters to catch the drum stands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzodog Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 LED is definitely the way to go as they are getting better all the time, will last forever and don't cook you on stage. I use 2 x PAR64 to light us up but we also use some smaller units as up-lighters. Two behind the drummer pointing upwards gives a lovely wash to the back of the stage. Also you can point them at amps to give a nice mood effect. DMX is okay if you are planning on having someone else operate the controller but I would just leave them to run on a slow colour change. You can still connect all the lights up to run on same colour without having to buy a DMX controller. This way the first light is the main and the rest copy it as slaves. Also best to get a terminator which you plug into the last light to finish the chain. If you don't use one of these, the LED's can flicker Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonunders Posted July 10, 2013 Author Share Posted July 10, 2013 Thank you for your replies. I shall research all your suggestions. Unfortunately Winterfire I do not have £200 spare at this time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davehux Posted July 10, 2013 Share Posted July 10, 2013 We have 2 of these [url="http://www.djsuperstore.co.uk/Equinox-Micro-Bar-System"]http://www.djsuperstore.co.uk/Equinox-Micro-Bar-System[/url] Very bright in the pubs we play. Easy to use. Sturdy stands. We bought the 2 tower pack that came with the carrying case, a 4 button footswitch to change sequences, and the lead to link both sets - cost £399 with a bit of shopping around. Gigged it solidly for past 18 months and still going strong with no issues at all Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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