DMX Enlighten me.

[bigash]

The band are needing some new lights so I started looking for something half descent. Our old lights were just set to sound and done an OK job.

After a bit of research, which entailed calculating how much it cost per Watt. I decided to purchase four LEDJ Performer 18 Hex. These are

18x12W 6IN1 colour LED's [ RGBWAUV] which are 6/10 channels.

The idea was to get the Singer to operate the lights via a footswitch. However trying to find a controller/ footswitch which is  compatible has

been a bit tricky. 

I take it I need a controller that can handle at least 40 channels and the 6 colours, which has the ability to run a footswitch off it?

Does any such thing exist? And if so can anyone point me in the right direction.

Cheers Ash.

 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, bigash said:

...Does any such thing exist? And if so can anyone point me in the right direction.

Cheers Ash.

Controllers can handle at least 256 channels for the cheaper ones; much more for up-market stuff. Why do you need so many, though..? Do you want/need to specify for each individual light in each unit..? Most often one would couple 'em, at least partially...

I'll look up a few footswitches a bit later, but there's plenty of stuff out there (Thomann..? Amazon..?) for simple florrboard controllers, I think.
Back later...

Edited December 27, 2017 by Dad3353

[bigash]

The lights I have are 6/10 channels switchable. I assumed that if I had 4 lights I would need a controller which was capable of

40 channels. You say that the cheap ones can handle 256 channels which will be more than enough surely?

I'm just looking for something simple the singer can change  via the footswitch.

Thanks for the advice. I'll have a look at Thomann.

Ash.

 

[Dad3353]

This...

Chauvet DJ Foot-C 2 - 36-ch DMX Foot Controller

... will do what you want, and is a good brand.

Thomann have a similar product, less well noted by its Users...

Stairville LED Foot 8 DMX

Of those two, I'd go for the Chauvet.

Hope this helps.

[bigash]

Cheers, just finishing work will have a look when I get home.

Ash

[redbandit599]

I've got one of the stairville ones and it does the trick, bit of a faff to program and a few quirks but it's ok ( I got a b stock one) - one tip for this unit. I found that it had a delay between patches, going dark for a few seconds before the patch  lit.

I found that by flicking the unit through all patches once set up, this no longer happened.

There's this one out quite recently https://m.thomann.de/gb/eurolite_dmx_move_bigfoot_foot_control.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoabh-YOr2AIVDTPTCh0jaAD1EAQYAiABEgL3dvD_BwE

and you can go down the laptop and midi route too.

 

 

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, redbandit599 said:

...

There's this one out quite recently https://m.thomann.de/gb/eurolite_dmx_move_bigfoot_foot_control.htm?gclid=EAIaIQobChMIoabh-YOr2AIVDTPTCh0jaAD1EAQYAiABEgL3dvD_BwE

and you can go down the laptop and midi route too.

Yes, that's almost an 'all singing, all dancing' solution, but quality gear just the same.

At the time (decades ago, now...) I took the laptop route, using a Sunlite Dmx box, and it's very good indeed (I still have it...), but it's overkill for your needs, and doesn't, 'native', have foot switches. I was using it as the dedicated lighter for the band, so had my hands free for the keyboard..!

[lurksalot]

I use a ryger machine 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ryger-FL-P1-Multi-LED-Controller/dp/B00J5I0RN8

not programmable but with the led par cans there are about 100 chase and fades etc 

very easy to use with a step on flood and blackout , limitations definitely , but certainly a 'turn on and let it get on with it' bit of kit 

[bigash]

Thanks for all the replies. Got plenty to think about.

Ash

[redbandit599]

1 hour ago, lurksalot said:

I use a ryger machine 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ryger-FL-P1-Multi-LED-Controller/dp/B00J5I0RN8

not programmable but with the led par cans there are about 100 chase and fades etc 

very easy to use with a step on flood and blackout , limitations definitely , but certainly a 'turn on and let it get on with it' bit of kit 

Does the Ryger work with led lights that have more than just RGB? I looked at them as they are appealing straight forward, but looked to be limited to RGB.

[Dad3353]

1 hour ago, redbandit599 said:

Does the Ryger work with led lights that have more than just RGB? I looked at them as they are appealing straight forward, but looked to be limited to RGB.

No, they only address 3 channels (thus R, G, B...).

[Dropzone]

How long until you end up doing the operation rather than the singer ;-)

[bazzbass]

16 minutes ago, Dropzone said:

How long until you end up doing the operation rather than the singer ;-)

hehe funny but sad, coz we all know it'll happen. I bet the singer doesn't own a mic either

[DanEly]

From my experience - If you're playing to click, just sync the lights up to your tracks so you can hit play and don't have to worry about anything/anyone. No foot switch needed.

With regards to programming the lights, if you only need fairly basic things like washes and colour changes you cold just address them all to the same address. It depends how adventures you want to get. 

[Norris]

A reasonable controller will have 512 channels, which is more than you'll need but will support pretty much any light you might want to add in the future. Chances are you'll want several lights assigned to the same channel anyway so they are synchronised. Each light will need a certain number of channels depending on capabilities - an RGBW scanner will need a lot more to control the individual colours and X/Y movement then a more simple fixed RGB flood.

I don't use a foot controller, it's a box with buttons and sliders. I have created a couple of programmes - a changing 2 colour wash for while we're playing and a single colour dim wash for the breaks. The controller has sliders to control the cycle speed and cross-fade time, that I ramp up as the night goes on, or a sound to light mode for the more frantic bits towards the end. It also has a blackout button. It works quite well especially after I added another light that shoots beams of light around the stage - which gives a bit of movement even if we don't have space to jig about much ourselves

[redbandit599]

I think it's worth a little programming- I have static scenes which I tend to just change occasionally during the first set - then a few slow chases for the second set.

The chases run on auto, but if I flip to sound to light they go loopy ( say for a solo- but only on a lively track)

I also have a couple of Strobey scenes and chases that I can drop in when I feel like it (and can handle the multi tasking 😀)