Stage Lighting.

[Davy]

Morning all. 

 

Looking for some advice on stage lighting.

 

We currently use 4 led stage lights mounted on lighting poles. 

 

The lighting poles that we use are ridiculously heavy for the lightweight nature of the LEDs so I'm looking for a fixing solution that will allow me to fix the lights to the top of the PA speakers as these are already on poles and this would also free up some floor space in smaller venues. Has anyone tried this before, I'd be interested to hear what solutions you've tried. 

 

Also we are looking to change our current LEDs, which are quite heavy for LEDs, and replace them with some slimmer/smaller units. Has anyone ever tried these before? ADJ Mega Tripar Profile Plus LED Par Can.

 

Thanks.

 

Edited November 3 by Davy

[Acebassmusic]

We're working on our lighting options at the moment and have tried out and compared both the ADJ Mega Tripar Profile Plus and the Ledj 7Q5 (RGBA).

 

On price and weight the ADJ wins however the 7Q5 (for me) are the overall winner. You'd need 2 ADJ to appear as bright as one 7Q5. The 7Q5 is more robust, has more flexible colour options and is more direct beam than the wider ADJ. Our thinking (in part) is the less gear we have to buy / store / move / setup / teardown etc but still provide a good show the better.

 

In one of my bands we use four Ledj 7Q5. 2 are attached to the speaker stand legs using clamps and pointed up / across the front of the stage. The second two are attached to the top of the EV speakers via a bolt into the mounting hole. Here's a couple of pictures of the tops.

 

 

Edited November 3 by Acebassmusic

[Davy]

Thanks for your reply!

 

I'm thinking a long the same lines with regard to streamlining the band set up. I don't even bother with the lighting mixer and just have them set up on a slow colour change. That said, a band I was in years ago had a foot controller which was great for killing the lights at the end of each song and then bringing them back on afterwards. I'm not sure if it's possible to run one of these foot controllers without a mixer unit as well.

 

Do you think a single 7Q5 on top of each speaker would provide enough light or would you recommend 4 as a minimum?

 

You'll have to send me a link for the ones you bought as the ADJs were £75 on Amazon when I checked.

[Acebassmusic]

Bax - ADJ's

 

I would say 4 as a minimum even though they do give off a decent light. I control them from a single foot controller with a built in sound to light / programs. No need for a seperate mixer unit. Here's one on Ebay

[Davy]

Really appreciate you getting back to me, that's been really useful!

[Acebassmusic]

I've just rechecked and the footswitch on Ebay is the same make as the one I use but a slightly different version which is powered by the lighting bar so probably wont work with the par cans. The one I use has an independent wall wart to power it.

[dave_bass5]

We have two of these on the floor at the side of the stage. Really impressed with how bright and how much of a difference they make on smaller stages. We use a bar set up with the usual thin LED Pars as well, and two LED par’s on the floor at the front.

We got ours for £45 each during a sale. 

 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0CFHFKP93?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

[Davy]

On 03/11/2024 at 16:08, Acebassmusic said:

I've just rechecked and the footswitch on Ebay is the same make as the one I use but a slightly different version which is powered by the lighting bar so probably wont work with the par cans. The one I use has an independent wall wart to power it.

Are your ADJs compatible with the ADJ LED RC?

[Acebassmusic]

I dont know as the ADJ's I just set and forget as wall washes. The Ledj 7Q5 are according to the manual. In one band I use them with a footswitch and the other I just link 2 lights together (X2 sets) and set 2 different programs and let run.

 

This was last Saturday night using only  4 x Ledj 7Q5. There was a little ambient light as well from the pub but they'd turned of the main ones.

 

[Davy]

On 03/11/2024 at 16:08, Acebassmusic said:

 

What do you use to clip the lights to your speaker stands?

[Acebassmusic]

We use this type of clamp - "half coupler"

 

[Al Krow]

On 03/11/2024 at 16:38, Davy said:

Morning all. 

 

Looking for some advice on stage lighting.

 

We currently use 4 led stage lights mounted on lighting poles. 

 

The lighting poles that we use are ridiculously heavy for the lightweight nature of the LEDs so I'm looking for a fixing solution that will allow me to fix the lights to the top of the PA speakers as these are already on poles and this would also free up some floor space in smaller venues. Has anyone tried this before, I'd be interested to hear what solutions you've tried. 

 

Also we are looking to change our current LEDs, which are quite heavy for LEDs, and replace them with some slimmer/smaller units. Has anyone ever tried these before? ADJ Mega Tripar Profile Plus LED Par Can.

 

Thanks.

 

 

Great topic, following!

 

I kinda feel that lighting is often pretty low in the mindset of many covers bands I've come across, and doesn't get too much air time on BC, but can make a big difference to the live performance experience for audiences when done well.

 

We've been using our pretty basic set up for 7 or 8 years now, and it's definitely time to think about doing something a little more professional on the lighting front. Unfortunately I suspect it's going to be down to the same guy providing the band PA and desk to get the lighting sorted and transported, with my crew 😅

[dave_bass5]

1 hour ago, Al Krow said:

dset of many covers bands I've come across, and doesn't get too much air time on BC, but can make a big difference to the live performance experience for audiences when done well.

 

We've been using our pretty basic set up for 7 or 8 years now, and it's definitely time to think about doing something a little more professional on the lighting front. Unfortunately I suspect it's going to be down to the same guy providing the band PA and desk to get the lighting sorted and transported, with my crew 😅

Same here. in fact it's not only purchasing but setting them up that im left to do. Last gig (on a very small stage, there are 6 of us) one of my guitarists decided to put all his guitar cases on stage, right in front of a light that id just brought. other gigs he tends to kick them out of the way when he turns up late and has to set up his giant fan and pedal board.

I dont think everyone in bands has what it takes to come across in a professional way, which drags the whole band down. 

[Davy]

Typical selfish guitarist! 🤣

[Steve Browning]

On 12/11/2024 at 09:05, dave_bass5 said:

Same here. in fact it's not only purchasing but setting them up that im left to do. Last gig (on a very small stage, there are 6 of us) one of my guitarists decided to put all his guitar cases on stage, right in front of a light that id just brought. other gigs he tends to kick them out of the way when he turns up late and has to set up his giant fan and pedal board.

I dont think everyone in bands has what it takes to come across in a professional way, which drags the whole band down. 

While that's true, he needs to get his gear on stage and place it in the right place. Maybe there's an argument about whether that requirement should be borne in mind when the lights are being set up. 

 

In terms of lighting itself, I have two of those 4 lamp led bars and two single led lamps. 

 

They are all controlled by a foot controller and simple dmx. The bars are set to solid colours and the single lamps are always white (so I can see the side markers).

 

All the lighting is on two stands either side of the stage. 

 

I have always looked at how lighting is used at concerts. You never see the random colour changes of auto sequences or sound to light. That's why I thought I should learn basic dmx and create some simple settings for a handful of changes. 

[Al Krow]

6 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

While that's true, he needs to get his gear on stage and place it in the right place. Maybe there's an argument about whether that requirement should be borne in mind when the lights are being set up. 

 

In terms of lighting itself, I have two of those 4 lamp led bars and two single led lamps. 

 

They are all controlled by a foot controller and simple dmx. The bars are set to solid colours and the single lamps are always white (so I can see the side markers).

 

All the lighting is on two stands either side of the stage. 

 

I have always looked at how lighting is used at concerts. You never see the random colour changes of auto sequences or sound to light. That's why I thought I should learn basic dmx and create some simple settings for a handful of changes. 

Sounds good Steve. Do you have a pic of your set up and can share the make/model/pricing of your set up please?

[dave_bass5]

5 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

While that's true, he needs to get his gear on stage and place it in the right place. Maybe there's an argument about whether that requirement should be borne in mind when the lights are being set up. 

 

While i with you, and gear placement is very important, he turns up, kicks the light/lights out of the way so he can place his gear and thats it. Doesn’t care what happens to the lights. Or he places cases (absolutely no need to have them on stage, especially not in my example above) in front of the lights with no regard to how the band will look to the audience. Its an uphill struggle trying to keep the band looking professional and entertaining.

Oh, and if he was to turn up on time, or not hang around watching the rest of us setting up this might not happen

[Al Krow]

42 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

While i with you, and gear placement is very important, he turns up, kicks the light/lights out of the way so he can place his gear and thats it. Doesn’t care what happens to the lights. Or he places cases (absolutely no need to have them on stage, especially not in my example above) in front of the lights with no regard to how the band will look to the audience. Its an uphill struggle trying to keep the band looking professional and entertaining.

Oh, and if he was to turn up on time, or not hang around watching the rest of us setting up this might not happen

 

I suspect with that approach he wouldn't last too long in some of our bands Dave! You're clearly far too nice!

[dave_bass5]

2 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

 

I suspect with that approach he wouldn't last too long in some of our bands Dave! You're clearly far too nice!

Don’t get me started, but bottom line is it’s not my call. Nice bloke, good lead player, hasnt got a clue about fitting in and being professional. We really don’t need him, but he was a founding member and im the new guy.

[Steve Browning]

It has to be said that drummers, ok some drummers, have the knack of sticking their cases exactly where you want to be - both setting up and breaking down.

[Steve Browning]

7 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Sounds good Steve. Do you have a pic of your set up and can share the make/model/pricing of your set up please?

Sure thing Al. It'll take a day or two. 

[Steve Browning]

I can describe what I use. I don't think there are pictures of it but I'll look. This may be more detail that you want but I did what I did for the reasons I give following ...

 

The lighting set up (each side) is a Kam Party Bar WFS (the wireless one, which seem to be £209 each at the moment) and Stairville LED Flood Panel 150 40° RGB (40 quid each, but bought s/h here). I bought the tallest stands I could find so the lights are positioned as high as possible. Again, bands at concerts aren't generally lit at head height. The Kam sits at the top and the other lamp is attached to the stand just below the Kam (positioned on the 'audience side' of the stand). The foot controller was bought here for 40 quid (Stairville LED Foot 8 DMX controller).

 

I had originally intended to use the Kams wirelessly, with one as master and the other as slave using a single pedal to switch both. When that didn't work well, I switched to master and slave and used a dmx cable to link them. That wasn't really satisfactory and a problem remained. Advancing years has meant that the side markers on my basese are getting harder to see when it's dark. Normally you don't need them, but when you look down and you can't see them you (or rather, I) panic.

 

As I said, I tried to look at the lighting as if it were a 'serious' gig. By that, I mean I looked at how bands are lit at a concert at a decent venue. What I noted was that they don't use random changes (auto chases) or sound to light. I had a video of a gig I did years ago where the lighting guy was going barmy with chases etc and it looked dire. We were actually in darkness a lot of the time, as lights flashed all over the stage. That meant I stuck with solid colours. I am operatinmg the switches, so it has to be simple.

 

The Kams use 4 channel dmx so they use channels 001 to 004 and the singles use 005 to 008. Scene one is everything on full white (setting up and breaking down if there is no decent light at the venue). Scene two is low blue on all fixtures (I noticed that they often use this before the band hits the stage). Scenes two onwards are solid colours on the Kams and white on the others, so me, the keyborad player (next to me on stage) and the guitarist/singer (other side) can see what we're doing. Again, for the all the colour changes at concerts, the main performers are usually picked out in white.

 

Now let me try and find some pictures to illustrate some of that.

[bertbass]

On 25/11/2024 at 15:18, Steve Browning said:

It has to be said that drummers, ok some drummers, have the knack of sticking their cases exactly where you want to be - both setting up and breaking down.

If I may expand on this, ALL drummers not only stick their cases where you want to be but also spread their entire kit and bits everywhere while setting up and taking down.

[Steve Browning]

1 hour ago, bertbass said:

If I may expand on this, ALL drummers not only stick their cases where you want to be but also spread their entire kit and bits everywhere while setting up and taking down.

Word. 

[tauzero]

7 hours ago, bertbass said:

If I may expand on this, ALL drummers not only stick their cases where you want to be but also spread their entire kit and bits everywhere while setting up and taking down.

 

And, indeed, during the time between setting up and taking down.