Newbie Light Set Up

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djpeterpenguin

DJ
Nov 25, 2018
14
6
61
Newbie here...it was suggested I post parts of my overly long intro from the welcome thread to respective equipment threads so here I am!

After reading about lights on here, it seems most views are fairly conservative and very pointed from long time pros. The djs on YouTube seem to have different takes...from what I've seen. I decided to go with multi-fx lights, more bang for the buck lights to start with as the teens & tweens I entertain don't seem to be too picky (and if I fail miserably, they're very fun in my living room to practice on and at unpaid parties/events):

I have these lights and have been playing with master/slave and preset programs...
(2) CHAUVET DJ SWARM WASHFX (very fun with all the lasers and stuff...figuring out DMX programing will make this more fun I think!)
(2) CHAUVET DJ WASHFX-2
(2) ADJ UV Flood 36 (a blacklight party is in the works for New Years!)

Looking at more UV at PSSL: Solena Max Bar 60 UV 20x3-Watt LED Black Light...$99 each seems to potentially be good to make sure we have full
coverage in the gym. Has anyone ever tried the Solena brand? I can't find any reviews...

I don't yet have lighting stands...would love trussing or glow totems but would rather put the money towards speakers...any suggestions or should I just get the basic $25 t-bar stand that goes up to 12 feet?

I appreciate and now have a much greater appreciation for PARs and moving head lights from reading the lighting threads here...which will be next! I'm looking into wireless DMX and was hoping to utilize the lights part of Rekordbox but of course they don't support my lights yet! Hope to learn a lot on here and contribute as I learn and gain experience!

Thanx in advance for any wisdom!
 
i have four of the WashFx and really love them..... super bright tho.... i have them all dimmed quite a bit and still so so bright...

T bars do exist "sorta" in that price range... but id spend a tad more to get something safe and reliable....if u buy right u most likely will never have to replace them...

i havent tried any of the Solena products... but they might be a nice cheap option for black lights.... i recently did a "glow" party....in a medium sized venue...and it took 2 adj eco bars....2 eco 50s....and several adj tri par pucks to do the job....and i could have honestly used more...

dont ever believe a couple fixtures will do the job... unless its one of those giant blacklight cannons from a few years back with a real bulb... but even then... only one angle is covered...u really want coverage from multiple angles for the best result...or else the glow goes away in the shadows

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Thanx so much! I know some of the t-bars come square with set attachment points but it would seem the round ones are more versatile using them with O-clamps...any specific stand suggestion? I was looking at MonoPrice for DMX & longer IEC cables and saw they had one for $25 so that's where I started.

Yes, the WashFX are very bright! I tried dimming with the remote but could only get "Blackout" to work! That's why I'm thinking the wireless DMX would let me use a computer interface or if I got the ADJ Airstream I could use my iPad to specifically control them.

I was thinking the 2 lights for UV would not be enough so I'm hoping the Solena's do the trick...good thing I don't pay much attention to money as this is getting expensive! Then again, all the crap I've wasted money on in my life...this is fun and I get to share the experience with lots of people!

djcrazychris said:
i have four of the WashFx and really love them..... super bright tho.... i have them all dimmed quite a bit and still so so bright...

T bars do exist "sorta" in that price range... but id spend a tad more to get something safe and reliable....if u buy right u most likely will never have to replace them...

i havent tried any of the Solena products... but they might be a nice cheap option for black lights.... i recently did a "glow" party....in a medium sized venue...and it took 2 adj eco bars....2 eco 50s....and several adj tri par pucks to do the job....and i could have honestly used more...

dont ever believe a couple fixtures will do the job... unless its one of those giant blacklight cannons from a few years back with a real bulb... but even then... only one angle is covered...u really want coverage from multiple angles for the best result...or else the glow goes away in the shadows

cc
Click to expand...
 
Or what about just getting a t-bar attachment for the top of a speaker stand?

djpeterpenguin said:
Thanx so much! I know some of the t-bars come square with set attachment points but it would seem the round ones are more versatile using them with O-clamps...any specific stand suggestion? I was looking at MonoPrice for DMX & longer IEC cables and saw they had one for $25 so that's where I started.
Click to expand...
 
I bought one of the ADJ LTS-6 with the square bar...and DO NOT RECOMMEND IT AT ALL!! its kinda wobbly and a pain to screw in the wingnuts on your fixtures each time... definitely go with a big robust unit...like maybe the Griffin line..... if i had it to do all over again i would have bought crank stands of some sort.... once you get a couple fixtures on...it can be a bit of an ordeal to get that thing up in the air...

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djpeterpenguin said:
Or what about just getting a t-bar attachment for the top of a speaker stand?
Click to expand...

most speaker stands are actually a different diameter pipe size than light stands... its kinda annoying... the people you see with lights hanging on their speaker stands have bought special sized o clamps i think...

cc
 
That's why I was thinking speaker stands with the air lift...there is an adapter that goes on top of speaker stand to mount t-bar too...thanks for your recommendations!

djcrazychris said:
if i had it to do all over again i would have bought crank stands of some sort.... once you get a couple fixtures on...it can be a bit of an ordeal to get that thing up in the air...

cc
Click to expand...
 
djpeterpenguin said:
That's why I was thinking speaker stands with the air lift...there is an adapter that goes on top of speaker stand to mount t-bar too...thanks for your recommendations!
Click to expand...

I gotcha... just remember most speaker stands seem to top off at about 6 feet or so...some hit 7.... thats really never gonna be enough height for most lighting needs.... its enough for a moving head...but wash lights are always better when higher....

by the way... i DO recommend speaker stands for moving heads.....i do own truss...but find that more often than not i just bring my speaker stand mounts.... 2) Rockville RVSSA1 Universal 35mm Mounting Tripod Pole Speaker Adapter Brackets 692753396044 | eBay - (https://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Rockville-RVSSA1-Universal-35mm-Mounting-Tripod-Pole-Speaker-Adapter-Brackets/390711491867?epid=16021592424&hash=item5af8383d1b:g:ZNUAAOSw9N1VinuQ:rk:9:pf:0)

most moving head brackets will attach to that and then sit nicely on top of a speaker stand

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djcrazychris said:
by the way... i DO recommend speaker stands for moving heads.....i do own truss...but find that more often than not i just bring my speaker stand mounts...
Click to expand...

I've been trying to get a better configuration for my lights ever since I got my two moving head wash lights. For the past year and a half I've stopped using a Tbar because I hated the way it looked with all of the bulky fixtures i was using at the time during this time I was using a pair of speaker stands to mount my Derby X and Par 64 lights. I've sold the Derby X to get the moving heads. Now that I have the moving heads, I've gone back to using the T bar. This post has me looking at the speaker stands again, although I really want to get some truss.
 
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logisticalstyles said:
I've been trying to get a better configuration for my lights ever since I got my two moving head wash lights. For the past year and a half I've stopped using a Tbar because I hated the way it looked with all of the bulky fixtures i was using at the time during this time I was using a pair of speaker stands to mount my Derby X and Par 64 lights. I've sold the Derby X to get the moving heads. Now that I have the moving heads, I've gone back to using the T bar. This post has me looking at the speaker stands again, although I really want to get some truss.
Click to expand...

i was sold on the speaker stand idea by this dj...a really nice fella... but his lightshow is amazing...he utilizes 6 moving heads throughtout the room on speaker stands with scrims.... heres an example

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KezztyJk_l4&t=214s
 
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Just some thoughts ..

I don't care for the WashFX or Swarms or any device with a laser add-on, as lasers in general should NOT be pointed at the dance floor (not towards people's eyes), but the rest of the lights probably need to be. If you want lasers, make them a separate device and POINT THEM UP!!

My T-bars cost $150 a piece on sale (Ultimate LT-99B) .. from a liability standpoint, I would NOT go cheap with something that high up. You don't need the ones I got, but once you get a weight up over 8', it becomes real easy to tip a light stand, so get the best you can afford.

You can mount lights on speakers multiple ways .. on the pole under the speaker for some simple derbies/moonflowers or maybe a scanner pointing up .. or on top if your speakers have fly points. You can use 2 o-clamps and a short piece of tubing to make a bar on top (like this .. Marq Lighting Light Mounting Rig System for PA Speakers 694318022436 | eBay - (https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marq-Lighting-Light-Mounting-Rig-System-for-PA-Speakers/182765222166?epid=2247950206&hash=item2a8da7f916:g:NK8AAOSwPR9b4eGf:sc:ShippingMethodStandard!06712!US!-1:rk:7:pf:0) )
 
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I like these...they can be used for speaker stands too with air lift! Good idea...tnx!

steve149 said:
My T-bars cost $150 a piece on sale (Ultimate LT-99B) .. from a liability standpoint, I would NOT go cheap with something that high up. You don't need the ones I got, but once you get a weight up over 8', it becomes real easy to tip a light stand, so get the best you can afford.
Click to expand...
 
djpeterpenguin said:
Looking at more UV at PSSL: Solena Max Bar 60 UV 20x3-Watt LED Black Light...$99 each seems to potentially be good to make sure we have full
coverage in the gym. Has anyone ever tried the Solena brand? I can't find any reviews...
Click to expand...

PSSL regularly features two brands that I'm not familiar with in price ranges that appear too good to be true: Solena and Epsilon

I generally try to follow the "Buy once, cry once" mentality. Every time I've tried to cut a corner and save a few bucks on an important component, I've regretted it. But when I see stuff like these: Epsilon Quad Beam 7 RGBW 7x12-Watt LED Moving Head Light - (http://www.pssl.com/Epsilon-Quad-Beam-7-7x-12w-LED-Moving-Head-Light-2) it's tempting to pick up a pair just to see how they work out.
 
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Yeah...I found some good reviews on the Epsilons but can't seem to find anything on Solena...just hoping it's a decent non-name brand! The $25 PARs I have my doubts but hopefully these are just a really good deal!

Albatross said:
PSSL regularly features two brands that I'm not familiar with in price ranges that appear too good to be true: Solena and Epsilon

I generally try to follow the "Buy once, cry once" mentality. Every time I've tried to cut a corner and save a few bucks on an important component, I've regretted it. But when I see stuff like these: Epsilon Quad Beam 7 RGBW 7x12-Watt LED Moving Head Light - (http://www.pssl.com/Epsilon-Quad-Beam-7-7x-12w-LED-Moving-Head-Light-2) it's tempting to pick up a pair just to see how they work out.
Click to expand...
 
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