Which do you like to use uplights or a light bar?

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MIXMASTERMACHOM

DJ Extraordinaire
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Oct 16, 2011
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I have a ADJ Wifly Bar RGBA light that still works and another that doesn't. I was looking at some more lights like the one that works to use on the side of a wall to use for uplighting. I know that one is discontinued. Just wanted to know which do any of you like best. Either a light bar or uplights to use for uplighting? I like the ideal of using the bar instead because it will cover more and in the end cost less then a really good set of uplights. If I buy the bars for uplighting, how many would you recommend I buy? I'm looking to buy later on over time and not right now. So please no sly remarks please. I see you can daisy chain them and use the master to control the rest.
 
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If you are serious about uplighting you need to buy all one model, buying 1 or 2 as you can afford them will not work as more than likely that model will be discontinued long before you can buy enough to make it worth your time
The math is simple
Uplighting cost. $5000
Amount charged for uplighting. $500

Paid for in 10 gigs

Do it right or you’re wasting your money
 
I pulled the trigger and yesterday I bought 4 uplights from Ebay for less than $60 free shipping. I plan on using them for the lighted facade I bought some years back. Obviously they are not battery powered. It says they should be here one day before my doctors appointment. It says they should be here on November 13th. If those lights are decent I will be ordering some more to use for uplighting a room. With those lights just want to add a different look to the setup using the lighted facade. Let you all know how they are. It comes with a remote. Wish me luck with them.
 
Right now is a crappy time to purchase up lights. Most of everything decent seems to be out of stock.

Anything being bought from China is going to take a good bit longer than it would have taken 2 years ago.

I do plan to purchase more of the 18 watt x 6 up lights from Both Lighting, but probably won't do that until some time next year.
 
Right now is a crappy time to purchase up lights. Most of everything decent seems to be out of stock.

Anything being bought from China is going to take a good bit longer than it would have taken 2 years ago.

I do plan to purchase more of the 18 watt x 6 up lights from Both Lighting, but probably won't do that until some time next year.
Story of my life… all the major upgrades I want are 2-3 month backlogs at the minimum. Too expensive to import product without significantly raising prices.
 
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Ive got a pair of the old ADJ sunlights I just dropped at a friends who is and electronics wizard that are being converted to high powered LED hopefully with DMX controlled dimming and rotation, we’ll see how that project goes, I still have a ton of pretty awesome old halogen stuff that could possibly repurposed
 
Ive got a pair of the old ADJ sunlights I just dropped at a friends who is and electronics wizard that are being converted to high powered LED hopefully with DMX controlled dimming and rotation, we’ll see how that project goes, I still have a ton of pretty awesome old halogen stuff that could possibly repurposed

Let us know how it goes I have a bunch too that might be worth converting
 
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Ive got a pair of the old ADJ sunlights I just dropped at a friends who is and electronics wizard that are being converted to high powered LED hopefully with DMX controlled dimming and rotation, we’ll see how that project goes, I still have a ton of pretty awesome old halogen stuff that could possibly repurposed
I have some older lights that I would LOVE to convert to LED. I wish someone would come up with this as a service.
 
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I bought a set of 20 Rainbow Lights Smart-2 Mini RGBWA+UV fixtures from a local DJ earlier this summer - at $2000 for all 20 plus two rolling SKB cases, it was a no-brainer. Color and spread-wise, they were almost 100% identical to the no-name fixtures I imported from China a few years ago. They're out of stock now, but at $179 each I'd recommend them to anyone.


Including these, I've got 56 uplights total. Of my 36 original imported ones, 3 are now completely dead and there are five of them that won't last a full event. In general, I've had good luck with them.
 
I 2nd rainbowlightsus.com Great product and ship out of Illinois when in stock.

They seem to work well. The only thing I don't like about the Smart-2 fixture is that there are buttons on every side of the light except for the side with the antenna. If you have one set up against a wall and somebody/something bumps up against it, they'll either turn the light off, change the wireless DMX universe, or change a menu setting. I've gotten around this by placing little adhesive rubber bumpers on the lights so the buttons don't get pressed, but it really would have been better to have one side of the fixture with no switches or buttons at all.
 
Just wanted to know which do any of you like best. Either a light bar or uplights to use for uplighting?
It's foolish to buy a fixture and then try to find a way to use it. Determine exactly what the use is - and then get a fixture capable of producing that result.

They each have a specific application, so I use the one that fits the intended design or effect that is needed. Bars are typically wash lights, and pars have a variable beam parameter from spot to flood. If I want to light a column I use a narrow beam par light, or a par with interchangeable lenses. To wash an entire wall I use a cyc. There's also a full range of possibilities in between. We can also double an effect by using mirrors., for example, an illuminated stage piece with mylar foil on the top cap will double the effect of any up light place inside of it. If you put the same mylar inside a cove at the top of a wall - wide beam up lights are reflected back down for a more dramatic cyc effect.

It's not about the fixture. Lighting breaks down into about three key parameters: Intensity, Beam, and Color. These are the things that will predict and achieve a given "look." Then choose the fixture best capable of managing those three parameters.

We all know this intuitively - it makes no sense to outfit ourselves with fixtures not capable of producing the color we want, at the bright or dimmed level we need, or with no meaningful control over where the light shines.
 
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Right now is a crappy time to purchase up lights. Most of everything decent seems to be out of stock.

Anything being bought from China is going to take a good bit longer than it would have taken 2 years ago.

I do plan to purchase more of the 18 watt x 6 up lights from Both Lighting, but probably won't do that until some time next year.

I've been replacing batteries in mine to keep them going longer. I've swapped batteries on 10 of my 20 fixtures so far. The rest are hanging in pretty well. The battery alone is $100, but it's way better than a $400 light replacement that nobody even has in stock.
 
They seem to work well. The only thing I don't like about the Smart-2 fixture is that there are buttons on every side of the light except for the side with the antenna. If you have one set up against a wall and somebody/something bumps up against it, they'll either turn the light off, change the wireless DMX universe, or change a menu setting. I've gotten around this by placing little adhesive rubber bumpers on the lights so the buttons don't get pressed, but it really would have been better to have one side of the fixture with no switches or buttons at all.
I have the Smart 2 Pros. They only have bottoms underneath so luckily, I don't have that problem.
 
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