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Making a plan for a lighting upgrade

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Jeremy Young:
Hey Folks,

Thanks for taking the time to read this.  For some background, I'm a sound guy, not a lighting guy.  Not yet anyway, unless you count some high-school musical experience with a follow spot.  When my boss left us suddenly and I started building up my own rig I picked up a few cheap LED fixtures not really knowing what I was looking at.  Here I am five years later, still in the lounge level as a weekend warrior, but my sound rig has expanded, my gigs are getting larger in scale, and yet I can't light a stage to save the universe. (Pun intended?).  I've been doing some self education on this site and many others, and I'm starting to familiarize myself with all the terminology and different units of measure for lighting fixtures (just when I realized I can't trust audio spec sheets, here I am trying to compare lighting spec sheets!).  I'm paying close attention to what the other small-providers in my area are offering.

I'm trying to keep everything simple and compact.  Nothing flown at this time and I'm OK with that.  However, if that prevents me from getting the results I need, feel free to be my wake up call.  I have succeeded so far with my PA being one-person manageable, but I'm struggling with lighting as the lighting designs I seem to like (and required infrastructure to effectively pull it off) would take up more space than I can effectively store, transport or set up. 

I don't know if truss is going to be in my future; I'm thinking four t-bar tripods, one at each front corner for front wash, and two in the rear for the fun part.  If I can fit the lights (prewired) inside some box truss, that could save enough storage/pack space that I might be able to pull off 20-30' of it on some ST-132 type stands behind the band, and use it for totems when that's not practical.  Anyone currently doing something similar?

So, the compromise begins and I'm trying to begin a budget for some minimal but effective and flexible fixtures to provide basic stage lighting that I can run myself while also doing sound (FOH & Monitors) that will hold the audience's focus.  Mostly static lights, but I'd light to do some programming as I get more comfortable. 

Most of my work is with bands at this point, and the stages are indoors and out, ranging from 10-30' wide and 12-24' deep, with up to 11 musicians on stage at a time.  Trim heights will be 13' off the ground (for low stages) or off the deck if it's taller.  I like my ST-132's for my PA and would buy more.  I'm hoping to find some fixtures I could "grow into" as I learn and experiment that won't completely break the bank (or back, or go obsolete).  Simple right?  haha. 

I do not intend to be a full-time lighting supplier anytime soon, I'm OK taking this slow but I do need to address my front lighting deficiencies before next spring.  Some of the events I've worked at recently had staging and lighting provided by some local AV companies and I've really come to appreciate some solid front wash when done effectively.  Those gigs used Lekos, and darn did they look sharp. (more puns)  I always wrote off non-LED fixtures in my mind for fear of heat (burning myself during load out)/power (or lack thereof)/weight (for my back), but the more I read about LED's and warm-whites, the more I realize that might just be what I need.

I own 8 of the ADJ Dots Par RGB 36w COB LED fixtures (great uplights, work OK for lighting the band from behind with a par-can style homogenized beam for a rock and roll look, but not loving them as front lights due to the tricolour limitations I initially ignored), 4-way optical DMX splitter, and an Art-net DMX node with WAP, iPad and Luminair App.  The rest of my stuff will probably be sold off as party toys since it really doesn't hold up. I'm trying to avoid that happening again (buy once, cry once).

Ideas: My first thought was LED wash lights, RGBAW+UV for some flexibility, IP65 for the seasonal outdoor shows I do since they'd be on ST-132's or similar, lighting the stage from the front at either side. (45 up and 45 out would be the goal). Thinking something like the Elation Sixpar 200 IP or 300 IP, two per side. Also considering the offerings from Chauvet's Colorado line (what others are providing in my area now).  Those are all in the range of 900-1500 CAD retail each but they'd pack small and be very flexible as I increase inventory (move to rear wash).

However, for a fraction of the price (500 CAD retail each), I could pick up some ETC Source 4 Jr Zoom lekos and have two per side that could light most stages I work on if I'm doing my beam angle math right.  Not IP65, but perhaps the heat will evaporate a slight drizzle?  Haven't had a downpour yet, but I'm in a rainforest, and my mains all have UndercoverNYC FS/W weatherproof covers, so that part is ready.  Flying solo I wouldn't have much time to react if the weather turns on me quickly.  I guess it depends where I can mount the stands but the manual zoom would allow me to make quick adjustments at set-up time.  Downside of these is that they would require more power than equivalent brightness LED's, some DMX dimmers (added cost), and they don't pack particularly small. 

Other ideas I've had include blinders (used for front wash at first, but could be moved to blinder duty later as I add inventory).  thinking the Chauvet Strike 1 or similar, retails around $1.5k CAD each. Maybe one per side on a tripod. Kind of a one-trick pony, but blinders are quite popular around here.  I don't know how well they would control the beam, but that's a trade off. Anyone been silly enough to experiment like this or would the big-boys just scoff at me?

I've also entertained something like the Rogue 1 wash, two per side on a tripod (TJ I read all your posts here and elsewhere) but I'm hesitant to get into movers since I don't really have the control experience to utilize them properly yet.  Typical retail around 1.5K CAD it seems, but I'd need some road cases for those, and then there's the weather concerns for outdoor shows.  The upside of those being flexibility, brightness, and if the tripods aren't ideally located I don't have to climb a ladder to zoom or aim them.  They'd certainly "look" pro, which might help justify some higher rates.

I'm sure there's more out there, and I'm all ears.

Power: On the small gigs where I only have 1-2 20A circuits to power everything from, my existing Dotz Pars could do the front wash duties for now unless I replace them altogether with something like a Chauvet slimmer pro hex (400 cad retail each but not IP65), so that leaves me with two 20A circuits on my existing distro that I could set aside for lighting duties on the larger gigs where I'm falling flat. 

Business: (Because Ray will ask).  I'm losing out on some gigs because I can't provide a basic stage wash along with audio.  Perhaps I can make some friends with the local lighting suppliers and work together (smartest thing I've said so far) but I don't like relying on others all of the time so need to be somewhat self-sufficient. 

For the number of uses I would get out of these on the short-term, there would be no reasonable directly-measurable ROI for anything I have in mind.  However, I need to start somewhere, and my pride keeps me from wanting to drop money on more no-name toys when I take the presentation of my equipment as seriously as I do.  My day job affords me a flexible budget for now, but once I'm "set up" I intend to move into this full time again which will put the spending to a halt and I want to be reasonably geared up by then.

Basically, I'm hoping to increase the quality of my productions to elevate my company's standing and allow me to compete in my market.  Lights might end up being my "freebie to land the gig" for now until I'm better at it, but you can't practice without the tools.  Everything in my audio rig has been treated with the "buy once cry once" attitude, and it has treated me well. 


Thanks to all who provide insight for me.  I can't put into words how invaluable this forum has been to me over the last few years.

John Fruits:
I think the first thing to do is take care of the front lighting.  Yes, incandescent S4's look great, but require lots of infrastructure.  Power, dimmers or dimmer packs, lots of heavy cable, large size, multiple lens tubes....the list goes on.  Oh yeah, the S4 juniors are limited to 575 watts and aren't really that much cheaper or smaller.  Then there are LED versions, at much higher prices.  There are white light only ones (Chauvet even has an IP rated warm white one) and color ones. 
I understand the charm of the itty-bitty hotbox/puck/slimpar fixtures but they are fixed beam spread.
For front lighting using two fixtures on each side I would look at zoom fixtures.
The Phillips Showline Par 155 used to be the best one but it is a manual zoom.
Then there is the Martin Rush Par 2, with motorized zoom.
The hot ticket right now seems to be the Elation FUZE series, and some are IP rated. 
http://www.elationlighting.com/fuze-series
With lighting support at the corner of the stage you would want a wider wash on the near side and a tighter beam on the far side. 
As far as blinders, one history claims that The Who was the first big act to use them.  5K fresnels upstage behind the band.
http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/pa/lighting.html
In addition to the Chauvet Strike, also take a look at the Elation DTW units, the 350 and the 700 are also IP rated.  Good luck with your search.

Jeff Lelko:
Hi Jeremy,

There are a number of ways you can go about this depending on what you need right now and what can wait, and where the money should be spent.  The nice thing about lighting is that there is no "set" way of doing things.  While some techniques are more industry-standard than others, it's easier to shoehorn things on lighting than it is for sound, at least in my experience.

The first thing you'll need to settle on is a controller.  This is a mandatory purchase and I think you're going to want to tackle this now - Luminair has numerous limitations, especially for moving lights.  As you might already know, controllers currently come in two flavors - a standard "hardware" console and those that run on a PC or laptop, with or without a "wing" to give some hands-on control.  Martin's M-PC with an M-Touch is one of the cheapest ways to get a capable control solution that can grow with you.  ChamSys's MagicQ is another popular software controller, though the cost of their wings and accessories is a little bit higher.  I used MagicQ PC for nearly a decade before growing to a dedicated hardware console.  Decent hardware boards will set you back several thousand, so a buy once cry once kind of thing, but if done right it'll last you a long while.  You just have to decided how much of your budget you want to allocate to a board.  Personally, I find it better allocation of money to buy a board you can grow into versus buying fixtures you can grow into. 

Regarding everything else, you have a multitude of options with reasonable flexibility.  I've done pre-rigged and pre-hung truss before.  It can definitely save time if done correctly, but at the same time box truss can be a bit much for a single operator to handle if you try anything much beyond a totem.  Transportation logistics also increase when moving carts of box truss.  ST-132s, T-bars, and I-beam style truss is much more manageable at least to me, plus you can always grow to box truss if needed.

Fixtures are another variable that can really be all over the place.  I agree with John that you need to get your front wash taken care of first.  I personally do my washes with halogen pars and supplement as needed with my 700w discharge CMY moving washes.  Getting back to what you're looking for, it's really a case of you get what you pay for.  The cost of LED Pars is all over the spectrum.  In my personal opinion, front wash acceptable LED lights don't really run under $500/ea. and go up from there.  This would be your Elation SixPar and Fuze Series as well as the Chauvet Colorado Solo Series and similar.  The questions is...is the higher cost of even these types of fixtures really worth it when compared to a conventional fixture or a more budget option such as a SlimPar Pro?  For what it's worth I've never had a major problem with non-IP-65 fixtures in rain, but one storm can change that and everyone is different.  If outdoors is a regular thing I'd consider it, but for 2-2.5 the price of a non-IP-65 equivalent?  Tough choice, and one I'll need to make sooner or later when I buy a few dozen of the latest-generation LED Pars...  Granted they should last longer as they're sealed for dust as well, but with the pace this market keeps evolving I'm not sure I'd want to sign up to a fixture purchase that'll take a few seasons to make back.  If you business model supports it then go for it, otherwise sometimes being cheap and minimal is the best idea from a business perspective.  Instead, spend the cash on something with more longevity to it such as a console.  Flip side, the S4s, S4 Pars, and the like aren't going anywhere this decade.  That's a more future-proof purchase right now versus the latest and greatest LED...which will be superseded next year by something "better".  Just my opinion though.   

Zoom is nice to have as well but for a little bit more you can have a moving wash, which to me has been a much more useful tool.  At least with the direction my rig continues to evolve - go cheap with the generic eye-candy Pars, get something decent (either halogen or higher end LED) for overall front wash and strong facial light, and add a few moving zoomable washes for your "specials" and other effects.  Just remember that while LED is usually lower wattage than halogen, it's not negligible!  Best of luck!

Nate Zifra:
Glad to see some activity again here on the lighting forum!

As a mostly single operator, I can appreciate where you are coming from.  I love good lighting, it makes such a difference.  However, what I find is the setup and tear down times it adds doesn't always allow for what I am able to setup.  As a result, I have truss that is rarely used, and some fixtures that remain in the trailer. 

What always comes out of the trailer is front lighting.  I use the warm white/cold white Cob fixtures, a pair per side.  They are perfect for front lighting.  The only complaint I get is typically from the performers, as they are very bright when looking directly at them.  I may look into some type of diffuser for them, but I digress.  I have no complaints, and can choose to operate them on dmx for dimming or blackout, or just standalone in a pinch.  They also make excellent work lights for cleaning up in the dark. 

In place of the truss up stage, I find it the quickest to have LED pars prewired on t-bars.  Usually I use two tbars, but sometimes three total if it is a wider stage.  While pars only can seem boring, I think chases are often overlooked by a lot of beginners.  Most seem to go for the color wash fade, but some simple varying chases with each par dimming (pulsing) or completely on/off can add a lot of movement to your static lights.  Program some of these chases, use a program that allows you to change the speed, and maybe add some bump buttons for all on, or full white for some some quasi blinder action.  You can also vary your chases by using different colors instead of having all the pars the same color. 

My T-bars for upstage have 4 prewired LED Pars, and then for those events I can use haze, I have some small 60 watt moving head spots I attach, two per T-bar.  It doesn't take too long to throw them up, add power and dmx. 

To start, I agree with what was mentioned.  Get your front lighting sorted first, find a controller like M-Touch that lets you expand to the future.  For now, continue to use your COB's for upstage, but consider programing some chases.  Then you can decide how you want to proceed, you could expand your existing inventory of Cobs for larger stages, and look into added some portable movers.

Hope my experience helps you.

Jeremy Young:

--- Quote from: John Fruits on September 07, 2017, 08:12:14 AM ---I think the first thing to do is take care of the front lighting.  Yes, incandescent S4's look great, but require lots of infrastructure.  Power, dimmers or dimmer packs, lots of heavy cable, large size, multiple lens tubes....the list goes on.  Oh yeah, the S4 juniors are limited to 575 watts and aren't really that much cheaper or smaller.  Then there are LED versions, at much higher prices.  There are white light only ones (Chauvet even has an IP rated warm white one) and color ones. 
I understand the charm of the itty-bitty hotbox/puck/slimpar fixtures but they are fixed beam spread.
For front lighting using two fixtures on each side I would look at zoom fixtures.
The Phillips Showline Par 155 used to be the best one but it is a manual zoom.
Then there is the Martin Rush Par 2, with motorized zoom.
The hot ticket right now seems to be the Elation FUZE series, and some are IP rated. 
http://www.elationlighting.com/fuze-series
With lighting support at the corner of the stage you would want a wider wash on the near side and a tighter beam on the far side. 
As far as blinders, one history claims that The Who was the first big act to use them.  5K fresnels upstage behind the band.
http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/pa/lighting.html
In addition to the Chauvet Strike, also take a look at the Elation DTW units, the 350 and the 700 are also IP rated.  Good luck with your search.

--- End quote ---


Thanks for the reply John!  I had looked at almost every fixture you've mentioned in my search (except the Phillips).  I think 575w would be all I could afford (power wise) but having no hands on experience with Lekos i had not considered the lenses etc.  Sounds like a lot of infrastructure (space i don't really have).  I just wish there were more LED fixtures with a known effectiveness like the S4's that had some solid staying power.  Since this will be a long term investment, it makes sense to me to avoid gimmicky products and try for "timeless" fixtures.


I'll stick to (motorized) zoom fixtures for the convenience/flexibility; the Fuze series did intrigue me.  I do like the look of a COB fixture more than a multi-LED looking fixture, hence my inventory of Dotz Pars.  I just wish they had more effective whites and ambers (the ADJ's).


Thanks for the link on The Who, that'll be an interesting read!

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