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Author Topic: How much wattage for moving heads  (Read 7247 times)

John Roll

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How much wattage for moving heads
« on: March 09, 2019, 01:46:04 PM »

I have a small club rig to which I'd like to add some moving head lights. Is there a minimum wattage I need to look at? What determines the size? I've seen everything from 10w to ?????. I don't want to get lights that are "wimpy". I'm not sure what to ask really. I'm a soundguy doing lights from FOH and want to expand a little. Any suggestions welcome because frankly, I don't know where to start.

John
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John Roll
JMR Pro Audio

QSC, JBL, Presonus, Audix, K&M, EWI, Furman

duane massey

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2019, 02:36:20 PM »

Wattage in regards to lighting is just as ambiguous as it is to sound.
Lights mounted in the rear can be less powerful than those in the front. A small tight beam will appear brighter than a broad beam.
Do you want a focused light with gobos or a non-focused light that has RGB, RGBW, etc?
What other lights are you sing, and where are they mounted?
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Duane Massey
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Steve Garris

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2019, 02:41:00 PM »

What kind of budget are you thinking? What controller are you using?
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Erik Jerde

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2019, 03:03:04 PM »

I have a small club rig to which I'd like to add some moving head lights. Is there a minimum wattage I need to look at? What determines the size? I've seen everything from 10w to ?????. I don't want to get lights that are "wimpy". I'm not sure what to ask really. I'm a soundguy doing lights from FOH and want to expand a little. Any suggestions welcome because frankly, I don't know where to start.

John

What’s your trim height and stage size?
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Jeff Lelko

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2019, 03:08:41 PM »

I'll agree that wattage doesn't directly correlate to perceived brightness given the other factors involved (beam angle, etc.), however for the average weekend warrior something in the 60-90w range for a generic spot fixture is usually sufficient as an acceptable minimum.  Stage size, ambient lighting, additional stage lighting, and the use of fog/haze will all affect this though. 
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Rick Powell

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2019, 03:35:40 PM »

I went from 45w generic movers to 75w Chauvet Intimidator 260s and the difference was noticeable. The new lights seem to cut through the other lighting where their effect is more noticeable. I am using 15w RGBW pinspots and 60W RGBA LED pars as other lighting.
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Paul G. OBrien

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2019, 08:04:17 PM »

I'll agree that wattage doesn't directly correlate to perceived brightness given the other factors involved (beam angle, etc.), however for the average weekend warrior something in the 60-90w range for a generic spot fixture is usually sufficient as an acceptable minimum. 
I'd +1 to that but as usual much depends upon the end users expectations. A 60w MH spot will be plenty bright with no colors in front of the beam but the darker colors on the wheel won't pop nearly as well.. particularly in a lit room, over large distances and without fog/haze. The 10-30w fixtures are very limited which is a nice way to say they are just toys, they are cheap though so you could get 2 or 3 times as many which could be a good thing depending what you are trying to do, but they are pretty much disposable too.. not worth fixing if they break down.
I own some generic 60w heads which work fine for smaller events but my next upgrade will be to 180-200w led fixtures for use in large ballrooms and conference centers where the 60w look weak. If the OP is just trying to light the immediate stage area and produce some eye candy these smaller 60-90w fixtures will do the trick and be easier to mount and move. I can easily carry a pair of the 60w heads in their flight case but the 5R sized 180-200w fixtures would have to be cased individually.
« Last Edit: March 09, 2019, 08:11:40 PM by Paul G. OBrien »
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Luke Geis

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #7 on: March 10, 2019, 03:09:35 AM »

Pick a light and look at its wattage/amperage specs. Chances are if it is incandescent it will be pretty high. You can usually get 3-5 higher wattage units on one circuit, whereas a modern LED and light-duty conventional models may be able to get 5+. For instance, a Martin Rush MH-11 pulls 3.5 amps per fixture, so in theory, you could put 5 on one circuit if you wanted. A Martin Mac Viper Profile pulls 10.3 amps for example and probably should only run with 1 per 20 amp circuit!!!!
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Lyle Williams

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #8 on: March 10, 2019, 03:31:12 PM »

One of the challenges with fancy lighting is not looking tired and lame.  While you can get away with the same stage wash all night, add some effects lights or movers and you need to be able to change the look frequently.
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John Roll

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Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2019, 10:24:51 AM »

Wattage in regards to lighting is just as ambiguous as it is to sound.
Lights mounted in the rear can be less powerful than those in the front. A small tight beam will appear brighter than a broad beam.
Do you want a focused light with gobos or a non-focused light that has RGB, RGBW, etc?
What other lights are you sing, and where are they mounted?
I was thinking with gobos, but not necessarily. They will be in the rear.
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John Roll
JMR Pro Audio

QSC, JBL, Presonus, Audix, K&M, EWI, Furman

ProSoundWeb Community

Re: How much wattage for moving heads
« Reply #9 on: March 11, 2019, 10:24:51 AM »


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