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[Josh Billings]

I'm working with this club that has about 3 random centerpiece style lights hung up in the venue doing pretty much nothing.

I told them that he needs a big refresh and I'm thinking they need something like 8-10 moving head / moving mirror type lights and a controller as a bare minimum. The automatic "react to music" settings on these lights are mostly no good so I'm assuming we'll need some sort of laptop / DMX controller type setup as well. I personally am a big fan of rotating gobos and the American DJ Focus Spot One seems like a good fit, but even $400 puts the lighting budget above $4,000 and I know that's a tough pill to swallow for him.

Do you guys have any suggestion on something that would be a good fit for this? Any and all suggestions are appreciated. Even used is cool, but worried about getting something reliable enough if it's 5+ years old.

Josh Billings

[duane massey]

What is the budget? Do they have someone to actually run the lights, or will it be (a) DJ hits a few buttons, or (b) turn on and let go?
Unless they have someone to operate the system, I'd stick with simple fixtures that can be turned off/on via  relay pack. Unless they have a hazer or smoke machine I'd look at lights that cover a wide area. ADJ REVO 4 (2 or 4 units), Galaxian-style laser, Quad-Phase HD, maybe a handful of cheap LED washlights, use a simple switcher (ADJ SC-8).

[Jeff Lelko]

Hi Josh.  How big is the club and how much ambient light do you contend with?  Is fog or haze in use?  What are the three current centerpiece lights?

Unfortunately, there are very few moving lights priced under $1000 that are worth owning.  Unless this is a small dark venue, the ADJ Focus Spot One isn't one of them.  Assuming your budget is in the $4-5000 range, you're not going to be able to buy a dozen moving lights worth owning.  Add a zero to that (or at least quadruple it) and the outlook is better. 

As I've said in many other threads, I'm a big fan (and user) of effect lights.  I find them to be more useful and carry more impact in the small to medium-sized venue compared to generic moving lights with mediocre programming.  My inventory of ADJ Ninjas and Martin Mania EFX600s see the most use, while my Elation Sniper Pros are popular at larger events. 

I personally see one of two possible routes you could pursue that are both worthwhile and reasonably cost effective.  One would be to replace your existing three lights with something more modern.  While I'm personally not a huge fan of the effect, the new ADJ Starship unit might be worth a look.  Three of those can look decently impressive.  Barrel effects such as the Martin Rush Wizard also cover a large amount of space and look good both with and without fog.  Units such as the ADJ Ninja can still be found with a bit of searching and offer a look similar to the older ADJ Tempest while being a quarter of the size and half the weight.  While very bright and punchy, fog or haze is strongly recommended with them.

The other route you could consider is to pursue a design with all static wash fixtures.  Given the vast number of LED Pars and Bars on the market, you can build a very reasonable setup with only a modest investment.  Tasteful programming will make them just as dynamic and effective as moving lights, but without the moving parts and ongoing maintenance.  There is no need for fog or haze to make this setup carry impact.  Hope this helps! 

[Lyle Williams]

Start with a business plan and business objectives.

Then work out how tech and staff can serve that.

How much profit will be made on the extra beer the lights sell?  How much will the lights cost to own and operate?

[Dave Vanharen]

Hello Josh,

We also started with a low budget, tried to get the best with the lowest price. But with new products you can't get a lightshow like you can get with a lot of money. Take a look at www.cuesale.com. Here you can find some second hand lighting fixtures and consoles.
https://www.cuesale.com/product-category/lighting/

So you can get some high quality products but affordable.


DM me if you need any help

[Steve Ferreira]

Hello Josh,

Please use your real name as per the forum rules.