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[ajcamlet]

Hi:

I'm moving to a new faclity that has 16' ceilings.  I'm looking to light the tracking area with par cans i suppose. The is ample room up in the ceiling are to hang lights. I definetly would like to keep in more moody than stage like, any recomendations? thinsg to stay away from? certain brands?

ajc

[len woelfel]

Assuming budget isn't an issue, I'd definitely look at led stuff.  More money, but the low temp and overall low operating costs are a big plus.  I'd never consider pars in a control rom, even with a 16' ceiling.  Too much heat.  You can get some cove lighting, some stuff hanging from the ceiling, some uplight stuff.  If you wanted to get really fancy, get it all on a dmx board and now you can dim AND change colors.  That would be awsome.  

[ajcamlet]

Hi Len:

thanks for your reply....i'm open to any sugesstions - can you elaborate on the LED stuff, and some of the other things you mention.....I'm new to this - but i really wanna have a cool looking vibe-ey room.....

thanks again
ajc

[ajcamlet]

Can someone point me in the LED direction pls...? IT seems like a great technology that isn't quite readily available yet?

[Rob Timmerman]

http://www.colorkinetics.com is one option.  I'd be wary of using LED fixtures for area lighting, though, due to their relatively low CRI (compared to halogen/high CRI fluorescent).  Something else to consider is that using anything except halogen/incandescent (not on a dimmer) has the potential to cause noise, both acoustic and radio frequency.  Well designed fixtures greatly reduce this potential, but it's still something to consider.

fwiw

[len woelfel]

I hadn't considered the noise factor.  My guess, however, is that anyone who is going to spend the money on a good quality lighting system can afford to have it electrically isolated from the recording gear.  As far as fixture noise, I can't say that I've ever heard that, not to say it doesn't exist.  Really, the big concern I'd have would be fan noise.  But since led generates so little heat, there really isn't a need for fans.

color kinetics are about the best quality led products available.  And also among the more $$.  But you get what you pay for.

since there's so many variables that would go into a design, just google the words led light fixtures or dmx and led together and see what comes up.  There will be a lot of options.

Another idea for outside:  There's a way to program your lighting so it automatically comes on right at sunset every night of the year, and can go through a bunch of programs if you want it to.  Plus, the whole system can be programmed to power up and down whenever as well.  And it can all be done for under $5K, including the computer.  

[Scott Helmke (Scodiddly)]

My own experience is in a small acoustic club, not a studio.  But there are some things I've noticed about "stage" lighting in a quiet environment.

1.  Fixture noise.  Par cans do rattle, and you may end up having to tweak each one to prevent that.
2.  Filament noise.  Dimmed lamps can make a heck of a buzz, easily audible in a quiet room.  I've had picky artists ask about that.  An undimmed lamp is quiet, though.  You might want to choose the lamp wattage so that they can be full-on all the time.
3.  Electrical noise.  Even with separate power you're going to get some radiated (RF) noise, enough to get picked up by single-coil guitar pickups.  Putting the lights behind wire mesh should take care of that, though.
4.  Heat.  Aside from the expense of running incandescent lights, you could also see instrument tuning issues as people move around under the lights.